Ekaterina Netchitailova

I bet you haven’t even heard about Leeuwarden before.

I didn’t know about it either until four years ago, when by pure chance (or miracle), I came across an ad for a job. I applied and got it, and together with my son and our cat Gina, we moved here from England.

Leeuwarden is a capital of Friesland, that is a province in The Netherlands. My friends tell me that I live in Holland, but technically speaking Holland doesn’t even exist! There is south Holland and North Holland, and Friesland isn’t a part of either. It is in the north, basically in the middle of nowhere. It takes two hours to reach Amsterdam by train (sometimes three!)

I like Friesland for its remoteness. It feels a bit like being an Alice in the Wonderland. Friesland was built on water, and water is indeed everywhere. It’s charming and grounded at the same time. I feel that I am less affected by what is happening in the world by living here. Life is simple here. There isn’t a big choice of shops, and other ‘fancy’ things and therefore, one is less busy. It’s a lot of healthy rest after work. I walk, I look at water, I sit in my garden with a glass of wine in the evening, and I cook delicious homemade food.

Leeuwarden is a small city in Friesland and I like it for many things. It looks a bit like Amsterdam in its old centre, but without crowds of people. It’s rustig (cosy calm) as Dutch people would say. It’s also a bit weird due to Oldehove building that doesn’t stand straight. It illuminates the city at night and there is a saying that if you fall in love with Oldehove you will always live here. I fell in love with Oldehove at first sight and now I wonder, is it really my home? I like it here a lot.

Leeuwarden is also a place where Mata Hari, the famous dancer turned spy lived. It adds a certain charm to the whole place. It’s a bit intriguing and interesting. Leeuwarden has lots of gems like that. There is an old prison turned into a library, a gorgeous porcelain museum, an Irish pub where you can get an English breakfast and a small boat that can take you across the canal right to the main park.

There are also a lot of cats. Cats are literally everywhere! Wherever you look, there are cats! I am very happy about it as I love cats. Our Gina passed away two years ago at the age of sixteen and now we have Loonie, he is ten months old, and he is absolutely gorgeous. He is a happy cat. He made a friend at our neighbours, another kitten who is five months old and they are inseparable, they play together all day long!

But most of all, I like people here. Frisian people are proud and tall, and they are very moral. They say hello on the street, smile at you and help when you need help. I can’t list all the things they did to help me and my son to settle here.

It’s a nice place to live!