24 From Pieterburen to Groningen - One month 'in the saddle' :)

- Packing things & riding to the coast one more time to look at the Wadden Sea and see the tidal harbor -> once again headwind..

- Heading towards Groningen/south then 'only' strong crosswind :D

- Riding through the city to the south to the Hoornsemeer (Reminder: Meer (nl) = Lake (en)) and spending the hot afternoon relaxed in the hammock

- Cycling to my host, the twin sister of a friend, and receiving a warm welcome

- Freshening up & cycling to the city, going for drinks with girlfriends

- Small international group consisting of a Danish, Dutch/British and German, fitting for international Groningen (pronounced [ch-rô-ningen] or something like that :D)

-> Getting tips for must-sees in Groningen, on my further route and for Copenhagen :)

-> Learning that Groningen is the ultimate student city (about 60,000 students) and there are two big student societies that have existed for over 200 years, the oldest one 'Vindicat' still has severe (even deadly) rituals and beliefs, especially misogynistic remarks are on the agenda... (If you're interested in details: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groninger_Studentencorps_Vindicat_atque_Polit)

- VIP seat on the hotel terrace with a view over the 'Grote Markt', exciting conversations and summery temperatures, even after midnight riding home in my top -> perfect warm summer evening :)

- Exploring the city the next day, including a beautiful old train station building, the crazy Groninger Museum building, the weekly market, amazing gardens near the Martinikerk, the stylish 'Forum' (public library) including a rooftop terrace with a fantastic view, several great secondhand shops and having a hard time choosing among small cafes

- Potluck dinner in the evening with friends of my host, then movie night -> watching '100 Dinge' (100 Things), very fitting for my more or less minimalist belongings at the moment ;)

- Going to an open yoga class in Stadspark on Sunday morning :), otherwise spending a relaxed day, doing laundry, shopping, cooking, backing up photos

- Finishing with a bike ride in the evening to colorful houses at a small harbor and enjoying the warm light & atmosphere of dusk

The wonderful weekend in Groningen also marked the end of my first month of traveling. Of course, I haven't been on the bike every single day, but the day of departure is at least a month ago ;)

And that's somehow crazy because on the one hand it doesn't feel like a whole month at all, but on the other hand, I feel like I've been traveling for much longer - because I experience so much every day, I get so many new impressions and change places almost every day.

I've already spoken about this phenomenon of time perception while traveling with my very first Warmshowers host.

I told him 'In mid-May, I moved out of my apartment...' and he said - 'So about 2 weeks ago? You talk about it as if it was ages ago!'

And that's actually how it felt to me, as if I had been traveling for weeks already :) On that note, my host showed me the following, amazingly powerful video:

https://youtu.be/zUTL4Op56CM

On the road, I've been thinking from time to time about 'wake up your brain and be fascinated' and after a month, I can only confirm that every meter of altitude, every headwind passage, or any other adversity is more than worth it to be fascinated by little and big things every day! (And thus (feeling) prolonging one's lifetime ;))

And finally something completely different:

After having raved about the warm-hearted people I've met on the road quite often so far, it's long overdue to say a huge thank you to all of you after the first month!

It's so incredibly beautiful to read and hear from you that you're virtually traveling with me and feeling and suffering and rejoicing with me and for me! And of course, you also keep sending me news from your lives so that I can follow your everyday lives from afar :)

Every single one of your kind messages, comments, and feedback makes me - as cheesy as it may sound - really warm-hearted and I'm endlessly grateful to have such a wonderful community of friends and family supporting me from afar, in addition to the 'foreign' Warmshowers community at my respective place of travel! You're simply the best <3

I'm incredibly excited about the next months of traveling that are yet to come and I hope to continue taking you along a bit on this journey!