We are happy to see new people following our Back to la Tierra project and we thought it a good opportunity to re-introduce ourselves. We are growing roots at La Tierra with visible and invisible networks and it feels good! Check out the various links below for more background information.
Hi! We are Paul and Marina. We have come 'Back to La Tierra' in 2018 to our finca in Mijas (Malaga, Spain) to experience and share reconnection with nature which is turning into a homesteading way of life. We offer self catering accommodation (2 person & 4 person apartment) to relax, recharge and get inspired.
Although both originally Dutch, we have lived in Southern Spain on and off, since 1978 and 1989 respectively.
Marina has an international (hospitality) background and is dedicated to creating an environment of natural wellbeing for our guests with warmly decorated rooms and carefully curated materials and details. She shares her vision of personal sovereignty in her writing and (yoga) sessions on site. She guides Solo retreats for women who are ready to make positive small or significant changes in times when, what really matters, can no longer be ignored.
Paul has had a medical profession which he gave up 4 years ago to come back to la Tierra. Designing and developing our food forest has become more than just a hobby. Paul has received the Permaculture Design Certificate by Matt Powers and the Soil Food Web certificate by Elaine Ingham enabling a deeper understanding of the foundations of all life, a journey which is never ending. If these changing times have shown us anything it’s the importance of resilience. There is so much to learn from observing nature and it’s intricate, permanently interwoven systems. Paul is also a painter creating large, colourful, abstract portraits that decorate our accommodation and can be viewed online. Besides, all eco-building work on site has been designed and constructed by Paul with help from Sebastian and our Helpx volunteers.
Our son Sebastian (21) lives on the premises in a bio constructed tiny house and is in co-charge of the design and maintenance of our food forest when he is not producing his own hip hop songs. Our daughter Tessa (22) works in marketing and as an eco-wedding planner in the most beautiful natural locations in Andalucia. We feel grateful to be a close connected family supporting each other in our individual development in finding our own path by walking it.
At our natural retreat, Back to la Tierra, it is our intention to bring the best of all worlds together. To connect people and projects with the intention of growing networks for regenerative living, sharing knowledge and fascination with the limitless wisdom of nature. We are grateful for the last three years of experiencing growth and deeper understanding of what it means to be human and how we want to contribute to a changing world. The new friendships that have grown over the last years with our guests and volunteers have enriched our lives in a way we could never have imagined.
We would love to hear anything you have to say in response to the above, it's so important to us to keep in touch. Thank you for being part of this journey!