Seaside spa

The best place to have a face treatment is a windy beach at the Atlantic coastline of the Netherlands. You do not need a special spa day: the moist and salty air, the hard blowing wind and the flying sand will do the trick. If not a professional way to get a smooth and pink cheeks, at least a healthy way to air your mind and to feel, smell and hear the power of the Nature. 

I had it both ways last weekend: first a gentle morning at the hotel beauty centre taking care of myself and enjoying the treatments. Something that I do not normally do, but should do more often. I was  alone and followed my own rhythm of relaxation, did not have to talk to anyone. Even I had a plan of planning some practical things for the next week...I did not hardly do anything. I am proud of that and felt not quilty, just took my laptop with me for no reason :-). The second part of my spa stay...walking at the beach was the best. The wind kissed my skin with sudden attacks and I fought my way through the sand to have my glass of wine at the beach restaurant and enjoyed the beautiful light and views.

The place I went is called Egmond aan Zee. It is not the prettiest beach I have been so far in Holland, but the area is worth to visit and if you walk a little bit further at the beach you do not have to see the ugly architecture. The village is located very near to the sea, just behind the dunes and you can just walk from the main shopping street directly to the sandy beach . It is an easy location for tourists. I used to live for many years in Germany and during my visit the main language I heard was german. I can speak dutch, but it was funny how the people working in the restaurants started to speak german to me, because of my foreign accent. 

After a good night sleep at the hotel, I had a nice morning walk. The night was very windy and I even woke up in the middle of the night, because the noise of the sea was so powerful. On my walk I saw the fresh marks of the night waves, which reached much further along the sand in the dark hours. The old lighthouse is standing in the middle of the village, giving a nice character to the views. 

Small houses side by side at the beach. Some people have summer houses like this in Holland.

The wind is making nice music when moving the masts of the small sailing boats. I love that sound!

The seaview from the dunes. I am standing beside the lighthouse here.

Sometimes is good to be alone and find back to your basic self. To think, watch and listen without any interruptions, demands and routines. To find a place even for a short time to just relax and find the ways and the motivations to make some small changes that will help you to feel better in every day life. I made a little mind map collage during my weekend journey. I wrote down the things that I love to do, would like to do and develop and will use this as a guideline to plan my weeks better. This makes it possible for me to do the things that I would like to do and find even a small spot from my days to focus on. I am a dreamer, so a little bit of planning is always good for me.

Today will be a sunny day and one of the rare warmer days this spring time. I will go and enjoy that!! I know some of my friends are having hard time in Finland now, because there was snow again. I will send my warm greetings to the North and let's hope the warmt will spread all over. Happy weekend!