The pulse of September

There are many reasons for me to feel good in this September. I finally have a peace of mind about many things. It's good to see how some pieces of a puzzle found their spots in the "year book of 2023" and now I eagerly wait to experience and enjoy the rest of the year. Still many months to rock n roll. I'm really happy getting back to yoga practice, I get so much better contact to my body, mind and breathing after every lesson. For me the best combination to stay fit is running, yoga and pilates. All of these actions & practices supporting each other perfectly.

It's important to see and experience something different regularly. Then it's easier to go on with the normal routines. I have still extremely much to see in the Netherlands. It's a never ending project. So small country, but so many interesting places! Luckily we did one "uitje"(a little day trip/visit)a couple of weeks ago.

Doesburg

Our long term plan is to visit all the 9 Hanseatic towns of the Netherlands - still five to go. Around the middle ages, when Amsterdam was still a small town, the Hansa towns were successful economical & transportation spots by the water. You can sense the history and the visible & cultural marks of the past times when visiting these towns (Deventer, Zwolle, Zutphen, Doesburg, Kampen, Elburg, Hattem, Hardewijk & Hasselt) along the rive Ijssel and near the national park Veluwe region. 

A star shaped form of old Doesburg

A typical roof silhouette of Hansa in Doesburg 

        

A historical and tasty short weekend with great walks around the town, admiring the architecture and the surrounding Nature. You can easily take the train from Amsterdam to Arnhem (East of Holland) and travel from there to Doesburg by a bus. By the way Doesburg is very well known for the mustard and there is a great museum for that as well. Every first Sunday of the month you can visit a big market in the centre, where the local creative people are selling their products.  

I think the Holland travels should not only focus on Amsterdam or other big cities. If you have an opportunity, pick one of the Hanseatic towns as well and get to know the history a bit more. 

Lalique Gallery

We visited one museum in Doesburg and what a great surprise it was. The museum in named after René Lalique (1860-1945), a very productive french glass and jewellery designer from the art deco & art nouveau period. The museum is located in two old national monument houses, a very beautiful experience. Flora, fauna and feminine forms were the inspiration for art nouveau. The designs have beautiful lightness and flow and phenomenal sense of using the materials. The jewels had such detailed balance and I found his perfume bottles such art also. At the museum shop were a collection of perfumes for sale - of course I had to buy one for later inspiration. 

The museum has regularly different exhibitions beside the basic collection. During our visit there was a great show about graphic design from around 1900 - "Mucha & Tijdgenoten". During that time the color photography was not yet developed and taken over the market. That's why many artists had a lot of work: posters, pictures for the magazines, fashion illustrations. Back then these marvelous works were not seen as art. Looking from our perspective it really was a very beautiful period of time when a lot of work was made on paper and a lot of patience was needed to create these unique hand made art works. One of the most famous poster artist was the french Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec from Paris. The museum about his work and life story is located near Montmartre in Paris - another great museum to visit.

The life energy, the inspiration is so important part of staying motivated, curious and open. I get the biggest "kick" when seeing something like this. It gives always hope, to see the humanity and expression of feelings and thoughts trough any interesting art.

 

That's the reason, thinking of the long, soon arriving winter time, I bought a museum year card. You can visit as much you like a long list of Museums in the Netherlands with this card during one year. This personalized card is only sold for the people living in the Netherlands.

Via the following link you can compare the prices of different sorts of discount cards for tourists. You can choose the best option for your purposes:

Amsterdam City Cards comparison & review

Bloemendaal aan Zee

I had not been at the beach in Holland for a while. Since we sold our car, it was not so spontaneous to make a short visit there. Actually you can take a train to the beach, but we never did it. I was so happy to see the see and feeling the Atlantic breeze. I love big, open views and the far away horizons. The water was still warm and we had a long walk at the sandy beach. 

 

The Autumn sun was giving such a reflective shine on the surface of the sea. I loved the sharpness of some waves, the speed they confronted the sand with a dominance. I always had a big interest about the adventurous sailors who go to chase their dreams over the restless seas. I read so many books about their trips and hard experiences. I am afraid of the dark side of this massive forse of Nature, but I love to watch the Sea and I feel alive when I hear the waves. It's really like hearing the earth breathing, how it's alive and wants us to be alive. That's why I often seek the water, walk along the water. It makes me  calm in any restless moment of my life.

autumn sunsets are the best

Evening salad with pink mood with a glass  of Rose

I think my September has been balanced so far and I feel it was a good recipe of different things that made me extra happy. It is  also the contrast between the more challenging summer period and finally things getting easier & clearer that made me space to take a better care of myself. 

The pulse of September is getting calmer and stronger. Lucky to be old enough to know the importance of taking your time (and us time) when the opportunity comes.

 Creating opportunities by making choices!

Less overthinking and trusting the feeling!

Feet in the water

roses, wood and a dog:)

I wish I would have dipped my bare feet in the cold water on the first day of January, the day I took these pictures. It is easy to be brave and spontaneous in theory, but often we need a few inspirational examples before the great ideas are landing to our consciousness. 

my children are often my biggest inspiration

A wind beaten walk at the beach of Castricum was like a wake up walk  after the silent christmas holiday. The Sea is a powerful force of Nature, the changing elements like the wind and the huge waves pointing out the challenge of life. It is a yearly tradition for many dutch people to go and swim in the cold water on the first day of the year. A ritual of washing the old days of previous year and starting a new fresh year like this has become a big event for many people. In 2016 over 51 000 people joined the new years dive in the beaches of Netherland. Originally a small group of people started this tradion in 1960's and somehow it grew to a big happening during the decades. Maybe the challenge and the shock of the cold water is pushing ones boundaries and makes it feel like a clear start for the next coming seasons. 

A brave dutch woman having a new years swim.

The challenge is pushing the human mind further. It can be easier if you have clear goals and a directions you want to work on. The motivation and the reason for this motivation are the keys for being able to focus on the performance with a long time commitment. It can be easier to listen to what other people are saying than really start to listen to yourself - making steps and choices of your own. The reality hits of course in many ways, because we always have to think of other people as well. A good planning can make miracles and make us more happy. Making space to personal goals, connections and plans - giving time to ourselves and giving time to others in a decant balance. 

We need the silence every now and then to really stand on our own feet. The noise is everywhere and so are the mysterious or direct expectations, the motives and needs from the other people. To be able to trust to one another in all human connections, we need to be honest and trust to ourselves first. In the best conditions we can trust in life and we feel there is a meaning in our existence. To be  able to grow and feel this vital force of life, making ethical choices and choosing a direction are needed. The best inspiration can be having other people around and getting impulses and ideas from this interaction. We have to let that interpersonal light to reach our mind and soul, but at the same time be able to separate the unnecessary weight of the individual, personal process that someone else is going through. We can help, listen and live along the journey...but sometimes we have to let go and focus on our own path. We all have a "work called life" here to do :). With all respect, we have to focus on the good process and make better choices for ourselves, for the loved ones and for our environment. It is never too late to say something better than the last time and do a better choice than the last time.

Sometimes I feel I repeat myself with all the silent talk made loud in these written notes. Then I comfort myself: we need endless repetition on the skills to be masters of something. Being a master of our own mind could be a helpful skill, but learning to make more  honest and better choices is good enough for me. 

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!