Yessss!!! The campervan season has started again (smile).
I ended season 2022 with a strange little bump on my left shin, which appeared to be a not so friendly little bump, and it had to be removed in two separate ‘operations’. For that reason I was not very mobile for a while, but I still started teaching Dutch to a new learner, a lady with abundant positive energy, it is always a joy to spend time with her. I also started to get involved in a beautiful jazz music education project in N’Djamena (Chad), I continued being involved in the European project ‘Performing Gender, Dancing in your Shoes’ (https://www.performinggender.eu/about/), I volunteered in the Circus Festival ‘Circulo’, I continued volunteering at the theater ‘De Nieuwe Vorst’ in my home town, I worked remotely for Action Aid in Ukraine, for a few months and on a part-time basis, I went on a singing trip to Seville (Spain), there were lots of interesting, pleasant, nice activities during the winter season.
But now I am back on four wheels (in combination with the two wheels). Because of the Performing Gender project I have to attend sessions on Friday mornings, and I will organize my trips around these sessions. I will be spending most of my time in the Netherlands, discovering my own small but beautiful country.
My first trip of the season was a short trip to National Park De Weerribben, a kind of wetlands that developed as a result of peat extraction (in the old days the peat (turf) was used as fuel). The wetlands enabled reed cultivation which still exists, although most of the reed used in the Netherlands is imported. I was camping at a lovely little campsite, from where I made some bike tours along the canals in that area, one really long one, 70 kilometers !!! I visited the famous village of Giethoorn, apparently called Venice of the Netherlands, but that is hugely exaggerated in my opinion, not to say untrue. The inhabitants can only reach their homes by boat or sometimes bicycle. And I made a boat trip to fully enjoy birdlife in the wetlands (although no pictures to 'prove' that). Nature was slowly getting out of its winter sleep and I think I will go back later in the season to see what it looks like then.
My next trip will be to Belgium, from where I will go back to the Netherlands to visit another tourist hotspot. I will tell you about it next time.
