Storming the beaches of Norderney

I’ve always been a beach boy, but I have not

once thought about a beach on the North Sea.

Honestly, I’ve subconsciously ignored the fact

that Germany is not landlocked my entire life.

We took a ferry to the island and for some reason

I find limited accessibility really cool. As soon

as we docked, we were taken to a little bike

rental shop were I was introduced to my

soulmate; B99. I rode that boy for miles. I can still feel the mold of his handles pressed

against my palms. We were more than a boy

and his bike. We were a cohesive unit, a single being.

Together, with our bikes, we were a little north

sea island bike gang. We traveled in flocks and

commanded every road that we encountered.

We couldn’t be stopped. We popped wimpy

wheelies, we jumped the smallest curbs, and

we rang our bells like it was dinner time.

On the second day, we indulged in the luxurious

customs of the island. We rolled up on the Badahaus,

we were quickly becoming locals. Here, I soaked in the

pools, I floated in the saline bath, I covered myself

in the island’s mud, and I exiled all of my toxins from

my body in the sauna. I will never forget the peak

of relaxation I was able to witness at this heavenly

place. I left a piece of myself at the Badahaus that

day; I forgot my towel there.

The beach week continued to open my eyes to new experiences. I woke up at 6 to workout on the beach

and partake in ‘thalasso”, which is a fancy word for run

into the freaking north sea and freeze to death. But,

like, it’s good for you in some twisted way. I rode a

bike across the entire island, the island may be small,

but that only makes it slightly less of an accomplishment.

I hIked the mudflats. My feet were exposed to a range

of many different textures. At one point I wanted to

scream out of pain and other times I wanted to let out

smooth sounds affirming my relaxation. Apart from the

range of feelings, we got the chance to observe the

diverse communities in the mud.

Norderney did more for me than I could ever return. Here, I relaxed, I laughed, I cried (apparently), and I had the time of my life.

Here comes the juxtaposition. From this heavenly island, we got on a train and went straight to the lawless society of Amsterdam. The moment we got off the train, my roommate from back home was waiting for me and it was the first time in weeks that I had gotten a taste of my normal life, it was really nice and needed. After being surrounded by so many new people for so long, I needed that bit of reality to remind me that I'm living a fairy tale life right now.

Amsterdam provided a variety of attractions to soothe and surprise our touristy minds. We were lucky enough to make it into Anne Frank's house. Here, we truly got dive into the lives of the Frank family and friends. For the first time I truly grasped the severity of that time period and the hardships that they faced every moment of every day.

Then, we practically ran to the Van Gogh museum. He produced a ridiculous amount of paintings, it was unimaginable. There were hundreds of works and they were almost all his. There was no Starry Night which kinda made me sad, but I got the opportunity to realize the vastness of his work and to realize that he is so much more than a few notable paintings, his life is explicitly embodied by all of his works.

Later that night, we decided to take a nice little stroll through the red light district. One of the weirdest experiences of my life. It made no sense, it really felt like we were in some altered reality.

This week showed me many things that I never thought I would see in person. My life feels somehow more complete, and for that, I can't think this week enough.