“Even though I have gas, I still like to warm my house with wood and cook with wood. You can’t compare the smell and feeling with anything. It gives you an aesthetic feel because when you use gas, you help save trees but when you cut trees and burn wood you feel much closer to the nature.”
She further explained her choice of cutting and using fresh wood surrounding her. “Human senses are not limited to smell. The crackling sounds of the wood burning and the vision of fire burning gives you a sense of relaxation and makes you feel complete – having a fire from the wood is meditation in itself.”
To her, the concept of using gas is boring. “They now have so much discussion over the smoke emitted from burning wood but my father and his forefathers cooked using wood, so I don’t see anything wrong with it”, said Caroline. Times have surely changed, so have views towards environmental responsibility in Holland. The houseboats are not only carrying on the tradition of nature loving beings, but also bare traditions passed on for generations. The contrast of old boats and young ones is visible on the canal because of different exterior and interior decorations. This is one trend that will continue to thrive in the future raising more questions on how eco-friendly and cheap can one live on a canal.
According to Caroline, “When you have adventure in your life and you have a free mind, and you want to connect with nature, houseboat is the perfect place to live for young people. But with the mortgage not being possible anymore, it will be more difficult for young people to live in a house boat.”