The Netherlands has some exquisite islands up North in the Wadden Sea. For the Dutch, they’re places where we often spend our holiday or escape to when we want to enjoy its tranquility. But for tourists from abroad, I don’t think they’re very well known! They might be a bit comparable to the Hamptons. If you ever have the chance to visit the Netherlands, I highly recommend you visit one of them!
There are 5 inhabited islands and they all constitute an environmentally protected UNESCO World Heritage area. The charming villages are protected by green dunes, which are overlooking the white sandy beaches. The islands have unique flora and fauna, open skies, and offer enough ways to relax.
Christiaan and I visited Texel two weeks ago with a group of our friends. My grandparents used to have a vacation home on that island so as a kid, teen, and young adult, I have spent lots of time there with my family! After they sold it I haven’t been back once, so I was beyond excited to travel back to the island of so many memories!
We were in such luck when it came to the weather, it was probably the best weekend all summer to spend so much time at the beach! When we got off the ferry we stumbled upon this gorgeous field of vibrant flowers. Obviously, we had to stop to take some pictures.
After we had the necessary photoshoot, we decided to do some grocery shopping to survive the rest of the weekend! The island was a bit crowded though in the rural area’s but when we got to the beach everything was all goooood. We spent all day on the beach, lounging, drinking, playing games, swimming, having a great time!
After such a sultry day at the beach we headed to the home we we’re staying in and decided to chill in the garden with some refreshments (chilled rosé for the girls that is).
We started our evening with some home-cooked dishes and a BBQ. Later that night we took a walk through the Slufter, it’s a unique valley of nature that has an open connection to the North Sea. The sky was pitch black and infused with millions of glittering stars. But before we witnessed the illuminated sky, nature surprised us with a dazzling sunset. The horizon colored purple and orange, and the last sun rays hit the gorgeous sunflower fields.
Our muggy night was short but we surely devoted the next day to the beach! For the readers who would love to visit Texel someday, we went to the beach at ‘Paal 12’. The temperatures were tropical, and even though the waves were rough, we found ourselves bouncing in the sea all day. I felt like a little kid again (when I was younger I used to dive into all the waves I had coming at me, I loved it).
We had such another lovely day at the beach! We caught the ferry back home later that evening and looked back on such an enjoyable weekend with our friends. I definitely do not want to wait so long before I go back to Texel again!
How are you spending your summer and have you heard of the Dutch Wadden Islands before?
xoxo, Layla
holiday lifestyle summer travel vacation
