Well, after forfeiting my Egypt plans, I've finally decided how to spend my holidays. One of the many benefits of AI is that we have two weeks of holidays in December/January.

First, I'll be trying to find some wilderness hostel in a natural area somewhere (anywhere accessible from the Netherlands) where I can go and immerse myself in Nature's wisdom for five or so days. I haven't found a place as yet, so if anyone has any ideas of somewhere that I can go, stay in or very close to a wilderness area, and have some peace and quiet, I'd definitely appreciate any tips??

I'll come back to Rotterdam for Christmas Day, which will likely be quite uneventful as I prepare for the next phase of the break...

From the 26th to the 1st, I'll be attending a 'sesshin' at Zen River training centre (www.zenriver.nl) in the North of the Netherlands. A sesshin is a Zen practice intensive. This particular one apparently involves about eight hours of sitting meditation, a bit of chores, some chanting and studying, a few meals, an exercise time, and a personal interview with the teacher each day. And the whole week will be in silence.

I'm quite looking forward to it, although must say I'm a bit apprehensive, as eight hours of sitting meditation, even if it's split up into smaller bits, is going to be quite intense. I think the lead-up to the sesshin will be a practice in itself, as I attempt to let go of any expectations I have of that week, except the commitment to the practice for the sake of itself.

We'll see...  ¶ 1:13 AM