The Netherland

Rijssen is a town surrounding by forest where nothing but pine trees and mosses grow. The town feels like those old English country town where people stay at home most of the time. They only go out a couple of hours a day to shop or meet friends. The weather is way too cold!

I woke up at 5.30am and accepted the fact that I would just read and go for a morning walk when the day breaks. I went out at 7.30am and walked into a pine tree forest down the road. I love the smell of nature, the mosses that is typical in Europe, the majestic of trees that have no leaves.

We went out to another national park later that morning. Again, we jumped through or bent under fallen trees, bush bashing without worrying about snakes. We walked up a hill and looked back down to the meadow in the valley. I was sure summer time would be a nice picnic area for families, yet the solemn of winter gave the area a different flavour.

After the walk, Niels took me to the War Memorial for Canadian. The solitude of tomb stones commemorating soldiers who died way to young as part of the allied who would liberate Europe from the Nazis. Sacrificed in WWII (1939-1945), 1,300 souls are buried in a country that they know very little about. The air was bitterly cold; War is an awful thing.

Rijssen is a small traditional Christian town where church life plays an important part in people's lives. Even among the churchgoers, protocol of how you live your life differentiate one church from another. With a more traditional church, ladies must wear skirts at all times; they must wear nice clothes to the church; you are not allowed to travel on cars nor walk too fast to the church. Like Shabbat and ultra Orthodox Jews lives, strict rules applied on Sundays. I witnessed this on the morning I left Rijssen. Men and women dressed up with suits, nice coat, beautiful skirts and petty hats were walking towards the traditional church where Niels lives.

We had nice toasties at the Center of town. Gosh, the art of simple food! Toasted bread with Brie melted in the middle, top with walnut and honey. I should try this at home as long as I can deal with the calories quota.

Looking outside of the window, the town was bleak and forlorn. People were dashing around doing their usual weekend shopping in the town Center. We walked into the adjacent church where a lovely Dutch lady showed us around and narrated stories of this church. With the pipe organ playing holy songs to god, the coat of arms on the wall, the protocol of where aristocratic families should sit, this is what I miss about Europe!

Second hand shop was a big thing in Rijssen. I love the feeling of treasure hunt and paying fraction of the price for a good find. I decided not to buy the Delft blue plate - one less item that has no sentimental value that I need to worry about when I need to move again. I got a Dutch beer glass and an d tin with images of Rijssen and Twente. Simple things that made great joy.

I was pretty exhausted at the end of the date. I felt asleep while reading the Prince. That was a damn hard book to read.

Although short, it was sweet. I would fly over thousand miles to do this again. This trip affirms my love affair to Europe. My abundance mindset, my intention, would one day bring me back to live in Europe.Read more