Except for a period when I was still young and innocent, I have lived in Den Helder my entire life. Born at the nurses' care in the Lidwina Hospital. Under the watchful eye of GP Piet Schoorl. Breech presentation. I was already a contrarian back then.

There was no question of being in love with Den Helder.

We moved to the Gooi because of my father's work. I still enjoy going there. Somehow, I thrive among the Gooi snobbery. In 1970, we returned to Den Helder. De Schooten was under construction, with building sites full of hills and scaffolding. As boys, we used to play war games from the trenches. Except our weapons were made of wood, and someone was dead if you shouted that they were dead.

There was no question of being in love with Den Helder.

I discovered a bit more about love at the Johannes College, now known as Lyceum aan Zee. Every day we cycled over the railway viaduct to school. Against the wind. In the afternoon, the wind had shifted. Against the wind. At school, I mostly had secret crushes. And they remained secret. I never dared to tell the nice girls how much I liked them.

There was no question of being in love with Den Helder.

After that, I wanted to do all sorts of things. Become a helicopter pilot. Sail the oceans. Get rich as a banker. I became a journalist. First in Schagen, then on Texel, and later in Den Helder. I dealt with politics, the navy, and a phenomenon that was new to me: the dissatisfied resident. After all, they always go to the newspaper. The satisfied Nieuwedieper stays at home. I noticed something remarkable myself during my time on Texel. Whenever I returned on the ferry and saw the outlines of Den Helder in the distance, my heart skipped a beat.

There was no question of being in love with Den Helder yet. Or was there?

Afterwards, I traveled halfway around the world for work. Iceland, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Curaçao, Aruba, the United States, the Azores. I saw beautiful islands, devastation from civil wars, impressive nature. Met interesting people. But I always came back to Den Helder. When I was driving near De Stolpen, I already saw the light of De Lange Jaap. Four flashes of light, ten seconds of rest, four flashes of light.

The Lange Jaap, the dunes, the sea, the city, the harbor, historic sites, the terraces. Yes, even that disgruntled local. They have felt familiar for decades. It is like coming home to a warm nest.

Then you really must be in love with Den Helder.

RONALD DEN BOER