As days get longer

In January I accept the dark days and rather enjoy cuddling on the sofa with a warm drink. In February I accept the snow and even colder weather but usually I'm just looking forward for my birthday. But when my birthday comes and goes; and the days start getting longer I just can't wait for spring to start. Here I am hoping that the nice days occur more often from now on.

A few days ago I celebrated my 32^nd birthday. Although this might sound as a cliche, the years do seem to be passing by quicker. And this year I didn't have a problem with that, I somehow like being 32 more than 31. I have a feeling I prefer even numbers, as strange as that might sound. I also have a lot of things to look forward to this year and also the year after!

On my birthday. M is never serious in photos.

Morning drives are not in the dark nowadays

Vacationing in the Mediterranean

I have watched all my colleagues going to their vacations as soon as the school holidays started. I watched them go and come back all tanned. Now it's our turn to a taste of sun and the Mediterranean sea, since this year we definitely didn't get any in the Netherlands.

We'll be headed to the Greek islands of Patmos and Kos, both islands which I have not visited in the past. Looking forward to taste red juicy tomatoes, eat just caught fish and drink a couple of cocktails while laying down on a sun bed.

 If you wish to visit some Greek islands but you are not sure what Greek islands to go to just check it out in the linked post.

Wishing you all a great week! 

[Image Source: Pinterest Akriti That's Life]

Have you been outside yet?

Have you been outdoors yet this season? Did you go for brunch on a terrace of a café or did walk with bare feet on a sandy beach?

The skies are showing their blue colour much more often this April and the sun rays can be felt on the skin. Go out and enjoy the weather!


We did just that this weekend. We cycled to the Kijkduin beach and enjoyed a couple of drinks at the beach.

Living in the Netherlands it is common sense to grab every opportunity on days when the skies are blue to go out and feel the sun on your skin.

Awaiting Autumn

Even though it's still officially summer, summer is already history in Holland. The autumn feeling is in the air and green leaves are being shed. I'm waiting excitedly for the weeks to come when the roads will be a shade of orange, kind of an eternal sunset.

I am really a summer person, you have to be if you are to enjoy the Mediterranean weather I grew up in. Autumn doesn't really exist in Malta, extreme hot summers change to mild winters without trees shedding their leaves. I never knew what I missed, but a few years living in Nothern Europe changed that. I'm now looking forward to the coming months, even if I'm already mourning summer!

We've been having stormy weather all of August, so bad that yesterday's wind broke a tree trunk in our road. Maybe now you can imagine why I'm sure summer is over in this part of Europe!

[Image Credits: *Shan*]

Tropical Weather

Hearing the radio in the mornings it sounds like I live in the Caribbean instead of the Netherlands. The weather report has been reporting tropical weather for the past ten days. In the Netherlands once the mercury goes above 25°C, the weather is considered tropical. This past week we've had great weather, so we made sure to use these tropical days wisely: by spending our weekend at the beach.

Kijkduin is just a ten minute bike ride away from home. Just after breakfast we geared up in swim wear and off we went to get our tan - safe tan, with protection cream added every couple of hours. You see, I need to tan up before leaving to my vacation Malta. Otherwise all my Maltese friends and family will think I'm sick. In many past visits I noticed that I can get so white that it doesn't look healthy anymore. And there I was thinking that as a Mediterranean girl I should have a natural tan.

Tips for going to the beach in the Netherlands:

• Bike or use trains to go the beach. The roads will be really busy on tropical weather days, you'll wish you never went to the beach after a long time in the queue
• If you want a sunbed make sure you head to the beach early. Or if you have in-laws make sure they go to the beach early so that they reserve extra sunbeds for you. Thanks W & A!
• Just because it's really warm, don't assume that the sea will be as well. The North Sea is still very cold. I only managed quick dips to cool myself.
• Stay to the beach till late, the sunsets are just beautiful. All the west-coast of the Netherlands is a long strand of beach which directly faces the setting sun.

• Many beach bars have parties on weekend evenings. Going to the bars early in the afternoon will give you free entrance to the parties in the evening.
• Some beach restaurants offer bbq service. You just book for a number of people and you'll get a started bbq and all the food required for the bbq. All you need to do is order your drinks and cook the meat!

 [Image Credits: Disney Clipart ]

Weather: Here and There

Having grown up in Malta, a tiny Mediterranean island, I spent my summers at my grand parents summer house. Every day I would wake up; eat breakfast; put on my swimming suit and just cross the road to reach the sea. Hours were spent daily playing in the water, only being disturbed for lunch and an afternoon siesta. I actually want my childhood back and am jealous of myself in those years.

When I moved to Germany and then later on to the Netherlands I realised that the summers I was so accustomed to were not the same further North. Winters are much colder so when spring arrives I’m already really waiting to be able to shed some of the layers of clothes. The hours of daylight start increasing and my mood starts getting better. Up till now everything feels like back in Malta, until come May the weather doesn’t continue improving to a scorching heat. Spring continues on well into summer and I doubt it ever backs away. You never know ahead of time how the weather will be. Bbq’s planned ahead might be carried out under the rain, days at the beach might turn out as a day spent in a pub. Summer is just a combination of seasons dispersed in a single day. You can wake up in the morning to gloomy weather and by afternoon their might be stunning blue skies.

Once you get used with this sporadic behaviour you can actually really enjoy the summer months. Sunsets happen at around 10 in the evenings, leaving you ample time to spend at the park or for romantic dinners in front of the sunset (which takes freakishly long to happen here!). Temperatures are in the gentle twenties so you can actually manage to do something apart from lie down under the air condition.

I miss the freedom of summers in Malta so I always make sure to have a beach holiday when it’s the hottest but I learnt to enjoy this gentler period here and it has made me become more spontaneous.