happiness

How I Made Peace with Mornings: Reclaiming My Time

by Dana Marin | May 19, 2021 | All Photos, Lifestyle, Thoughts | 0

When I moved to Alkmaar last year, something strange happened: I started waking up very early (5...

Reflections on My Move to Alkmaar, Nine Months On

by Dana Marin | Sep 16, 2020 | All Photos, Thoughts | 4

The trees on the Oudegracht are turning yellow. This view reminds me of the first time I came to...

The Slow Pace of Life in a Small City

by Dana Marin | Mar 7, 2020 | All Photos, Lifestyle | 0

It’s been three months since I moved to Alkmaar and I’m congratulating myself for this...

A Misty Start of the Year

by Dana Marin | Jan 4, 2020 | All Photos, The Netherlands | 0

The first day of 2020 was a misty one. I like to go for a walk the day after the NYE celebrations,...

With My Feet in Two Boats

by Dana Marin | Jun 9, 2019 | People and Stories, Thoughts | 9

There is a Romanian expression: “Cu fundul în două luntri”, which means “sitting...

Thoughts for the New Year

by Dana Marin | Jan 7, 2019 | All Photos, Thoughts | 7

The beginning of the year always feels promising to me. Even if I know that the day of 1 January...

Winter Day at the Beach

by Dana Marin | Dec 18, 2018 | All Photos, The Netherlands | 0

I can’t go for a long time without seeing the sea, breathing the salty air, listening to the waves. Last week, on a crisp winter day, I took the train to the closest beach to Amsterdam: Zandvoort. It was gloomy when I...

10 Things I’m Looking Forward To This Spring

by Dana Marin | Mar 20, 2018 | All Photos, Lifestyle | 0

I saw this title on The Dainty Squid blog and I thought it would be a fun exercise to do tonight, while waiting for the actual spring to arrive (not the meteorological nor the astronomical one, but the mighty Spring itself with...

Six years of living in Amsterdam (and counting)

by Dana Marin | Dec 15, 2016 | All Photos, Thoughts | 12

It’s been six years since I left my home country, Romania, on a very early and foggy morning, with a big suitcase and a small cat, and a crazy heart mixed with joy, hope, and worry. It was a December day that happened to...

An instant of Amsterdam — day 1

by Dana Marin | Nov 12, 2015 | All Photos, Amsterdam | 0

Today I’m starting a 30-day photo project on the blog — and the theme will be “An Instant of Amsterdam”. This means that every day, for one month I’ll post a photo or two capturing the essence of...