Birdsongs

Oh, the joy it is to be a little bird perched at the tiptop of a treetop singing sweet songs to the sunset.

More Leaves

To contrast the trees from an earlier picture, from the same spot. Leaves are nice! But I can't see the people walking down the bridge so well.

Happy happy joy joy

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Groningen from the Germans by the Canadians. This is a beautiful tree blooming just next to the Martinikerk in Groningen. I am jumping for joy because the weather is so nice.

'Til the Last Drop

Here's to more cheerful days visiting yummy restaurants, eating overpriced raw veggies and bread, and drinking good wine!

Biking like a baas

My bad-ass partner in long bike rides. Thanks for wandering around with me. It's good to get lost together.

Windmolen

Here it is, the quintessential Dutch photo. It's very quiet on the streets these days. Good time to go out on long bike rides into the countryside. It's very relaxing, and takes the mind off all the craziness and scary real world happenings.

Regenachtige middag

I go bananas for potato chips.

Biking with a phone

Here I am diligently obeying the law. Last week I was fined 95€ for biking while holding my phone. It's a new law, and they're enforcing it as much as possible. Ironically, I was using my phone to have directions to get to the cheap-o grocery store. I ended up not saving that much money.

Gedempte Zuiderdiep

One of the busiest intersections in the city, with around 20.000 pedestrians and cyclists crossing it on a regular weekday. No traffic lights of course, just a bunch of crosswalks. It's very quiet standing here. It wasn't always like this though; this used to be a canal!
Oh, and it's a leap day! Yay!

Bird's eye view

You can see our house on here, somewhere on the left, across from the museum in the water. A very nice scale model representation of Groningen's inner city, binnenstad. It is diligently kept up to date by the municipal workers. It's not that much bigger in real life - to walk from one end of the other is about a 15 minute walk. With very few cars in the way.

Nürnberg

What is it like to be a sleepy chameleon hanging out on a branch?
He must get a lot of random visitors, peering into his lair.
He reached out for me as I approached.
Maybe he wanted to clamber up onto my face, and escape.

Mooie Zeilschepen

This is change I could get used to. There are sail ships just hanging around everywhere. They even light them up at night. I want to take beginner sailing lessons, starting this spring, at a lake not far from here, Zuidlaardermeer. One step at a time.

Rituals

I like my routines and habits. Like my breakfast routine. I like to do things the same way, even in the same order. It is comforting. The smallest change is challenging.
So coming here and starting everything anew was hard. But here I am, settling into my breakfast routine. At least there's that. And it seems to be here to stay for a good little while. This brings me joy.

Goedenmiddag Groningen

A 'wintry' afternoon view from our new home, facing the Groninger Museum. No, I do not miss the snow. I like the sounds of bikes and pedestrians as they weave between each other, and the sight of the warm sun shining into our living room to nourish our plants. I am filled with joy to be here.

Tot ziens Utrecht

Thank you little house on the Vaartsche Rijn for being our home for the past month or so. Thank you for welcoming us into this land. Thank you for giving us the time to sense the sights and sounds of the old canal. It's been a blast!

Een grote boom

This is a redwood tree, planted in the Amsterdam Botanical Gardens a mere 35 years ago. Just like the average age of the inhabitants of Groningen, it is younger than I am.
It is the most beautiful tree I have ever hugged. It overshadows all the other trees in the garden. I can't wait to come back here to visit this truly awesome tree.

An ode to Nuts and Honey

I miss my cats. I think about them when I am sitting in my little apartment working on my laptop, or when I am eating my oatmeal in the morning. They have been a part of my every day for the past 12 years, and now we are apart.
Today I visited other cats in a Haarlem café. A few were crazy, and a few others were cuddly. But none were Nuts and Honey.

Morning light

Shout out to Geoff, who thinks my blog is useless. So do I.
I intend no purpose through this exercise. That's a lie.
To remember, to log, to let out, to materialise, I write.
For me, not for you. And I walk down to the right.

Sheep

Who needs fences around here? Nobody!

Fietsen en frietsen

We are mobile, Dutch style. And we are eating fries. It's wild. Moreover, contrary to all expectations, the sun is out and the sky is blue. Yay!

A new beginning.

Athena, bikes, and a really really old canal. De Oudegracht. Our first weekend in Utrecht has consisted of getting over jet lag and exploring the streets. Oh, and eating yummy foods.