Anne van der Hem
My name is Anne, raised in the Frisian village of Jorwert. As an anthropologist I study the relationship between humans and nature. How people relate to their surroundings and how we as humans are part of nature. I seek that connection most readily outside. I love being on the move, in search of new places, new experiences and new stories.
Walking is for me an embodied form of attention. A kind of mindfulness in motion, where step by step you come closer to yourself and your surroundings. In the mountains I work as a guide, living close to nature and the weather. That is precisely why it feels special to now return to my roots and walk the Ziltepad. Along the edge of land and sea, where wind and weather set the pace.
With good preparation, trust in my body and curiosity about the unknown I walk the Ziltepad. In search of new experiences, new insights and the adventure that begins the moment you decide to start walking.
Day 1
Den Helder - Huisdoorn
Still in the city,
not quite gone yet.
Today felt like an in-between day.
Not really in nature yet,
but no longer in the old rhythm either.
Something in between.
Only at the Wadden Sea did it become quieter.
Sitting on the dike for a moment,
sun on my face.
As if I only truly arrived there.
My body still has to catch up.
The first blisters are appearing,
the backpack still feels heavy,
the rhythm isn't there yet.
But somewhere I know
this is how it begins.
Slowly
I sink back
from head to body.
Day 2
Where the Sea Recedes and the Tulips Compel
Where the Wadden Sea ends
and the North Sea begins,
something changes.
First the dike
stones, hard blows of the water.
Framed, bounded.
Then the beach.
Sand that yields,
foam that comes and goes.
A tangle of seaweed, patterns, and a found tooth.
Space to move, art without a plan.
Then the tulips, compelling in their perfection.
Rows that must fit, color imposed on the land.
I look at them, but I long to return.
To the raw side, the space, and the freedom.
To the water that doesn't have to be there, but simply is allowed to be there.