Glamping

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“The soul of a human travels on horseback.” That is what my friend Petra says often.  
The rain is pouring down to the wooden edge of our glamp. The little thing has just enough space for two mattresses on a wooden frame, and at the end of the bed, can we just fit our bags and shoes. And, that’s it. I love it. This is basic, letting go of everything.
I lay between my men. On my right side is our little man, Laurens. Left of me is Jelle. Both are deep asleep. Jelle drove all those 3000 kilometers in the last fourteen days, and he is exhausted. My head is spinning. One part of me wants to sleep, the other part wants to stay awake to make the most of the moment, drink it in for all it’s worth and relive those weeks of journeying—not only the change in landscape and temperature but the people we met. Family, friends, a lot of new people, —what a journey! 
In the fantastic, relaxing days of holiday before the conference, we got a very warm welcome at our friend Dorothee Gerber’s and saw Bretten, the town of Philip Melanchton
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We visited Heidelberg, the birthplace of the Heidelberg Catechism. One Sunday morning, we went to church in the monastery of Maulbronn. We walked through the monastery, where there were no cars—not very touristic on this early Sundaymorning—and after the sermon, there was a lovely concert. That had been on our wishlist for quite a while.

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The herb garden in the monastery in Maulbronn

After a midday in the fields, for some transition time, we dove into the International Teams Conference. You will hear more from me about it. I am just puzzling over how to write it, but I have a lot I would love to share!

  1. Breakfast talk
  2. Coffee conversation
  3. After 9 p.m. talk

As if this was not enough, we had rich seminars with Sheridan Voycey. And yes, that is another story or two. So, stay in touch and enjoy with me!
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It is no wonder that I could not sleep. We did not go glamping this final night for nothing. At a certain point, you have to process all that you received.
While the kilometers are added, one to another, we listen to all sorts of music. In the meantime, I crochet one bookmark after the other and, for a change, read a bit out of Henri Nouwen’s Road to Daybreak: A plea for the reflective mind.
At a certain point, Nouwen writes: “I felt deeply grateful for the bond that has grown. These bonds make large distances seem small and heavy burdens feel light.”
I copy his words because they are true for the many lovely people we met.
The rain has stopped. It is quiet outside. The wind is blowing softly around our glamp. Daybreak starts in a glorious way. I feel blessed and at peace, ready to travel on.

DSC_0277Glamping means officially: Glamorous Camping. But I translate it freely in Glorious Camping;-)

Do you have a nice summer break moment to share?