simple living

Amsterdam Gardens. Spend the Summer Surrounded by Flowers

by Dana Marin | Jul 11, 2021 | All Photos, Amsterdam | 0

If you search for “Amsterdam gardens” in a browser, you’ll find many results...

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...

Escape to the Forest

by Dana Marin | Apr 15, 2020 | All Photos, Nature | 0

I might be isolated from my friends, here in my new city of Alkmaar, but I am certainly lucky to...

Spring in My Home

by Dana Marin | Apr 6, 2020 | All Photos, Lifestyle | 0

Untroubled by the human drama happening on the planet, Spring is unfolding the beauty of green...

Coronavirus Journal

by Dana Marin | Mar 12, 2020 | All Photos, Thoughts | 0

A journal to document the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in the Netherlands This is my third...

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...

Chilling on the French Riviera: Menton

by Dana Marin | Mar 2, 2020 | All Photos, Travels | 0

Menton was on my list of day-trips from Nice because of a view I kept seeing on the travel blogs....

Simplifying My Life: Decluttering

by Dana Marin | Feb 9, 2020 | All Photos, Thoughts | 0

It’s been a few years since I first had the feeling that my life was too busy, the days were...

Fighting Food Waste in Amsterdam: Wasteless Dinners

by Dana Marin | Mar 14, 2019 | All Photos, Lifestyle | 2

There are a number of initiatives fighting food waste in Amsterdam and the Netherlands, and TBYW...

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...

Nine Places in Amsterdam That Any Aspiring Gardener Should Know About

by Dana Marin | Jun 27, 2018 | All Photos, Lifestyle, Nature | 0

If you love plants and gardening, and you live in Amsterdam, then you are in the right place! This city is welcoming you with all its little gardens, flower markets, flower shops and urban gardening projects. One of the first...

Gloomy November Day

by Dana Marin | Nov 1, 2017 | All Photos, Amsterdam | 0

This week is a staycation week for me. That means I took a few days off to relax at home. I’m enjoying the city as much as I can, and some parts of the country as well. Today I wasn’t very inspired — the first...

Remembering how to relax, on a rainy Saturday

by Dana Marin | May 13, 2017 | All Photos, Lifestyle | 0

Life was quite hectic lately and I felt overwhelmed by all the things I had to do. Today, finally, it felt like I could slow down and relax a bit. I woke up to the soothing sound of rain on the windows, and, surprisingly,...

A sunny day at the sea in early spring

by Dana Marin | Apr 25, 2015 | All Photos, The Netherlands | 0

The North Sea — like any other sea in this world — is beautiful in every season, and we’re lucky to be so close to it here, in Amsterdam. I often like to visit Zandvoort off-season, for relaxing walks on the...