Thursday, January 7, 2010

getaways & escapes

play me while reading:
when i watched this morning mini-santiago waddeling through the snow on his way to school i had to think about a conversation i had with jo recently..about my fav. summer getaway..well actually we spoke about hollydays but then my summer getaway came up my mind and since its always only for a weekend its not a real hollyday but a break....i love to finde place where to go during summer weekends..just pack the kids in a car and escape from the city...
i m sure you know that situation..when in summer life in the city becomes so unpleasant..like you cant breath there anymore...where do you turn to? i love to go to the netherlands..to a small town....its a 3-4 hour ride so we break up very early in the morning..nina and dirk on the balkony having a cigarette illuminated by the morning sun kreeping up over the city roofs...the kids running around..playing..unable to have breakfast because they are so exited to go to the coast...i run around with my lists of things still to do, things to pack...then in the car..i wear my fav. hat...dirk drives...nina and the kids are in the back...the town we go to is on coast of the netherlands..full of small houses with some modern buildings here and there added..small cafes and seaside restaurants...you just stay for these two days..lay on the beach and watch the kids run in and outside of the water and the breakers...you stroll to town to buy baguettes and cheese...you have a small house close the water..you just let your mind dangle with the seaguals gliding over the seas surface...maybe you think about deadlines now and then but not as often as you usually do...in the evenings when the kids sleep you all sit down on the deck ..open bottles of wine from the town...you speak about what has changed here since you came as a kid...candles flicker on the table and within a heartbeat its time to pack your family again and drive back home...you arrive late in the evening..you notice that you surely have forgotten something around the beach...you carrie the sleeping kids upstairs...you unpack...sand runs from inbetween the pages of the books you read at the beach...and while you pour yourself a whiskey to end the day with you walk quietly from room to room..everyone sleeps ..its quiet..you dimm the lights...you step out on the balcony where candles flicker just like the nights before on the tables close to the beach...you are home again..but still you cant wait to get away again...
so tell me about where you get away to for a day or two...tell me were you hide when you need to relax and escape from every day life....




21 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

It's so nice to have you back, Danielle. And those pictures were a get-away. So was your story. I love that.
We live close enough to our little place on the beach that we can get away there but it's so hard to get there (no bridge and no stores once you're there) that two nights never seems enough.
For my REAL getaways, I love to go to Cozumel, Mexico, which is my sweet, sacred place. There is something entirely magical about it for me.
Sometimes, just taking a walk in the woods is enough of a get-away. Sometimes.
Keep feeling better. Keep writing us your thoughts.

Cinda said...

This was so fantastic! It took me back to all the beaches I have spent time on over the years, as a child and with my own children. A getaway and escape for my heart must include water. Ocean, lake, river, I don't care. I love any of the wild, stormy coastline of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (check out the Pacific Rim Trail). The Mediterranean-Spain, waters around the Hawaiian islands, and the blue green waters of the Carribean. So many more to explore. Your writing is BEAUTIFUL!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous, D. And the song, I love them, and they did that so well. Nice.

Huh. I guess right now your blog just became a little getaway.

Suz said...

I find your writing a thing of joy
very heart felt and interesting
and filled with longing
I know longing
the cure
is to be happy and joy filled
wherever you are
Thanks for stopping by and visiting my open bar of joy
-suz

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jeremy Edwards said...

Beautiful post, Danielle! I was with you every step of the way, feeling the idyllic summer seaside vibe.

Pretty purply rhododendrons(?)!

And I want to hear more about your favorite hat!

Helia and I live in the countryside, so we take our summer getaways in cities. A favorite jaunt is up to lovely Ottawa.

Mwa said...

I love getting away but I'm not sure I would pack up the family for just two days. Three or four - yes. We are going for a long weekend at the Dutch seaside around Easter.

I think you're right though. Much better to put in the effort even for two days. It's not something you would regret.

Danielle said...

@ ms moon

i love it when you write about your getaway on dogs island...it sounds so perfect to me..i hope you ll visit it soon again and share some more pictures with us..:-)

talking about cozumel...i never heard of it before you mentioned it in ur blog..and i was intriguedon from that moment on because it reminds me on that drink chocomel..which is delish..so must be the place..._)

Danielle said...

@ cinda

thank you for that great coment and for sharing your getaways with us..you are totally right..a get-away should have water near..if not the ocean then at least lakes and rivers...:-)

Danielle said...

@ jo

yes yes yes!!! isnt that song nice..totally love it too

and thank you for inspiring me for this post..:-)

Danielle said...

@ suz

thank you for comenting and hopping over..:-)

Danielle said...

@ jeremy

ah..how cool would that be to have you along as a compagnion for that get-away weekend..i m sure you would entertain us all with your jeremy-ness!

those flowers are called..hm..in neglish..i think hydranga? hydrangea?..what everb they are called they are beautiful and you find them in almost every front yard in that town as big blooming bushes..:-)

lol..the hat...yes i might should write about my hads too:-)

thats also a great thing...to go to cities instead of the country side...ottawa..i never been there but only heared good things about it so far!

Danielle said...

@ mwa

i, too, think its worth the effort to pack them up just for two days..because in the end its two wonderful days with your family..what can one wish more?..:-)

Craig Sorensen said...

Thank you for taking me along, Danielle. What a lovely voyage!

Petit fleur said...

Wow! Danielle, that was fabulous. It felt like a little min vaca...
I especially love the imagery of carrying the sleepy kiddos up to bed....well, and drinking the wine in the evening.. well, and also the reading on the beach. Damn, it's all good! :-p


Those actual pictures are incredible too. What a lovely place. I believe here in the states that we crave beauty, but many people don't even realize it, because we live in such a "useful" world here. Most of the architecture here is ugly and modern, and very little crafsmanship like in older cultures. We tend to clearcut nature then "landscape"... sigh.

My fam and I do not get away enough these days. I usually go to Italy online or in my head. I don't know where they go! Thanks for the reminder though that an actual visceral getting away experience is important!

Jeremy Edwards said...

i m sure you would entertain us all with your jeremy-ness!

Aw, thanks, Danielle! [Just don't count on me for authoritative botanical identifiation. ; )]

Danielle said...

@ petit fleur

ah thank you:-)

i also havent been for ages to italy and often think about it lately..especially tuscany...

but sometimes its the small getaway..just like ms moon with her walk in the woods..that we need to refresh our mind..:-)

Danielle said...

@ jeremy

ha..maybe you will not be my teklephone joker for botanical questions but actually for everything else..especially word-relatet things..because almost no one hoovers and juggles them around so wonderful..:-)

Geeks in Rome said...

Love your pictures! It's true, between you, Mwa and Ms. Moon it's like I can buzz off to Florida or other parts of Europe with just a few clicks!

Danielle said...

@ geeks

thank you...bless the internet so we all can mind travel when we dont have the time to travel for real..:-)

Unknown said...

Awesome!,
Thank you as well, reading your comment made my night.