The Dutch go on summer holiday in the months of July and August. Favourite destinations include France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and anywhere within reach of the trusted caravan. Over the same period a great number of tourists descend on the Netherlands, especially the coastal regions. As temperatures touched 30 degrees, we decided to join the throngs and headed for the beach.
The beach at Zandvoort
Since we drove through the area when we went tulip hunting in April we knew roughly what to expect. I already dreamt of long white beaches. Now persistent rumours of beach clubs and summer cocktails on the sand were enticing enough to warrant a full scale investigation. So we headed for Zandvoort aan Zee, a town famous for its beaches.
Zandvoort aan Zee (official Dutch site www.vvvzandvoort.nl) is easily accessible by train or bus from Haarlem or Amsterdam. We threw caution to the wind and decided to drive, which promptly turned an hour long trip into a two-hour crawl we hit the files (or traffic jams) coming into the town. It was tourist heaven and we were right in the middle of it.
All sticky car frustrations were soon forgotten when we felt the sand between our toes. The three kilometre beach was dotted with beach clubs, wooden decks and pavilions. Thousands of brightly coloured sun- and wind shades speckled the sand. Each beach club sells a wide variety of drinks and food and some of them rent out beach chairs and wind shields. Alcohol is permitted on the beach as long as it is consumed in plastic containers, which the bars at the beach clubs provide. Entry to the beach itself is free. As we searched for our spot in the sun – the big surprise. Topless tanning.
Somehow I completely missed this point in my reading and research. Maybe going topless is so natural over here that it doesn’t even warrant a mention. But it’s not something I’ve ever experienced. My first reaction was shock, followed by a wave of blushing and after that, blatant interest. By the end of the day I found it inspiring that some women have enough confidence to bare it all. Not that all the women go topless – not by a long shot. But enough women do to make the whole experience seem completely normal by the end of the day.
I realised once again how living in a new country stretches me. My thoughts and ideas are constantly being challenged by new environments and different approaches. Today I might change my mind about a long-held belief, or tomorrow I might decide to stick to an old conviction. Living in Holland forces me to decide how I really feel about things. Here people don’t skirt around the issue. They say it straight. They show it like it is. And although I have found this habit rude and even insulting at times, I am learning to appreciate the direct approach. One day I might even take off my bikini top. Not likely…but maybe.
Tags: expat life, Zandvoort
I’ve been here a few years already and at first I thought they were rude too. And very direct indeed! But they also seemed a bit more clued in on things than I was with my UK upbringing (=more general educaton).
Now I tend to come over rude but honest when back in UK
But it’s cool you picked this up after only a few months – I’ve never been in a country where there are so many formalised ways of saying ‘hello’, ‘have a nice day at the office’, ‘enjoy your meal’ etc etc ect….