17 May 2026 · Haarlem
Haarlem, just after rain
The shower ended without ceremony. For twenty minutes the brick streets became darker, the sky brighter, and every window seemed to hold a second version of the city.
I walked east with no route in mind. Water gathered beside the kerbs while bicycles began to reappear, one by one. A delivery rider adjusted a paper cover over a crate of bread; two people moved their café chairs back onto the pavement.
Near the canal, the wind shook the last drops from the trees. Nothing remarkable happened, which was precisely why the walk stayed with me.