There are colourful catamarans on the sand at Scheveningen where we park our bikes. These must be part of the Delta Lloyd Regatta, a big event. We learn that Delta Lloyd had also organised the harbour concert last night.
The pop up beach pavilions beckon us. We are at the south end of Scheveningen, the lighthouse end, almost directly opposite Sean’s alternate office (the beach building). There are a few beach pavilions on the south end, but at the north end, the pavilions line the North Sea for a kilometre. The beach pavilion is an important part of the beach culture here. They pop up just for summer on timber decking and disappear in the winter. Considerable expense and thought goes into their fitout. Each pavilion has a theme and is decorated in that style. Creating atmosphere with tasteful fixtures, comfy furniture and the right mood music is something the Dutch do with great panache.
We must be part of this uber coolness and order coffee at one of the pavilions. We sit in black directors chairs on the sun-drenched deck; the black loom lounges with the cream canvas cushions are taken by the guys in white trousers, bare feet and aviator sunglasses. Everybody looks cool and stylish but without airs. Beautiful slender but unaffected women wear tank tops and flowing pants. Some with kids sit around a freeform sandpit on the deck, watching their blonde nappied toddlers flick sand everywhere. But no one seems to mind. Calvin Klein’s body double is sitting behind Sean and there are other white haired older folk with their contrasting deep tan faces smoking cigarettes. People chill out, drinking coffee, wine or mint tea in glasses. Synthy jazzy lounge music and Sade plays and people speak Dutch and French. It is very relaxed, we stay for a while.
Now the catamarans are little pink, blue and white triangles on the horizon and we step onto the sand. It is not golden or white like sand in Australia but the colour of ‘Sand’ if you were looking at a paint colour chart. It’s fine like silky dirt and has shards of white shell in it like toenail clippings. There is no swell but the surf school is still on – they do a dry run on the sand. Not many people are in the water.
The area of beach is large. I ask Sean how many football fields would fit on the beach on the whole south side of the pier and he estimates 20. People do what people do on the beach. Some women sunbake topless but there are no fake breasts and no brawny gym junkies flexing and posing. Promotional kites are being given away and children fly them or punch volleyballs or paddle ping pong balls. Sean and I discuss how children in Holland seem so incredibly quiet and polite. We cite examples of angels we have observed around The Hague. I have only seen one kid chuck a tanty in the supermarket the whole time we have been here. But right on cue, to dispel the myth a little boy starts kicking a ball right next to Sean’s head, when there are 20 football fields of sand available. Then to drive home the point, two little boys walk past, one burps loudly and the two of them giggle hysterically.
It has reached 23 degrees celcius today, the warmest, sunniest day since we have been here and T-shirt weather without a doubt. Sean starts to burn and we decide to get off the beach and check out the pier end of Scheveningen before we go home. But it’s a long weekend and all of Holland has driven to the north end of Scheveningen for the beach. I see my first traffic jam in this country. We have icecream and then go home.
This sunny day is not the start of summer as far as I’m concerned but a freak event, by Wednesday it will only reach a maximum of 12 degrees according to the forecast. I’m glad we enjoyed the sun while it was out.
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