Weekend in Julianadorp

We had a great time!
"Lekker uitwaaien" on the autumny sunny beach was still pleasant and Maarten had a blast of course. Having the sandy dunes and beach at your doorsteps like his uncle and auntie that really is something!










Though, after so many years it was rather sad to see the house and street where Rob spent first years of his life. Most of the houses, including the school, has been already demolished.

Healthy sentiment

Just learned that sentiment is heatlhy.

Nostalgia would be a good medicine against loneliness because it gives us the feeling of being amongst our loved ones again.
While we are feeling sentimental we recall people we love and also memories of events and places that are important to us.
(Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10/2008)

It's old news, but nevertheless interesting.

Open Scouting

So glad I 'discovered' this internationally oriented pluralistic scout!
Maarten seems so far to enjoy it very much.

Too bad I can't join them myself.

A crazy chestnut caterpillar,

a hedgehog, Ferda the Ant, and... Maarten.

A trip to the library

Biking against the merciless wind, backpack heavy with books and at least one kilo "unhatched" chestnuts for my little sweetheart, all sweaty but happy I made it...
just found out that the neighbouring street is lined with chestnut trees.

Would you call it love or stupidity?

Around D'Hoppe

Even the heavy rain in the morning couldn’t stop us getting outside. After a hectic week full of new activities Maarten insisted to head for the forest.

And you’ll never guess why!

He was traditionally chasing after grasshoppers and frogs and collecting nuts, acorns, chestnuts and other windfalls.
We may do some crafts together.




The cows and bleating sheep grazed in the pasture around the old “Ferme du Lieutenant”, a scenery as if the time has stopped here.





Too bad we had to share the country roads with the stinky and noisy groups on motorbikes.






PS: Isn't it nice to just go out in your back yard and pluck some mushrooms for dinner?

And they were yummy!

Mindfulness 1

I’m completely broken after my first training last night. Physically so far.
My low back is killing me.

Besides, after my first session I became a bit skeptical and I’m not entirely convinced this is going to work for me.

Yet, still wondering if I’m able to develop and adopt those “magical” mental skills I promised myself to give it a try.


To be continued.

PS: Some words of inspiration:

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Nothing is as pleasant as an autumn day..."

During our last walking trips we accidentally came across so many blackberries that after we filled our tummies we continued picking them in our empty water bottles.

There were loads of ripe elderberries too.

So we ended up coming home with really heavy backpacks.

This was my first time I made jam and elderberry syrup and both turned out to be quite a success.


Maarten was excited to decorate the homemade cake with fresh berries but, as you might suspect, he was not the one who picked them.





Chasing grasshoppers and froggies and comforting a lost birdie is way more fun!

Over the mountains and far away...

It’s far too complex to put those two weeks into a short story.

Already the first day I accidentally came "face to face" with my father who didn’t recognize me. Quite understandable of course after not seeing each other for good 18 years. What did surprise me that this was still very emotional for me.

A much nicer experience was to see my mother happy with our “present”. I guess, for the first time she really appreciated it. No perfumes, shoes, clothes or handbags, but a big box of laundry detergent!



Maarten was very disappointed that his dad and mom stayed one night at Grandma's as well. He wanted us to drop him there and see us drive back home again.



Right, mom and dad had a great time in the mountains even though I couldn’t stop thinking of my little scamp.

Despite the bad weather on our first hike up to the foggy ridge the weather changed drastically in the good way and unbelievably it stayed sunny the whole week.


Although initially we were planning to visit the High and White Tatras as well yet after driving through the mountains to Pieniny we decided to stay in the calm vicinity of Roháče, the Tatras' western part.


We hiked most of the trails here and in some valleys we didn’t meet a soul. Now and then this brought back the adventurous feeling of hiking in the bear country.




We were warned about the bears long before we came here. Compared to the theories I’ve learned in The States the bears in Slovakia would attack people! Is this because of the different bear kind or because of their greatly reduced natural habitat here in Slovakia?

The heavy clouds and idea of hugging Maarten again made parting with this beautiful area (and its smell of fried bacon and sausages) a lot easier.


It was really pouring when we finished visiting this intriguing castle built on a high rock above the river Orava.

Luckily the bad weather hasn’t reached Grandma's home yet.
Meeting Maarten grasshopper hunting in a sun drenched meadow was also kind of emotional, I have to admit.


Nevertheless, it seemed everybody was quite relieved seeing "Maarten the Menace" getting in the car leaving to go home. Not only the grandparents were happy to wave us goodbye, also the neighbors, the baby dogs, chickens that Maarten taught how to fly, Pepíček, the canary bird who almost took his last breath on the sofa where he was put under a pillow intended to surprise grandpa...




Would that be the reason why my mom gives only evasive answers to my suggestions for meeting again in the beginning of October?

Last day of summer camp

They went on a trip again. I hope the Seapark will make a bigger impression on Maarten. When I asked him about the last Friday outing what was it about, what did he see, what did he like most?...
"The rocket ice cream!" was the only answer I got.


Obviously these days nothing really matters to Maarten but counting the nights before he is finally going to stay at babi's. All on his own! Mommy and daddy not allowed!

Well, we'll try to enjoy ourselves in The Tatra Mountains on our first no-kids-trip ever.
What a shame that I don't remember much about my only Tatras' school excursion in 1984!