Going sightseeing on a bicycle is quite different from going sightseeing in a car, especially in the Netherlands, where 95% of the roads have designated cycle tracks and where many purely cycle roads exist. Through forest and field the cycle paths deviate from the roads, allowing for a relaxing time surrounded by nature without the noise and smell of cars.

We chose to cycle across the famous Delta Works, the sentinels of the country. The Delta Works are the latest technical marvel installed to hold back the sea. These great dams open and close allowing sea life to continue within this boundary while holding back the mass of water. Having travelled this long road, the only road along the coast, countless times by car, I thought I was familiar with the skyline of the giant steel structures reaching towards the sky.

This time things were very different, however. Much to my surprise, the cycle path ran over the top of the water works and along the highest point of the dikes. From high up the view is magnificent. To see the land stretching off to one side and the water on the other is very impressive. In one glance it became very clear that the water level of the North Sea is higher than the land of the Netherlands. You see why it is called “The Low Countries”. The difference in level is substantial and, when you see the sea stretching into the distance, quite frightening.

Graham is totally fascinated by the scale of what has been achieved here in regards to the protection of the land. I am too, but not to that extent. Being Dutch I have learned so much about it in school, I have come to regard it as normal. “The Netherlands lies below sea level” has become a noun that has lost its meaning, much like band names such as AC/DC or the Beatles have lost their original meaning. Who thinks of the little animals when we mention The Beatles?

Sharing this tour with Graham has made this part of the Netherlands come alive. It has also left me hovering between feeling proud regarding the giant steel constructions, a tribute to the power of man, and feeling fragile… will this last? One leak and all this land will be swallowed by water…

The Midnight Coach for London departs. The bright red traffic lights, the road closure ahead – they are all irrelevant. I greet my trusted friends: neck pillow, earplugs & eye mask. I feel so happy inside. It has been a while since we have travelled, I think to myself. After settling into my seat, I lose myself in memories.

Two and a half months in the Netherlands have flown past. Months of working intensively, of joining forces with actors, director, musician, lighting designer and theatre to create my play. A time of drive, of inspiration, fun, learning and growing; of connecting with the other Moon Scouts, a nearby spiritual centre, several women groups; of long cycling tours; of philosophical discussions.

I am woken by the passenger beside me. My eyes squint in the bright lights. The red digi-letters show 3:28. Customs – twice. Back in my seat, I float off again.

Here I am on the bus to London. My project has finished; with raving reviews. The time to move on is approaching. A wonderful circle of friends has grown in a short period of time. I feel at home within the local community. At the same time, I am looking to the next adventure.

People know I’m only passing through. That doesn’t mean they keep their distance though, because I don’t.

One of the secrets of being an Earth Pilgrim is to deeply connect with those around you. Connect on a personal level. Connect like you will always be there. Because you are. It doesn’t matter whether it is only for an hour, a day or three months. It is all about how well you connect with people in the moment!

I think most people nowadays misunderstand this. With tools like texting, email, skype, VoIP and facebook, nobody really leaves anymore. You can keep in touch. True, but often these become tools to hide behind. Great, you can talk to people anywhere. But how about connecting to those around you, in the moment? That is still up to you!

This evening, in London, the colouring in the sky was phenomenal. On the train, no one was paying attention, they were all too busy “connecting” on their phones. Occasional glances were just thrown to check if I was watching them. Is that real?

Connecting is more than just texting, or spending hours together. Do you remember that lovely guy or couple you met on holiday? The same kind of people live next door to you, two houses down in the next block.

It is you who opens up when you are on the road. You can do the same at home. When you run into your neighbour next time, make an effort to go beyond: how are you – have a nice day. You’ll be surprised!

Even better: imagine really connecting with your partner – again, or maybe even for the first time. Now there’s a thought!

Spare five minutes, thirty minutes, even an hour and genuinely listen to what others have to say. All they want is to be heard. Your contribution to make the world a better place.

Everyone is an Earth Pilgrim, whether you are on the road or not.

I know for a lot of you the erupting volcano ruined your travel plans, yet for me it was such a gift that there were no planes up in the sky during our stay! Because, as a result of that, like a cloud of dust, the usual whirl of energy settled down and it got QUIET. The background-energy in the city was so peaceful and relaxed… People just stayed where they were, had given up attempting to get to somewhere else. It felt like one of these 1970′s long lazy sunday afternoons…

At our leisure, we visited an eclectic collection of buildings, modern and ancient. Next to must-sees like the Sacre Coeur, the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, we admired unfamiliar gems like the excavations below the Notre Dame square and the Arab World Institute.

The modern architecture of the Arab World Institute doesn’t look all that special at first sight, yet it has surprising features. It combines the latest technology and techniques with traditional Arab architecture. The southern façade is decorated with a translucent ornament of steel reminding the moucharabiehs. Here however, this geometric pattern is made of 240 diaphragms opening or closing according to the sun, thanks to a light-cell, to let in enough light without harming art pieces exhibited. On the inside a walkway allows you to watch the mechanism up close. Fascinating!

On the top floor you’ll find a roof terras that provides an spectacular view of the city, from the Notre Dame on one end all the way to the Sacre Coeur - hovering over the Centre Pompidou – on the other; especially under a clear blue sky:-) See for yourself next time you’re in Paris (1, rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, Place Mohammed V, 75236 PARIS CEDEX 05, Metro line 7 or 10, station Jussieu).

On our last evening we went to see the famous Moulin Rouge show; quite a spectacle as well. I’d expected all glamour and glitter inside, yet the theatre was very old. The show was great – I have always admired feathers and shiny stones!

Yesterday we drove down to Normandy, to start our next housesit. And today – back to work…  The MoonScout preparations are in full swing; soon to be launched: MirroroftheMoonGoddess.com and the start of the ticket sales for the show on June 21st in Tilburg.

Some examples: fine AU$150 for driving 108km/hr on a completely empty 100km/hr highway, fine for parking the car with the nose in the wrong direction, not allowed to take plastic water bottles into a fenced off area on new year’s eve, not allowed to take a bottle of champagne to the park to watch the fireworks, fine AU$200 for speeding with no consideration whatsoever to the fact that we were eloping giant honking trucks that were going way faster that the 100km/hr limit after two attempt to run us off the road altogether, shops closing at 3pm, bars and restaurants – even in Brisbane for that matter – closing at 9:00pm or 9:30pm…

The top was having to take 0.28kg out of my suitcase, because the weight limit is 20kg, so 20.28kg is unacceptable. I demonstratively took out some underwear and my bra!

All this has really shifted my perspective of this country. Shifted it from looking into permanent residency, to this is not the place for me. What happened?

Over the past 3 years I have been visiting travelling up and down the east coast tourist strip. This time we moved away from the coast and went more inland, about 50km. And it got more and more sleepy as we drove on. Most of the land is being developed for retirement villages that basically all look the same. Rows of houses with a giant mall next to it. The mall closes at 6:30pm and all of Sundays. Question: what do people do here to meet their need for variety. Because outside of these malls, there is nothing. And I mean nothing. We are a bit taken aback by that.

Every now and then Graham and I knock off at 3pm and embark on some sightseeing. This proves to be hardly possible in this region (Brisbane/Bundaberg); apart from the physical distances, you have to take in account that the sun sets at 6:30pm – and it sets very fast, almost as if someone turns off the light!

We made one attempt, visiting the small town of Childers, described to us by the house owners as still containing large numbers of original Queenslander houses. By the time we get there (4pm) it resembles a ghost town. Stores closed around 3:30pm, restaurants and bars are set for locking up at 9pm. What do they do after that, we wondered… The house owners helped us out there: life here is geared towards the daylight. Most people rise between 5pm and 6pm and start their day.

Gin Gin marked the end of our 4 month stay in Australia. During this time I have come to see Australia from the inside out. And my conclusion: nice for a holiday – not suitable for permanent living:-)

Going through the available housesits of the day, I always have Google Calendar open to see whether the offered period slots in to the fixed appointments we have. This one lands right in the middle of my MoonScout appointment, an assignment for a city in the south of the Netherlands. They provide a platform between the full moons of May 28th and June 26th to share my message with the world.

I am staging a theatre play, and obviously need to spend some time in that location to prepare for this. How long? I guess about 2 weeks. Graham has been pointing out to me that I have been avoiding to commit to anything in the months April-May-June.

On consulting the organizer, I found that I can present my message for femaleXperience on as many occasions as I choose, ranging from 1 to 30. Other than that, I am free to stay or go. They are just looking to put something on in the series every month. Somehow, even with the show planned on May 31st , and a discussion on June 21st, , I still felt uncomfortable.

The invitation mentioned earlier seemed to bring an obvious truth to the surface: it crosses over the 21st of June, so when I need to be there – hence I can’t commit to this housesit. But somehow, that sounds too easy – I need to dig deeper: what is really going on?

Am I feeling a pang of guilt for not being present? The project started end October 2009; I was in Fiji at the time. The other MoonScouts (13 of us over the year) – go out to dinner together and are creating a social hub. Do I care? Not really. I know I can catch up with that during the time of my slot. Could this have something to do with it still?

Waking up it was all crystal clear in my mind: I have a belief that says: in taking on an assignment, I have to be fully part of that, fully meaning: in the process I have to give up my way of life, what I love, what I stand for to please others. What a nonsense!

The funny thing is that usually – and especially in this case – the “other” doesn’t expect that at all. Quite the opposite: they love the idea that I am flying in to put on a show and a discussion on femininity. And I have to add: and fly out again. It is who I am as an Earth Pilgrim.

In changing that belief I feel I have really embraced the concept of independent working. Independent working means that I can be anywhere, while the job, project or assignment has a location. Most travelers come from the opposite direction: they have a job, boss, home-office that sends them off to some location and they work there. Being independent means I can go anywhere, as long as I have access to the internet and a domestic or international airport to fly in and out of a location for the duration of the time I need to spend in that specific location. Like Graham – when he had to quote for lighting a theatre in the West End in London – he needed to see that theatre, and discuss with the client what his vision was, as well as doing some trials. The design itself he worked out after he got back from London, on the porch of the queenslander in Brisbane.

With this new belief firmly installed, I committed to the housesit in Greece. Yippie!

Graham has worked on fee-basis basically all his life, I have only worked for a boss, receiving an paycheck at the end of each month. Even if I would have to drive around the Netherlands to check up on our stores and stay out for a couple of days, my base was always the home office. that is where I worked. This is a new mindset. And I like it!

It is great to stay with them; we haven’t seen them for a year or so, and we fill in the detail to the stories we read on Facebook. We also get to see the newly installed fountain he bragged about there! After we fill them in on our current projects, Alexander invites us to sit in on his acting class that night. The class is hosted by well-known film actor Graham Beckel. WOW, what a gift. There are several actors each performing a piece, getting direct feedback on how to make it even better, then performing the same piece again, implementing the suggestions.

Graham Beckel’s feedback is uncanny. He has a sharp eye for brilliance and knows exactly how the actors can improve the weaker parts in what he has just seen. His feedback comes from a heartfelt place, wanting to make the performance better and see the actors shine. In one case by adding another person on stage to make the performance more genuine, having someone to address it to, or to point at, in another by intensifying the intentions and making the emotions that much bigger. Between pieces Holly signs her own songs entertaining us and drawing out our emotions.

Alexander is very touched by us stepping into his world and joining him for the evening. For us, that is what it is all about. We love being part of that hub for a while, getting in at a personal level. For Graham is a step back into the world of theatre he knew when he was younger.

Tonight we visit Graham’s nephew, who lives nearby. They haven’t seen each other for 4 years or so, yet have kept in touch via email and facebook. The welcome is as heartfelt, even after the extended gap. Nick and Claudia know of our whereabouts as well, so after introductions of Cheta, the conversation rapidly moves to a personal level. With the Facebook info in her backpack, Cheta feels like she has known them for years already. We hear some of the music he writes for the film industry, it is inspiring to be around so many creative people.

That is the beauty of today’s world: there are many ways of communication. On top of that, our travelling brings us to the doorstep of our friends and family. From experience we know that living in the same town together doesn’t mean you see each other on a regular basis. Now when we go to America, Bali, UK or the Netherlands, we announce that we will be there on a certain date, or for this particular timeframe, and actually make the effort to meet with them, either one-on-one or on a combined dinner. Wonderful!

Alexander had asked us to extend our stay, so he and Connie were both thrilled to have us over so soon already. It is great to stay with them, to catch up, and seeing the fountain he wrote about on Facebook! The drive up to their place leads through a mountain range and offers a beautiful views of the scenery and the city.

Alexander invited us to his evening acting class last night and I enjoyed it very much. It gave me new insights for Mirror of The Moon Goddess. Click here to read about it (UK&NL)

Now we are off to meet Graham’s nephew. He writes filmmusic:-)

Seasoned traveller Ryan is on the road for around 320 days a year. He flies in to companies to help them downsize by firing their staff. His boss decides to go with a plan to bring him off the road using teleconferencing. Ryan refuses and takes the girl who planned the change on a road trip to show her his “art”. There are some back stories, his sister getting married, the student getting dumped by text and Ryan developing feelings for a woman traveller, that make him question his lifestyle. This, in a nutshell, is the new film ‘Up In The Air’.

On our flight to LA the in-flight magazine said, “the movie is geared at raising intriguing questions like: in an age of global travel and machine-meditated conversations, how do we get to the real, lasting connections that once sustained American communities? And what happens when we avoid them”.

You can, as a result, predict beforehand what the ‘moral’ of the movie is going to be: we need family, we need to be with family, can’t live without them!

The article continues, “In his first two feature films Reitman (the director) established a distinctive talent for taking provocative anti-heroes and telling deeply human, funny and appealing stories in which these tricky characters defy expectation”. That got my hopes up so I watched the film. If Reitman really “gets it”, he might bring more understanding to people and show them how you can have the best of both worlds, independent travelling and being part of a community.

Alas…. It was as I expected. The movie starts of in a fast tempo, miles cards, express cards, gold cards, you name it Ryan has it. Swipe and go, customs down to a tee! I am bored to bits with the “you live so isolated-you have no real relationships” over and over.

Reitman has a bleak vision of travelling, “man is adapting to a global landscape that is entirely composed of airports, hotels, chain restaurants, gift shops and magazine racks; how lonely he must feel”. Put like that it makes it all sound very bleak. But I can make almost anything, from a family outing or Christmas dinner to a job sound pretty much the same.

Modern Technology

What about the use of modern technology? The movie is set in 2010, yet nowhere in the movie does Ryan use Skype to contact his family, or Facebook to stay in touch with friends. There must be something else going on.

We get a hint of it when Ryan’s sister calls and he reacts annoyed. The movie shows him alone in the hotel bar, alone in the hotel room, alone in the swimming pool. Alone in places where you can strike up conversations very easily. Ryan doesn’t, he doesn’t communicate. It has nothing to do with being on the road, the lifestyle just makes it more convenient. He is detached from his core and stays in his comfort zone.

It is exactly what I was doing during my first couple of years on the road. I used slightly different excuses, like the cost of the phone calls, the time difference, but it was all about avoiding contact. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. It was the guilt I felt hearing the negative reactions of people to what I was doing, and taking it personally. I knew that my family disapproved of what I was doing. I didn’t know how to handle their objections, so putting distance between me and them was the best, if not the only, way out.

Taking on the identity of an Earth Pilgrim, however, enabled things to shift for me. As Earth Pilgrims we have a purpose to connect with people around the world, including people at home. We use modern technology to create a global community. We visit friends and family in Australia, the US, the UK and the Netherlands on our travels, and see more of them than when we were living around the corner. When I am there, I am totally in the moment, enjoying our time together.

Once you get that the global community, it is, in many ways, very similar to the local community. People knowing each other on a personal level around the world, isn’t that worth something. Meeting family on a weekend that both of you happen to be in Bangkok, a bloggers meeting in Chicago, a powerteam meeting in Brisbane. You bet there is community, and personal connection is still a vital part of it. It just has taken on a new form.

So, what’s the point?

The movie doesn’t really make one. Although the last scenes are of people declaring they wouldn’t have gotten through (the loss of their job) if it weren’t for their family, the movie keeps hinting at the fact that there is no point either getting married or staying single. It leaves you hanging, in a false attempt to be open ended. I got the feeling that it says: both ways of life are pointless, so you are better of getting married and stay at home with your family, that’s the lesser of two evils. Oh yeah, and they’ll be there for you if you need them. One look at Jerry Springer or Ricky Lake shows that that is not always a given.

The movie provides us with two opposite ends of the scale: on the one hand the business traveller, who’s empty life is dictated by planes, trains and automobiles, on the other hand the glued to a desk worker with the full life, bound by a mortgage, married with children. Being on the road EXCLUDES even the possibility of having a relationship, let alone a deep one. I personally think that this is bollocks.

These past weeks have been fun too, it has been raining a lot, and not just any old bit of rain. It was absolutely pouring down, flooded roads everwhere. Upside is that when the sun finally did come out, the whole countryside was lush and green where it had all been brown before.

Now – finish packing and on to the airtrain!