Last Tuesday night, or actually it was already Wednesday as it was after midnight, the phone rang. My aunt called to ask if she could come to our place immediately, together with her husband and dog. Family that wants to stay over is not exactly what you expect when the whole country is in quarantine, but this was an emergency. Since Monday morning a big wildfire had been raging in the nearby national park and the situation has gotten so threatening that more than 4000 people had to leave their houses immediately, including a large part of my family. We were still preparing their beds when the phone rang again. Another aunt and uncle were also looking for a place to stay. Due to the corona measures, which of course continued unabated, only a limited number of people could be accommodated in emergency shelters and everyone was therefore asked to go to family and friends as much as possible. Within no time the house was filled with aunts, uncles and Bruce, a beautiful dog who didn’t understand anything of all the commotion.
It was (unfortunate) coincidence that I had spontaneously decided to paint the bedroom for the first time in twelve years. The room that has seen me return from many far away and less far away places in which I have lived: Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, Frankfurt, Utrecht and Naples
It was (unfortunate) coincidence that I had spontaneously decided to paint the bedroom for the first time in twelve years. The room that has seen me return from many far away and less far away places in which I have lived: Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, Frankfurt, Utrecht and Naples. Sometimes after months, sometimes after years. Anyway, so my bed had been lying in five separate pieces in our guest room since Tuesday afternoon. No handy timing when you have four guests coming over the same night, but who could have known? Actually, this situation was just another confirmation of what I had already known for a long time: life cannot be planned. After all, you never really know what will happen tomorrow, and your entire reality can change within an hour.
I phoned her and told her that we had ‘a problem going on outside’ and that she had to look out of her living room window immediately. Oh, bella ciao! SURPRISE!
A crisis situation in the middle of a crisis. We are so occupied with the whole corona situation that every now and then, we forget that life still goes on. Wildfires, people in home quarantine breaking their ankle by tripping over the lid of the dishwasher and other misery, but fortunately also happy things like all kinds of holidays. And there were quite a few last week. First of all, Rome, the place which has been my home for over half a year now and which happens to be the most beautiful city in the world, celebrated its 2773rd birthday on Tuesday. The old lady! I can’t even begin to think about all the millions of love declarations but also sufferings she has witnessed over all those years. Saturday it was the day of la Festa delle Liberazione. Italy celebrated 75 years of liberation from a long period under fascist dictatorship and the occupation by German Nazis. “Bella Ciao” was the battle song of the Italian partisans – that recently became known to the general public again thanks to the immensely popular Netflix series La casa de Papel – and describes a flower that blossoms beautifully in the mountains, in the midst of all the fighting. Yesterday, on Sunday, it was the birthday of one of my best friends. We surprised her by drawing a birthday message in huge letters on the sidewalk under her window to then lie next to it ourselves, becoming part of our artwork. I phoned her and told her that we had ‘a problem going on outside’ and that she had to look out of her living room window immediately. Oh, bella ciao! SURPRISE! The balloons in our hand were coloured on the pavement, the white tulips we were holding were real however.
Because there we were – without the usual birthday kisses and keeping distance but still – enjoying our biscuits with strawberries, surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers in the full sun that has been shining tirelessly for six weeks already now, making the ‘quarantine tan’ a fact
Prosecco followed, just like a meaningful conversation about gratitude. About what’s really important in life. We jointly came to the conclusion that this quarantine period also shifts our attention to the countless beautiful things. Yes, my friend who celebrated her birthday should have been on a flight to Bonaire this weekend to admire her newborn niece (she became an aunt for the first time), and I really don’t have the faintest idea yet when I will be able to return to Rome. But at the same time there is so much beauty. Because there we were – without the usual birthday kisses and keeping distance but still – enjoying our biscuits with strawberries, surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers in the full sun that has been shining tirelessly for six weeks already now, making the ‘quarantine tan’ a fact. And although it’s an incredible cliché, the ancient Romans hit the nail on the head with their message “Carpe Diem”. To pick the day like you would pick a flower. Literally, I thought, when I heard a song on the radio in the evening: “Because the most beautiful flowers grow right at the edge of the ravine”. That beautiful sentence kept resonating with me because it is so true: in every situation, no matter how threatening it may seem, there is something beautiful to be found. And it is not entirely coincidental that this is often a beautiful flower.
Low-key I was just as curious about Maxima’s outfit – with her Argentinean glamour she never disappoints – as I was about the King’s speech
And the festivities are not over yet, as it is the birthday of our King of the Netherlands today, who turned 53. Our worldwide famous King’s Day – many Italians spontaneously start telling me about that one time they celebrated it in Holland when I tell them I’m Dutch – has for once (fingers crossed it’s really just for once) been turned into a house party. Our national anthem has been sung from thousands of balconies and gardens this morning, people – of course respecting the obligatory 1,5 meter distance between them – were queuing in front of the bakery stores to get oranjetompoezen, a type of pastry we traditionally eat for King’s Day, and we sold our second-hand things online instead of on the traditional flea markets. In the speech he held from his house this morning, King Willem-Alexander expressed the wish that this would be the only King’s Day we would have to celebrate at home. He too had been looking forward to the beautiful images of thousands of people dressed in orange on the canals of Amsterdam, children playing games and making music on crowded flea markets and all streets being decorated with our Dutch flags. At the same time, he called for it to be an unforgettable day in spite of everything. Low-key I was just as curious about Maxima’s outfit – with her Argentinean glamour she never disappoints – as I was about the King’s speech. What immediately struck me was her choice for a very breezy and cheerful look. Queen Maxima wore a beautiful jumpsuit all covered with red and pink flowers and what caught my attention immediately: bright red patent leather killer-heels. Oh bella ciao!
But the Romans always managed to get over these disasters and to rebuild their beautiful city. And as always, the flowers started to bloom again. Oh bella ciao!
About 1200 kilometers to the south, far from the King’s Day house parties, little green leaves squeak up between the cobblestones of the centuries-old piazza Navona in Rome. Little flowers have already appeared on this so-called unwelcome green. Due to the absence of the thousands and thousands of people who would normally walk over every piece of green before it has even seen the light of day, it gets the chance to grow enthusiastically now. In those 2773 years that she exists, Rome endured dozens of enormous floods, earthquakes, plagues and fires and more than once, entire parts of the city were destroyed. But the Romans always managed to get over these disasters and to rebuild their beautiful city. And as always, the flowers started to bloom again. Oh bella ciao! And my family? They were allowed to return home Thursday afternoon after a day and a half of complete uncertainty. Sweet as she is, my aunt dropped of a thank you gift on the weekend. Guess what it was…