A beautiful tradition of starting the new year

Dear Friends,

I hope you all had an enjoyable New Year's eve, and I wish you happiness and good health for 2023.

For as long as I remember, the first morning of the new year starts with a walk on the beach; this year was no different. On the island, the beach is never far. There is only one beach, but since it is wide and 21 kilometers long, there are quiet spots to have nature all for yourself, even in the summer's top tourist season. And now, in the grey, windy winter season, walking on the beach feels like there is nobody else out there.

To reach the beach, you first have to cross the dunes. I started near the iconic red and white lighthouse, known by everyone in my generation as the lighthouse on the banknotes of 250 guilders. It is one of the Netherlands' tallest lighthouses and was built in 1837. But it was only when the nearby airport was built in 1934 that the tower got its striking red and white spiral colors. This way, the pilots could already see the lighthouse from a long distance.

Although the small airport is nowadays mainly used for gliding, the striking colors were again repainted last year. I suppose it is more of a tradition than a security measure. That may explain why it led to a minor and very local political controversy since the used color red had a slightly different hue than the one previously used. A campaign by locals to repaint it got a lot of publicity but was unsuccessful.

I assume that hardly anybody notices the color difference now, and in some 20 years, when it is time to repaint it, the island will have a predictable next debate on the same issue. It's one of the things I like about island life; when such an issue is the central debate in the community, you can easily forget about all your other concerns about the often frightening developments in the real world that's out there beyond the island's magnificent beaches.

Here are some photos of a windy walk in surprisingly warm temperatures.

The island's west-end dunes are the highest natural point in the province of Zeeland. Here they go steeply down to the beach.

Some of the characteristic groins (sorry for switching to American English a couple of years ago, in British English, these wooden poles are known as groynes).