Sometimes it’s difficult to believe that I’ve been in Holland for four months. Many of my initial feelings of not fitting in have passed. Although I am still obviously a foreigner in words and ways I’m starting to feel more at home. Maybe it’s the warmer weather. Coming from a warm and temperate climate I think I’m obsessed with the weather! And I suspect I’m not alone. Like many Hollanders it’s a favourite topic of conversation.
Springtime in April has been lovely. Most of the fruit and flower trees are now in full exuberant bloom. In the north-western parts of the country the tulips, narcissus and daffodils are really strutting their stuff. So when news came of their imminent chop, we jumped in a car in search of the fabled Dutch tulip fields.
We were not disappointed. Rather, we were completely awestruck. It’s a sight anyone interested in travelling to Holland has seen a thousand times on travel brochures and online sites. A beautiful, majestic watermill surrounded by rows and rows of colourful tulips. One hundred and thirty five pictures later I was blissfully satisfied and happily flowered out.
To find the tulips we downloaded two flower routes from the GPS online support site. These were both ANWB routes (the ANWB fulfils various tourism, recreational traffic and transport functions in the Netherlands), so more information on the routes was found online at www.anwb.nl, when searching for Duin en bollenstreek.
The first route took us past Leiden, Lisse, Den Helder and prime beach locations such as Katwijk and Noordwijk. I was hugely surprised. Somehow I always assumed the beaches in Holland would be ragged, stoney, black pebbled affairs like the one beach I visited in Britain had been. These beaches were simply spectacular—long, wide, white sand beaches where you could walk and jog and swim to your heart’s content. Not just quite yet. Sticking a toe in the water had me running for dry land. But at least I now knew where to head with my cozzie and suntan lotion once summer arrived.
The second part of our tulip exploration took us meandering towards Keukenhof. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t visit Holland’s most famous flowery site but I couldn’t face the crowds the rows and rows of tour buses implied. So we decided to detour to Delft – the home of Dutch ceramics.
Oh wow! What a place! Delft is a quaint little town with a massive church and city council building nestled around a spectacular square. All around the square beautifully restored shops sell Delftware—the distinctive blue and white pottery the Netherlands is famous for. From tiles to cups to anything in between—with prices ranging from a few euros to a few thousand euros a piece. Once again I had to pinch myself—here I was seeing and touching the things I had only seen in books. Nervously and very respectfully I slipped between shelves loaded with precious and very pricey wares.
In the church square of another pretty little town called Koudekerk in Zeeland, we were lucky enough to stumble onto an old Dutch game called Ringry. It’s a game that looks similar to medieval jostling. Each participant and his or her horse charges down a narrow demarcated strip armed with a lance. As the rider lifts the lance, the objective is to spear a small ring hanging in the middle of the lane. The ring gets smaller as the tournament progresses until the victor is announced. It was great watching the boys and girls compete on equal footing as the huge horses thundered down the church square. Each horse’s mane and tail was plaited with colourful ribbons and in creative designs which adding to the air of festivity.
April is a time for celebration. First there is Easter and its public holiday filled with family time and brightly coloured eitjes (easter eggs). Then there is Koninginnedag in honour of the Queen’s birthday. The whole country dresses in orange and celebrates with music concerts, open markets and festivities. This year, however, a damper was placed on the occasion when an attack on the Queen and her family left seven people dead. People were in complete shock. In some cities festivities were stopped, while in other cities security was doubled. In general the Dutch seem to have a deep respect and liking for their Queen Beatrix and the event touched them deeply. I truly hope that the Queen’s birthday celebrations next year will reclaim some of the happiness.
On a much lighter note, I have finally bought a bike with saddlebags and am scooting around town with skirt billowing. My bike is the most beautiful thing I have ever owned. I was told that 1.2 million bikes are sold in Netherlands yearly and that 700,000 are stolen. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I am locking down my bike wherever I go just in case. Good luck and well done if someone actually manages to carry it off with all my chains and locks attached.
Riding a bike is the quintessential Dutch experience. The roads are mostly flat, so you don’t need more that 3 gears. And in my village of Bennekom the bicycle roads are nearly wider that the roads used by cars. It’s awesome. At home in South Africa I never actually learned to ride a bicycle. I always thought the roads were just too wild to navigate on a thin piece of rubber. So I am really enjoying this new experience, even though I have no idea how old ladies can pedal so fast. I still haven’t cracked lifting one hand off the handlebars to indicate, but I’m sure with enough practice that will soon follow. On the topic of bikes—April has great bike specials. So many options were available at great prices I had trouble deciding on which bike to buy. So eventually I picked one purely on its colour. Such a girly thing I know, but where else in the world would I get to ride a bright purple bike! Only in Holland! Gotta love it.
Tags: bicycle, Dutch tulip fields, expat life
Brilliant Lizelle!!!!!
I want a bike like that!!