Tag: forest

Bucket list

As we start the preparations for our move to the Amsterdam region, we also are thinking about what we will miss once we leave. So we’ve started a bucket list of things to do while we are still around. Number one for me was a visit to my favorite forest pool on the St Jansberg in Plasmolen. It never disappoints!

Other items on the list:

  • Lunch at the newly renovated castle Jachtslot Mookerheide
  • Dinner at the Plasmolense Hof
  • A visit to the Oriëntalis museum about Middle Eastern history and culture
  • A visit to the landscape museum in Berg en Dal

Autumn colors

It’s been so long since I found time to get out into the forest! But today I was working from home and when it started to get foggy I packed my camera and tripod and went out. A last chance to get some autumn colors!

Autumn colors

My Walk of Wisdom journey is almost coming to an end. Since Hermen gave me the starter pack for my birthday in February, we have been walking through the countryside around Nijmegen. The past weeks we have been busy and the weather was rainy, but Sunday promised to be dry. So after Hermen’s church service we set out to hike the trail from Wijchen to Afferden – about 18 km. We fortunately made it before dark!

Open the windows!

In the woods, among the trees, in tunnels of green I feel connected to something larger. Nature nurtures my spirituality. This weekend, I will present some of my photography in a church – a spiritual place too. I took it as an invitation: how would I make this church my church?

As an adolescent, I rebelled against organized religion. In agreement, I wrote down quotes that described churches as cold storage silos where every divine spark was extinguished in the chill of authority, hierarchy and stifling dogmas. No, it’s nature I looked upon. Nature is free and does not judge. Wasn’t a majestic tree or a standing stone enough for people to meet God in the past? Wasn’t that as good?

Today I am more moderate. I like to visit churches. But wouldn’t it be nice to bring some of nature into the church as well? To open the windows, as it were? In my exposition, I took this idea as a starting point.

Awesome wonder

I am not the only one who feels inspired by nature. Through the ages, people have found God in trees, brooks, and mountain tops, and written and sung about it. The expression ‘awesome wonder’ comes from a beloved English hymn, where it describes the feeling of meeting something higher in nature. It is a wonder, an amazement at the beauty of creation; but it is also a feeling of awe and respect for a power greater than humanity. Awesome wonder became my motto and the title of this blog.

The feeling of awesome wonder, of amazement in awe, is the core of all religion, according to some: the mysterium tremendum et fascinans, the mystery that fascinates but inspires with awe at the same time. At the exposition, on the altar, I have placed three images that resonate with this idea: (wo)man in a cathedral of trees; an elephant, a gentle giant you don’t want too near to you; and the lion with his blind eye that seems to look straight into the spirit world.

If you are near Heumen this weekend, enjoy with me, in awesome wonder, of the majesty of nature in this exposition. And then, step outside and discover something beautiful!

Maria Laach

We spent two days hiking at Maria Laach, a big lake in a volcanic crater. In the water you can see bubbles coming from the bottom of the lake, a sign that the volcano is dormant but not dead. Apparently a new outbreak is statistically overdue. Makes exciting hikes!

Hiking is lovely on the steep slopes of the volcano. We saw many mice, interesting beetles and even a snake. But the highlight is the Abbey of Maria-Laach that has stood on the banks of the lake since 1093. Unimaginably old, that is! The place has a very peaceful and loving atmosphere and we enjoyed spending the night at the abbey.

Roman temple

Did a beautiful hike today in the vicinity of Bad Münstereifel. A Roman sanctuary to the matrons – three goddesses – was very special to find. People had left some offerings, like Mexican coins and Dutch pre-Euro coins. They wanted to make a sacrifice but not one that’s actually worth something? What does that mean?

The town of Bad Münstereifel was badly damaged by the 2021 floods, now two years ago. The process of rebuilding is still ongoing, but it’s definitely worth a visit!

Back in the Netherlands

I’ve been back a while, but finally the weather gods and employment gods joined up to give me the opportunity to photograph a misty morning on a quiet work-at-home day. So happy! Much better than seeing the fog from the train!

On second glance

Sometimes you take a photo and you come back home and it just doesn’t do anything for you. If that’s the case, it may be worthwhile to take a second look at it a couple weeks later. This one matured pretty well!