Over the past couple of weeks I have been fortunate to journey throughout Europe. First I visited Rachel in the Netherlands and explored the culture, country, and people. I met her family and we had an amazing 11 days together. We went to Breda, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Middelburg, and her home town of Serooskerke. I really enjoyed experiencing life in the countryside for the first time. It was my first time where I was in a place where there are not houses stacked on top of each other, and the closest neighbor not in sight. It was so peaceful being surrounded by nature, sheep, horses and the natural farmland. The life in the countryside is peaceful, calm and contemplative. I loved biking so much and the Dutch really do have an amazing bike culture. It was super nice meeting Rachel's whole family who are all super cool, adventurous and nice. I drank lots of tea and had some traditional dishes and desserts and lots of fries.
When I visited where Rachel goes to school in Rotterdam, an international city, I saw a stark contrast between the countryside and a European city. The countryside felt very Dutch and the culture and architecture was preserved great. In Rotterdam there were more Arabs than Dutch. I did not go 10 feet without seeing a hijab. It was a little dirty and urban. The contrast between this and the countryside shocked me. It made me think about all the current theories on immigration, and culture preservation and where the happy medium lies. I really liked the town of Utrecht in the Netherlands and the biking culture as I mentioned. The people are healthy and happy but pay lots of taxes. Also it was quite cold even in May but I was told this was an anomaly.
Rachel and I spent a few days in Belgium and drove to Ghent, Bruges, and through Brussels. Ghent was my favorite with super pretty medieval castles and canals. We ate lots of waffles and fries, hit the sauna and had a great time just spending time together. We went to an FC Bruges football match and it was so fun and a great experience. We drove through the worst city in all of Europe for 1 hour, Brussels. It was so woke and dirty and gross. So many transgender flags, Palestinian flags and more woke stuff. I really couldn't believe it and had to get out of the city before my soul hurt too much.
Overall it was super amazing spending this time with Rachel in her home town. When you visit a place where someone grew up, the karma associated with that place for that person you experience a new depth to that person. It was a super unique and nice experience and I am hopeful to go back.
After that I flew to Portugal where I am here working with Kyle in Ericeira. We surf and work hard, like in Costa Rica. We have been working super hard to grow our company and move in the right direction. I really love Ericeira. It is beautiful, great healthy lifestyle, good surfing, slow way of life and friendly locals. I really could see myself living here. Anyway sorry for not posting in so long. I really have been in the moment and grounded and grateful. Hope to post more soon. Ciao