Alkistis Stergiani Kartsiou
Last week at Texel was a different week in many ways. It did not only lead to exciting pathways towards a sustainable Texel at 2065 after intensive work in our own bubble, the VerzamelPost, together with our group of 30 people; although our schedule did not include spending much time outdoors, I was lucky enough to experience Dutch nature in a way I had not experienced before. Enjoyment and moments of awe but also of uncomfort in front of nature’s power, were what these days on Texel endowed me with.
Biking in the dark every morning before dawn and every late night from “De Potvis” to the VerzamelPost and back, was a daily routine. I cannot recall another time in my life, travelling on a road so quiet and dark, without cars or street lights, in a place empty of any sings of noisy human presence; just you under the light of stars in endless land fields, till the point your eyes can reach. It almost felt like going back in time.
Stronger than that however, was my little “adventure” on Tuesday night. The unfortunate news of the 5 sperm whales washed ashore on Texel’s coast reached our ears while working on our assignments and the excitement for a chance to see these unique creatures beat all the body fatigue I was feeling after biking 15 km a few hours earlier. Joining a group of 9 people, I was going to feel like an …aboriginal Texelaar! After Biking for 15 minutes in deep darkness, with heavy rain hitting my face and strong wind making biking more difficult, we entered the dunes zone. I cannot estimate how much it took us to reach the shore, most probably another 15 minutes, but it felt like ages. It was amazing; I could see nothing around me but I could feel the pureness of the surroundings. The same feeling came back to me after we reached the beach while standing in front of the water, descrying only the dark figures of three whales struggling in shallow waters; I could not really see them but I could feel them. Indeed, the untouched landscape was revealed to me under the light of the sun next day in my second visit to the coast, this time to see the sperm whales laying dead on the beach.. It is strange, but this feeling would come to my mind some hours later at the VerzamelPost, when the term “last nature” was being introduced as a key term in the group’s future vision for Texel.
Although I had to face the consequences of bringing my body endurance to its limits (or the consequences of not being a Dutch biking expert I guess), experiencing Texel that way was among the most valuable things I took with me while leaving the island. And maybe this feeling is what makes Texel unique and beautiful, not only in the eyes of its inhabitants but also in the eyes of the thousands of tourists coming to visit it every summer; this more human way of experiencing life, closer to nature and away from intensive rhythms, with qualities that have been forgotten in the dizziness of evolution.