Het Geuzenbos

Amsterdam,

"I go out for a ride, need some fresh air", I tell Kyung when I see her im my street waiting in the ATM queue.
I actually really do after last night`s little party downtown, I didn`t get home untill well after seven in the morning half drunk on Red Wine and dead tired.

It takes just ten min. of cycling direction Ruigoord and I`m in the middle of nowhere, a small cycle lane with wild vegetation on both sides, coots and ducks in the canal, wind in my face and a huge bird of prey gliding on enormous wings overhead.
I`m snottering like hell, the occasional sneeze with big drops of snot flying out of my nose - good thing I wear a raincoat. This is a serious cold I`m having, a little gift from Hannes, my upstairs neighbors` little baby boy, from last week when I was up there playing with him.
I might not be much of a father to my own kids but I really adore their little son, most likely because he is not my own, no respopnsiblity there.
These thought are racing through my head when I reach the turn-off to Ruigoort. I notice a sign and an animal grille - a sort of contraption that spans the road and stops cattle from crossing from one field into the next.
The sign tells me this is the Geuzenbos, a forest completely given over to nature with stray horses and scottish herefort cows.
This could actually be fun, I lock my bike, cross the grille and enter a complete wilderness, muddy trails go up and down small hills covered with low bushes and trees.
The presence of huge lifeforms are evident by big heaps of cow and horse manure, the sort of animal shit I`ve been involved with at the animal farm for children where I do my volunteer job.
I`m real careful here, don`t fancy the idea of running into a stray horse or wild and mad bull trying to protect his little family on his own turf, his very own territory.
I`m extremely excited at the same time...then through the branches of trees and bushes I see a massive red haired bull, his horns are set apart with a huge distance between them looking real ominous, his nose is running with snot just like my own.
Hisa is sniffing the air suspiciously for my presence, his eye sight is probably not very good.
I remember the warning on the sign at the entrance...keep at least 25 m. between yourself and the animals...but I know an even better precausion...make a hasty retreat, yeah, sounds pretty good to me.
Cycling back to Amsterdam I feel real good despite my snotty nose. Such a nice place and even within cycle distance of my house in busy and crowdy Amsterdam. I`ll surely return.