Confession: having grown up along Florida’s tropical shores, I hardly frequent Dutch beaches… not even during the summer. As a true sun-lover, it's sometimes hard to grasp how I've even managed to survive the cold Dutch climate for eight years and counting. The way I see it, a beach trip without a bikini is blasphemy but given the weather, my scarf, mittens and camera were more appropriate accessories for this particular day trip. A few of us took off on a cold, February afternoon to walk along the shore. My friends lured me with the promise of gezelligheid and a boozy, hot chocolate to warm up, sans sunshine.

We took the train from Amsterdam to Zandvoort aan Zee. From there, we walked about four kilometers along the shore over to the next beach, Bloemendaal…

The beach was full of visitors walking their dogs and wind surfers in wet suits flying high before crashing into the waves. On dry land, the wind was cold enough to bring tears to my eyes and my fingers went numb more as soon as I could warm them. Even now, thinking of how cold that water must have been still makes me shudder!

The moody overcast light, sea foam and misty horizon kept me entertained as I lagged behind our group, snapping photos and trying to adjust my camera settings with thick leather gloves on. Eventually, we arrived to the cafe for a well-deserved round of warm drinks and you can bet that I had my cocoa with an extra shot of bourbon and whipped cream.

With the company of good friends and enough thick layers (and whiskey) to keep me warm, this skeptic survived a winter visit to the beach. However, when I popped back outside to capture the sunset a burst of frozen wind blew and I swear, the tear froze to my face. That’s the moment when our beach visit had me begging for the warmer breezes of home.

Instead, I settled for a bubble bath back at my flat and made a resolution to visit the Dutch coast again some day. That is, if summer ever arrives. It’s been so cold that the canals might freeze over this year!