Everything Dutch – Amsterdam Dordrecht Heerlen and Hillegom

De Dam – in the 17th Century – by Gerrit Adriaense Berckheyde – Dordrechts Museum
De Dam – in 2025 – Amsterdam
Herengracht – Amsterdam
At the Stock Exchange of Amsterdam – 17th Century – by Emanuel de Witte
Along Herengracht – Amsterdam

Also the Amsterdammers today complain about the overflux of tourists in the city, as in Barcelona in Spain and in Venice in Italy. But, I am a Dutchman in Holland who is going to visit two friends in quiet and green Amsterdam Noord, they moved there to escape the waves of tourists.

The Walk – a twelve km walk with Priya in Amsterdam Northeast
The Swans – young swans in Nieuwendammerdijk Amsterdam Noord
Fresh figs – in Amsterdam

My friends Priya and Rob live in the village Nieuwendammerdijk at quiet waters. They commute either by car, ferry or metro to Amsterdam. Their daily life is visited by swans, grebes and coots and passers-by in boats. Rob is a retired photographer and still active with photography while Priya teaches Hatha yoga. Rob is preparing his series of photos of Trees growing on old buildings in Calcutta for an exposition in Amsterdam.

Het Vliegenbos – Nieuwendammerdijk Amsterdam Noord
Rob and Priya holding photos of Trees Growing on Old Buildings in Calcutta
Passers-by in a boat – Nieuwendammerkade Amsterdam Noord
Swans – coming at the house – Nieuwendammerkade

A one hour train ride from Amsterdam takes me to Dordrecht, a green oasis where my sister Nathalie has her dwelling, she also lives outside the centre and enjoys a quiet park right on the other side of her luxe apartment building. There is much to love – Biesbosch National Park, Dordrechts Museum and the historic city itself. Diversity in beauty.

Nathalie – in Biesbosch National Park – Dordrecht
Looking Through the Window – Hof 3 Ceramics Studio – Dordrecht
The Reader – Self-portrait by Samuel van Hoogstraten 17th Century – Dordrechts Museum
The Card Readers – dinner with Bart, Nathalie and Twan – Dordrecht

We take a three-course dinner with Nathalie’s sons, Bart and Twan, who have their own family with children but have time to get together in Dordrecht. During our dinner we talk about cosmic consciousness and self-serving versus common-good politics. The world is changing. Nathalie and I travel by train to Heerlen to my sister Petra and husband Hans who are hosting the annual reunion with our cousins. We dearly miss one loved one, Victorine, who passed away two months earlier.

The Family – van Koolwijk – Timmermans – Kohnen
The Family – Hoeufft de Witte – 17th Century – by Caspar Netscher – Dordrechts Museum
The Embrace – Reunion in Heerlen
The History – Hans explains the historic influence of the Romans in Heerlen
The Long Walk – through the Green of Heerlen toward repose and refreshment

The older you get the merrier, not always, but a reunion can be uplifting. All of us are nature and art lovers and active as such. Philosophy is not a difficult subject but reflecting on the current world situation is. We all think that we are of the best generation, having experienced the time period of important breakthroughs in individual freedom, spirituality and human rights. You can drink on that with fulfilment and no regret.

Repose – Jan, Trudi, Petra and Eduard – Not bad at all this life
The Chat – Aaron and Nathalie discuss my mother’s history
Hans and Dorothé – in conversation
Refreshment, repose and conversation
From Archivist Eduard : Family van Koolwijk-side early 20th Century
Seated: Grandfather Hendrik van Koolwijk, Mr. Oppenraay and Aunt Dorothé
Standing: Uncle Cornelis and Uncle Eduard van Koolwijk
Hanggai – rock band from Chinese Mongolia perform at Cultura Nova festival in Heerlen

The last part of the reunion is northward, Hillegom. Petra and Hans, Nathalie and I travel again by train, bus and taxi to visit my sister Clementine and husband Willem. Together we go to the same place as last year’s, at Como & Co at the Oosterduinse Meer, conveniently called Lake Como. Conversation is prime. All that on a beautiful sunny day.

Group Photo – L-R Willem, Clementine, Petra, Nathalie and I – photo by Hans
The Heron – an unafraid Heron at Oosterduinse Meer – Noordwijkerhout
Reunion – at the Oosterduinse Meer – Noordwijkerhout
Clementine – at Lake Como – photo by Petra
What’s Up or WhatsApp ? Nothing of that – viewing Willem’s photo

Nothing beats human contact and conversation, well, maybe the cosmic consciousness, but that contains everything. Traveling from Marseille to the Netherlands seems easy when you think of train and flight but in an overcrowded world things are not so easy, still, all efforts to do so are greatly fulfilling. Reunion with kindred spirits who do not only think of themselves but also of others and the new generations and The Future.

Sky reflection on Oosterduinse Meer – photo by Willem
Myself – Nieuwendammerkade Amsterdam Noord – photo by Priya

All Photos Copyright © 2019-2025 August Timmermans – All Rights Reserved