Every year, at the end of the Patagonian summer – or usually halfway autumn – it’s difficult for me to leave behind this piece of earth. Really, it’s not that I don’t want to go back to Holland, it’s just that I don’t want to leave Patagonia. I delayed flights just to stay a bit longer.
This year, coming home eventually, I was in for a surprise. My friend Aad invited me for coffee at the beach in Scheveningen, our usual location to get together. ‘Let’s go to this new place’, he said, ‘Patagonia Beach’. Whaaat? And so we did.
Even though the owners never visited Patagonia (a dream yet to come true) they managed to match the colours and styling of the beach club with the elements typical for Patagonia. The extended view on the horizon, of sea and sand, to me resembles those unlimited Patagonian steppe views and blue skies.
So I found my Patagonia near my hometown, at only 20 minutes cycling, on the so-called Zwarte Pad (Black Path) in Scheveningen. To make things even better, I temporarily started working there mastering the art of waiting tables! Now I can talk about Patagonia a few days a week even in Holland – without boring people – meanwhile presenting the Classic Burger Ushuaia, a Patagonian steak with chimichurri or other delicacies on the menu.
It won’t surprise you that I feel at home here.