For one month and a half, Indi, my girlfriend, and I, will be separated by a handful of national borders, the towering Alps, and most crucially, our exams. She has…
James, or, The Man Who Knows Music
I have quite a peculiar friend. Perhaps, me being who I am, that is not surprising. Still, this one is remarkable. Three years ago we met in class, where he…
When Life can Hardly get any Better
This one will be a bit different. No diary, I just intend to write down some memories and impressions that went through my mind the past months. Of course we…
Elias, or, Such as There is only One
I would be surprised if it’s common to people my age, celebrating a best friendship that has lasted without interruption for ten heartfelt years. My first weeks in highschool were…
A Different Way of Life
I will tell you two short anecdotes from a recent trip to Andalucia. It is, more or less, the most southerly part of Europe, at least of the mainland, and…
Something’s Alive in the Ocean
Naast een lang weekend Parijs is deze week op Madeira onze eerste echte reis samen. We ontmoetten elkaar vier maanden geleden en tot nu toe waren het uitsluitend zachte verhalen,…
Pearl on the Silk Road – Khiva
The camel grows long eyelashes, thick thistles to break the wind that blows biting sand as a mist over the black deserts of Central Asia. Heavy metal through his nose,…
The Eternal City – Rome
Any and all roads, that’s how the saying goes, and it might have been true one day. To be found at the end of endless cobbles, orderly and properly arranged…
The Queen of Two Continents – Istanbul
Plentiful and long is the list of cities with rich histories and surprising tales, but none, perhaps, can match the Queen of Two Continents, Istanbul, straddling both coasts of the…
Rocks and Stones – Athens
Scant and scarce is the evidence for a city more ancient and foundational than Athens, amidst freckled islands and the hills of Attica, for over two thousand years a centre…