A couple of weeks ago Sietske came over from the Netherlands to visit us for a couple of days here in York. And she couldn’t have picked a better time, as from the moment she arrived the Netherlands (and much of the rest of Europe) suffered an extreme heatwave. We did plenty of cycling and walking, and on one of the first days we showed her the beautiful Homestead Park, of which I wrote in a previous post.
I find it interesting how you can look with such fresh eyes at your own city when you show it around to someone. This visit was especially great as we had the chance to take our new bikes for a spin, and show Sietske parts of York she’d never visited before. On one such trip we ended up picking berries, plucking plumbs, and exploring St. Nicholas Fields – a wonderful plot of nature just outside of the city. We then headed to Osbaldwick (a village on the edge of York), where we saw the church of St. Thomas. In its churchyard stands the strangest tree, which looks like a gateway into another world…
On our way back we stopped at St. Nicholas Fields once more, and with the sun out, we sat on some stones, enjoying all the wild flowers around us, and had a nice cup of tea. And before you know it a week had passed, and we had to drop her off at the train station, for her return back home in the Netherlands. But it’ll only be a couple of weeks until I head to Italy by train, and Sietske will join me there! I can’t wait to show you the photos we’ll undoubtedly make on our trip.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jacob
