AN UNCONVENTIONAL CHRISTMAS

Christmas day this year was not spent with my family. It wasn't spent basking in the summery sun and It wasn't spent at a beautiful wine farm in the Cape.

 

A visit from an Australian friend in Amsterdam was how much of Christmas day was spent. We drank far too much red wine, frolicked around in the forests, and made French toast for lunch.   we spoke about our futures in Holland , and whether or not we wanted to stay. We reminisced about memories of our friends, family and loved ones back home. We spoke Dutch, and then reverted back to English. We smoked cigarettes and lay in another's arms. It was a simple day

 

Christmas dinner was held at a good friend in my village, who so happened to be a chef. We sipped on onion soup for starters and a lightly dressed spinach salad with goats cheese and walnuts. There was meat too. Steak dressed with a creamy mushroom sauce and oozing medium rare blood on the dish. We played games, exchanged secrets, truths and dares and on my very short-lived drunk bike ride home, I couldn't help but to indulge in the thought that despite it being a somewhat unconventional Christmas , It may very well have been one of the most memorable..

 

COUCHSURFING IN BELGIUM

 

As I attempt to write about the past weekend spent Couchsurfing in Belgium, my fingers linger at each letter on the keypad. An experience I will most likely not forget and one I find hard translating into words.

 

Our Eurolines bus left from Utrecht station at exactly 09H00, leaving us with the long road to Belguim ahead of us. Michelle and I occasionally napped on each others shoulders, ate ginger biscuits and dreamily stared out the window. On our arrival in Bruges, we spent the remainder of the afternoon doing what one does best in Belgium, drink beer of course , followed by a quick train trip to Oostende where we could be staying the for the weekend with our couch surfing host, Yannick.

 

We drank copious amounts of beers whilst conversing about Africa, the history of Oostende, and a dismal attempt at his arcade games. As the night faded away, I fell asleep watching the Jungle book whilst Michelle and Yannick became better acquainted.

 

The best thing about Saturday was the chance to sleep in and laze about. We munched on a toasted 'stokbrood' filling our hungry belly's, followed by Yannicks historic tour of the war trenches on the coast and a stroll on the beach. When our time came to leave on Sunday, I felt I had witnessed two soul mates having to say goodbye. I'm quite a big cynic of love and anything 'relationshippy' and would rather stick a pencil in my eye, but these two were something else...

IT'S SUNNY OUT

Today was fridged, so much so that all the leaves on the ground had a thick layer of frost (a close resemblance to snow in my opinion). Despite the crisp, cold temperature, there was hardly a cloud in the sky and yes, the sun was out too. This was all the more of an excuse to bike to Doorn, the town next door to my own, to run a few errands and of course,explore. On the outskirts of Doorn are large green grassy pastures with cows, big wooden barns and tree lined streets. My mother suggested I roll up my sleeves and absorb some vitamin D when the sun shines, but in all honesty, it was way too cold to even take my gloves off. I suppose I will just have to pop some vitamin pills for the next couple of months since there is no way my bare skin will be able to withstand these temperatures. I happily biked back to town with Fiona Apple softly playing in my ear, and feeling somewhat happy and content at the days outcome.

 

*Due to the untimely death of my cell phone, I have had to make the temporary change of using a 2 year old iphone and its camera, hence the disgustingly poor quality of the photos. The landscapes and the fact that the sun is shining in all photos kind of makes up for  it though...