Reflections
Looking back
I’m tired. The summer season has taken its toll. What I need is to be close to Julie and a good book. I’ve found the book (Niemandsland, Adwin de Kluyver) and now I’m on my way to Julie by train. It’s hot and sweaty in the train, a bit busy.
I have lived in a safe place for the past 6 months. An island, away from news headlines, politicians and social pressure. But the pressure of the responsibility over a surfcamp is something I felt strongly. It might have caused my back injury to come back, who knows. The season was tough, with a Corona outbreak at the start and a lot of small hurdles to be taken. I was longing for it to end. And now that it has ended, the fatigue sets in.
But after a few weeks of recovering in Switzerland, adventure awaits. Italy, the Balkan, who knows. It’s time to enrich the soul with new experiences. In places I will never feel as safe as I do on Vlieland. But I believe that balance is key and to get outside your comfortzone is paramount to becoming a better person.
I am very greatful for the past few months in which I grew closer to Julie and felt very alive in the beautiful North Sea. I have explored Vlieland more than ever and enjoyed the natural resources it has to offer to the fullest.
The wave pool
We are watching the surfers in the wave pool in Sion, Switzerland. Like an assembly line they paddle back to the end of the wave pool to get in line for the next ride. It feels a bit unreal. I was curious about this new form of surfing. It makes sense, we have artificial ski slopes in the Netherlands too. They too use great amounts of energy and try to give you an experience that will not equal the real deal anyway. But there is a difference between the surfsport and wintersports. I think we are all quiet used to paying for getting on the slopes. Lifts have to be maintained and if you want to go down a mountain a few times a day, you don’t have a choice but to buy a ski pass. But in surfing, things work a bit differently. Yes you have to get to the beach, which might costs you something if you take the car. But the ocean is a free space to use (at least in most parts of the world). You don’t pay for your waves. You can stay in as long as you want and take as many (or as little) waves as you like.
In the wave pool you can surf for at least €100 an hour and you will get the same wave every time. You share the pool with 6 people. Presuming you will get around 20 waves, this will set you back €5 a wave. I think that is a lot of money. And you can’t really chill for a moment, because if you miss a wave your cost per wave will go up. This isn’t what surfing is about for me. I want to enjoy the ocean, by just looking around for a bit, having a chat. But then again, no one said this is the same experience as surfing in the ocean.
In any case, the wave pool attracks people that have money. The whole concept is based around making money of course. But the people walking around the wave pool are not really the people I want to spend time with. I’m longing for a bit of ocean. She will teach me all there is to know.
November
The first real snow fall of the season. It seems to catch the trees a little off guard. They were still shifting colors and now their branches are covered with a layer of white crystals. I can watch the clouds wrapping around the mountain side for hours. It’s like the trees are harassed by an army of white and grey sheets. Stoically they undergo their shower curtains. It has been pretty dry the last few weeks so the rain and snow were a welcome change in weather. Mediterranean Europe seems to be battered by rainfall the past week. Italy’s North experienced floodings, followed a week later by its Southern regions. Our plan is to travel to Tuscany first at the end of this week. From there we’ll have to see what life has in store for us. East, West, North?! Preferably somewhere with a little sunshine and a good espresso please.
