One minute on the beach on the west coast.
Island Stories #26: A one-minute video to briefly feel like living on this island.
Let me take you for one minute to the beach on the west side of the island.
This beach is always quiet and beautiful in every season. I love everything about going here. It is a twenty-minute bike ride from home through the villages of Haamstede and Burgh, followed by a route through the inland dunes and then the forest. Finally, it is another fifteen-minute walk through the last sea dunes and over the beach from where I park my bike.
I enjoy watching the seagulls, feel the wind in my hair, and often find colorful shells. Regular visitors will notice the changes in the shapes of the dunes compared to last year; it is a dynamic landscape, the frontline of the defense of land against the sea.
The story of this island began not far from here, some 4000 years ago. I may tell you about it in another newsletter. But, for now, take one minute to forget about where you are, and imagine being here, on the west coast of Schouwen-Duiveland, in the Dutch province of Zeeland.
You may have noticed that I posted today later than usual; I will go back to the posting at 7 am Eastern Time (instead of 1 am), as I did before leaving Ottawa in early June.
If you enjoy these newsletters, I would love to receive your support by subscribing to The Planet. Increasingly, I see people making use of the option to give a subscription to friends or your family, a virtual one-minute on a beach, and hundreds of other posts is a more unique present than the usual flowers and bottles of wine.
Enjoyed the video of that lovely beach. It reminded me of a beach of my childhood, gentle waves lapping the shore. Glad you got to take advantage of it on such a pleasant day. We are having such a day too here and are also expecting rain tomorrow, so that will be a reading day. Thanks for a splendid article and video.
What a lovely video. The light, the music, the waves, the birds, the sand, the dunes, the little path through the forest ... just everything. I could almost feel the water and the sand under my feet and the wind tangling up my hair. Thank you for sharing.