This morning I was up early to catch the morning light. It was a soft pale blue fading into a pastel pink. Two guys were craning a long timber boat onto the slipway opposite us, and pretty soon were scraping and power cleaning the hull before lowering it back into its mooring. An hour later and the lake was glistening. The water mirrors the shoreline, as large black birds glide across the sky, occasionally swooping downwards towards the water.
The only sound is the young clad workman getting an early start across the lake, and the hum of our refrigerator.
Looking around house, Ive noticed subtle differences between the lights and to home, and while we all might go to IKEA, and like their products or not, here we are virtually in the land of this minimalist style. Maybe Im it to my home, where the motto is usually, ‘If its broken, then fix it. We dont do IKEA very well. I am pretty good with Allen Keys though.
Our host, Rianne, called by yesterday to check on some things ( she fixed the internet), and to do some gardening. I mentioned the
condition of the gardens and canals, and she told us that The Netherlandss has two dominant religions, Catholic and Protestant. The area we are in is mainly Protestant, and they have a great belief in order, and that is reflected in their approach to life. It confirms my theory from yesterday, but whatever it is, it works.
A highlight for me yesterday was a random drop in to the candle makers workshop, Stads Kaarsenmakerij, Delft. We saw some glassware we were interested in, went in, and we had a chat about the lifestyle change he had recently chosen and his vision for his craft. Basically, he wanted to preserve and foster traditional artisan skills, and candle making is his.
COVID has had a negative effect on peoples lives, with isolation being one of the greatest from a mental health viewpoint. This guy, I never caught his name, was a secondary school teacher, and two years of staring at a screen trying to guide 16,17,and 18 year olds through some of the most important years of their lives, convinced him that there must be more to life. Eighteen months ago, much to his familys horror, he quit his job
and set up his workshop. It is set up in a hotel that didnt survive COVID, so some good out of another persons misfortune. It is his intention to run courses, and he currently does workshops on how the work is done.
His workshop looks out on a medieval bridge crossing the canal towards a church. I joked with his one employee that at least he cant be told to work faster. You cant rush candlemaking. The owner told us it is a calm, meditative process, and that is, at times, all you need out of a day.
Utrecht is one of the Netherlands oldest urban centres and is now a major university city . We havent left home yet, and rather than bleed Wikipedia dry for information, Ill leave it until we are there to cast aspersions; as if I would. Ha !
After an afternoon eating, wandering around, shopping in novelty shops, and people watching, it would be reasonable to say that Sue and I liked Utrecht. Certainly having the shops, busy walkways and bridges bathed with brilliant sunlight helped, but it is very similar to Delft in that
You cant buy coffee there. There is a screened counter and only a small number of people seem to enter at a time. There was always someone waiting at the door.
It was lunchtime as we arrived, and Ive never been anywhere else that regards sandwiches as the go to food. Even the finer dining places do sandwiches, just better sandwiches. We went to a little corner cafe and had the ‘Friendly Roll. It was pesto, cheese, and rocket in a pumpkin roll. Great. We looked out over the local Hash Cookie shop and the mix of people waiting in line for their afternoon brightener didnt include one stereotype junkie. There were office workers, manual labour type of guys, and just average, casually dressed people chatting while waiting their turn.
