A Walk, a Sunset, and Nijmegen Again
Original Medium post: A Walk, a Sunset, and Nijmegen Again.
You fall in love with cities, I’ve heard of that. But I never knew it could happen twice, in such different ways. When I first came to the Netherlands, it was love at first sight. Nijmegen, the oldest city in the country, instantly caught my attention. I lived in this area called Vossenveld (en: Foxfield) for two years as a student, and believe me, it was beautiful. Yes, it was on the outskirts, but damn it was so green and peaceful. There was a river right behind my place, where the sunsets would paint the sky every evening. My room faced east, so mornings brought me the most magical sunrises. And then of course, the “grocery shopping sunsets”, the kind you catch on the way back with heavy bags, suddenly making everything worth it.
My first real autumn happened there. My first snowfall too. It all felt surreal. Towards the end of my time at Vossenveld, I made it a ritual to walk down to the riverside every day, just to sit with nature and let it sink in. I would sometimes take the bus to the city centre, always having to plan ahead, always checking the last bus back. But the centre was worth it: the Stevenskerk, the parks, and especially the river Waal. I remember a few sunsets there that made me think: how cool would it be to live here, right in the middle of it all?
Two years passed, and when I was desperately searching for a new place, I somehow landed in my current home, just a ten-minute walk to the Waal. And suddenly, Nijmegen unfolded again. I discovered streets I had never even walked in those two years. I didn’t have to think about buses anymore; I could just walk home. Around me are hiking trails, parks and corners of quiet beauty. And then, just a few days ago, I witnessed my first meteor shower with friends, sitting right by the Waal. We sat in a dark corner, looking up as streaks of light crossed the night sky for hours. It felt unreal, as if the city itself had planned this show just for us.
It is funny how seasons change. Most of the time, you don’t even notice the exact day summer ends and autumn begins. But today I noticed. I was out on my usual after-dinner walk. The weather has been strange (typical Dutch weather), some days it’s 30 degrees, other days it drops to 15, so it doesn’t feel like summer is ending. But then it happened. I heard the crunch under my shoes, looked down, and the path was covered with those orange and yellow leaves. Everywhere. And I just stopped. This is it. That small epiphany: fall is around the corner. And suddenly, the air itself smelled different, almost too romantic. I walked towards the Waal, and there it was, a sunset so overwhelming I could’ve cried. The ships floated past, cutting through the water that shimmered like glass. Everything else was still. People jogged, walked, or just stood frozen, watching the same sky I was. Trains crossed the bridge above as if on cue, and I sat there, staring at the sky until it was dark.
Nijmegen- always gezellig ❤
