When I decided to write about flowers, I wanted to share with readers why these pure expressions of nature have an extraordinary ability to make us happy. I was myself curious to understand what it is about flowers that can instantaneously and genuinely make people smile. Is it because of their colors, smell, symmetry, variety? All this together, perhaps?
How much does a person have to be fascinated by a certain place to dedicate his entire life to study it? Not to mention this certain place remained untouchable and unvisited for years until this person could finally get in? This is the story of Sjoerd de Vries, an eccentric, nice and cheerful Dutchman who I met by coincidence during my daily strolls in Amsterdam.
Thai food is by nature well-spiced. Same true to the balanced mixture of flavours that makes us feel the perfect combination between sweet, salty, sour and spicy - all brilliantly in one bite. For those who loves spicy food as I do, Thai cuisine becomes, from the day we discover it, one of the main certainties of flavours and dishes that make us very happy.
After a few hours walking on the cold fields at a distant vineyard, in Northern Holland, I was absorbed by a strong yet peaceful energy that mostly reveals itself when close to nature. Then, I find it hard to avoid thinking that a simpler lifestyle endures to fulfill us so much more.