Travel journal

In our travel journal, we travel through Western Europe and beyond by campervan, car or e-bike. We write about places we visit, the people we meet and the details that catch our attention along the way. Each travel story combines personal observations with practical information, including routes, local history, culture and the landscape. More posts.

  • Cádiz, twenty years later

    Catedral Cádiz, Spain..

    One fluid motion, one single spiral. The dough drops into the sizzling oil. Within seconds, the crust turns a rich golden-brown. At Churrería Ana, this ritual has been playing out for decades. We ask if…

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  • Cycling through Málaga

    Parque forestal de Gibralfaro in Málaga, Spain.

    Anyone exploring Málaga by bike soon notices that the past here refuses to stay locked behind museum glass. This is a city built in stone, marble and wood, layer on layer. In the historic El…

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  • Cycling around Gaasterland I

    Gaasterland, Friesland, the Netherlands.

    You expect flatness in Friesland: bare pastures, a solitary lake, a straight horizon, and the occasional white sail rising above the grass. That is the familiar image, but Gaasterland, in the south-west of the province,…

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Ankie and Cees

Our journeys across borders have taken us to many parts of the world. From Suriname, the Antilles and Tunisia to South Africa, Israel, Denmark, Zambia and Botswana, we have travelled widely.

Twice, we sailed from the Netherlands to Portugal aboard our sailing yacht, NOMAS. Along the way, we explored the coasts of England, Denmark, France, Portugal, Morocco and Spain, and sailed along the coasts of Gibraltar, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey.

We have now lived in Spain for more than three years. During that time, we have explored large parts of the country, but there is still plenty left to discover.

We regularly drive to the Netherlands. On these journeys, we pass through some of the most interesting regions of France.

Read more about us.

Travel flashes

We share observations and photographs from our journeys by campervan, car or e-bike through Western Europe and beyond. Short, personal posts record things we encounter along the way, from walks and cycle rides to places, people and details that catch our attention. More travel flashes.

  • Playa Les Rotes

    Playa Les Rotas, Denia, Spain.

    Known locally as Les Rotes in Valencian and Las Rotas in Spanish, this stretch of the Dénia coastline along the Costa Blanca defies standard expectations of a beach. Sand is entirely absent here, replaced instead by rugged rocky outcrops and secluded coves.

  • Cabo de Sant Antonio

    De vuurtoren van Cabo de San Antonio in Jávea.

    The grounds surrounding the lighthouse on Cabo de Sant Antonio in Xàbia, Spain, are being opened to the public as well as a botanical garden. Until recently, the grounds surrounding the lighthouse remained sealed, denying access to visitors. Change is underway. 

  • Industrial heritage

    Industrial herritage in Denia, Spain.

    An unexpected silhouette emerges through the foliage. Amongst the Mediterranean greenery in a park in Dénia stands a colossal, rust-brown flywheel. It is a tangible relic of industrial history, manufactured by the renowned Swiss firm SLM of Winterthur.

Snapshots from our journeys

During our travels, we take countless photographs. A selection of our images features below. At this moment, we work on an extensive image library. More soon.

Travel blogs

Unexpected events and small surprises are part of our journeys by campervan, car or trailer tent through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and beyond. These short, personal stories describe spontaneous encounters, cultural misunderstandings, practical challenges and the everyday experiences that come with travelling. More travel blogs.

  • Navigating De Alde Feanen

    Skipper at the helm of the Gillissen cutter.

    Somewhere in the middle of the Pikmeer, a lake in the heart of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands, any sense of direction dissolves. The open water gives way to a maze of reeds…

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  • On the e-bike

    E-bike bij Sagra, Spanje.

    Do e-bikes suit us? For a long time, we have hesitated to invest. Then, in Spain, we discovered how electric assistance allows us to go for rides in the hills. E-bikes expand our range and…

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  • It begins on paper

    Cees writes with pen and paper.

    We live in an era where everything must be digital, fast and ‘efficient’. We document our journeys in fleeting categories, quickly tap out an update on a smartphone during a bus ride, or drop a…

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Travel memories

Our travel archive has grown over the years and continues to expand. From time to time, we look back through earlier stories and find ourselves revisiting places we travelled to years ago, along with the people, landscapes and small details that stayed with us.

More in our travel archive.

Sailing archive

Our sailing archive contains stories from our years aboard NOMAS. For more than sixteen years, until we sold the boat in 2022, we sailed along the coasts of Western Europe aboard this sailing yacht, crossing seas, visiting harbours and discovering places far from home.

More in our sailing archive.

NOMAS op reis

NOMAS nieuwsflits

Ja, ik wil op de hoogte blijven van jullie belevenissen