Summer Activities in the Netherlands

Bourtange

The 16 century fortress of Bourtange can be found in the Northern Netherlands in the municipality of Westerwolde, just east of Stadskanaal, close to the German border.

William of Orange ordered the fortified pentagon to be constructed as a result of the ongoing Eighty Years’ War between the Dutch and the Spanish. He wanted to suppress the Spanish who, at that time had managed to acquire Groningen and much of the northern territories.

Most of the buildings in Bourtange were built between 1645 and 1666, but by the 20 century not much remained. Reconstruction in 1972, means that the fortress is reminiscent of Bourtange in 1742, at its biggest.

Apart from the fort at Bourtange there are a variety of things to do and see. There is the village, with its restaurants, a traditional old style hotel,

souvenir shops, museums and some enjoyable walks in the surrounding area. Once a year there is a spectacular re-enactment of the Napoleonic fights of 1814. With cannons booming, hundreds of participants all dressed in the traditional dress of the day and carrying authentic weapons, re-enact the fight as soldiers and civilians.

Bourtange is also open for groups, school groups (for which they have numerous educative programmes available), and it is even possible to get married there.

The fort can be visited the whole year round. For more information the on site information centre is open weekdays from 09.00 – 17.00 and in the weekends (summer season) 11.00 – 17.00. Tel: (0599) 354 600.

Ballooning

Here’s another idea for the summer. Ever wanted to get a bird’s eye view of the Benelux from the clouds, whilst sitting in a straw basket. Well, for the brave at heart, how about taking a flight in a hot air balloon with family or friends?

Greetzz is a company that offers hot air balloon flights with numerous different ‘take off’ locations throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. Or should you wish it you could arrange your own flight destination from start to finish. If you fancy seeing Groningen or any of the Northern Provinces from a different angle, or to venture further afield, Greetzz are happy to accommodate your wishes.

With experienced, certified, professional pilots you can be assured of not only a safe but also an enjoyable flight. Each round trip flight lasts around an hour and includes a Champagne toast whilst ‘on-board’. Photos are always taken during the flight as a memento.

Tickets for a flight are all inclusive and prices start from: 1-6 tickets for € 160,00 per ticket. There are discounts for bigger groups. For a child’s flight  a ticket costs € 99,00.

Should a balloon be a little on the slow side and you are more of a speed freak; Greetzz also offers flights by helicopter. They have a range of different helicopters, the sppeds of which vary from between 150km – 250km per hour, depending on which helicopter you choose. This will guarantee to put a smile on your face!

For more information or to book a flight visit their website: (Dutch).

Landal – Stroombroek

For a short break from the hustle and bustle a few days at one of the Landal GreenParks is perfect especially if you have children. We tried one at Stroombroek in Braamt not far from Arnhem.

The park has self-catering houses of varying sizes, and in some even pets are allowed. The secure nature of the park means that it is a children’s paradise. They can go off and enjoy themselves whilst you can stretch out in the sun with a book. Mascot, Bollo the Bear is on site every day and kids can make the use of go-carts, swim, play mini golf, go bowling or just jump up and down on a large bouncy cushion. Every day there are also different organized activities to choose from.  

At Stroombroek there is a large lake with a small beach and the possibility to water-ski. The staff at the Greek style information centre, Palestra are very friendly and helpful. There is also a little shop where you can buy essential items as well as warm bread rolls early in the morning. Should you not feel like cooking there is a large restaurant with a reasonably priced buffet on site. For adults there is the sauna and beauty salon offering every form of relaxation and pampering you can imagine.

First published in the Connections magazine #20 Summer 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

Cultural differences in Health Care

Throughout my pregnancy with my son, I made regular visits to the mid-wife for control and it was during the last visit, when I was ten days overdue, that my blood pressure was found to be high. I was assured that there was nothing to be worried about and sent home. But worry one does and I decided to phone my doctor about it, just to put my mind at rest. Again the same reaction, I was not to worry and just sit it out.

But what if there was something wrong how would I know? High blood pressure is after all is a sign that something could be wrong. I phoned my family in England for advice, as by this time a little scared. My family felt that it was ridiculous that I wasn’t being checked out, just in case and that I should do something about it. At this stage in pregnancy when one resembles a large ball and is full of mind and body bending hormones it's hard to be forceful and decisive. Demand attention, I just felt like having a good cry instead. So, I phoned my (Dutch) partner, and filled him in on what had happened, who more or less told me I should have demanded to be seen and immediately took action. He phoned the doctor’s surgery and was referred to the hospital.

Not so long after, with an appointment in the hospital (UMCG), I found myself being told that I would have to remain in the hospital and would be induced the next morning. Somewhat shocked by the idea of it all and the sudden turn of events, I said I wanted to go home and pack a bag. Well, that was what one did when going into hospital for an overnight stay, didn’t one? That, I was told, was out of the question! My partner said he would go home, pack an overnight bag and come back later.

After a sleepless night, due to the other heavily pregnant woman in my room being a snorer, the likes of which I hadn’t heard before nor since, I was led to a room where they would induce childbirth. 

With no previous experience on which to base this experience and receiving no advice, I decided to proceed without any aids for pain. Bad move! With induction, there isn’t much of a gradual build-up of pain, one goes from 0-60 in no time and by the end of two hours I was demanding anything they would give me! 

We started with a morphine substitute, which made me extremely happy to be on this planet, but did absolutely nothing for the pain. Next there came an epidural which numbed my right leg and nothing else. After several hours with 5 cm dilation they discovered that my hips wouldn’t play the game and I couldn’t give birth in the conventional manner. It was at this point my body started a fever and I was told that an immediate C-section was the only option. I told them that I didn’t care what they did as long as they got it out of me!

At 11 pm that evening my son, Sam was born but due to all the drugs and aesthetics I had received, they had problems in rousing him, so the first two days of his life were spent in the children’s’ ward. As a result, I wasn't able to see my new-born boy at all and when I finally did, he was only used to being bottle-fed, so breast feeding became irrelevant.

Now, I don’t want to sow total doom and gloom with this story, but I would like to stress that if you are worried with any health issue, don’t be palmed you off with the ‘so on a scale of 1-10 how much does it hurt scenario’. This invariably results in them giving you the impression that you are just being a nuisance and whatever ailment you have will eventually go away. If necessary, overplay the pain/fever, don’t wait until you are dropping body parts all over the place and demand to be seen. One doesn’t have to play the Prima Donna, but after all we do pay for health insurance. 

First published in the Connections magazine #20 Summer 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

What's Hot, What's Not! - BMI – Travel the Bungling Mindless Idiots way!

Having notched up a fair few air miles over the years, to a multitude of destinations around the world, I generally assume that when I touch down again so will my luggage.

Oh, how wrong can one be? This Christmas, what should have been a short jaunt from Schipol airport Amsterdam to London Heathrow turned into a guess where your luggage is marathon and an insight into what lying toads BMI are when they claim: ‘yes, madam your bag will be with you within 24 hours.’

Two of us were left standing helplessly at the carousel at Heathrow without our luggage. The helpdesk assured us that our luggage would re-appear and be delivered to wherever we were in the UK. At this point, I wasn’t that worried and was mildly amused by the jokes from the BMI personnel, who said that two missing bags was nothing per flight and that one had to experience everything in life at least once!

So, I continued my onward journey to Oxford and in the interim time bought some new makeup and borrowed underwear. But three days later, on Christmas Eve, when my luggage still hadn’t turned up I was getting worried and disappointed as I hadn’t planned on wearing the same outfit for three days.

After many frustrating phone calls, to what turned out to be a call centre in India, of all places, visits to the BMI website to track my luggage (totally useless, as it never seemed to get updated), and the attempt to find a real person to talk to at BMI in England, instead of a computerized voice, my luggage finally turned up.

The case was delivered by a man in an unmarked, white van: ‘Which one is yours?’ he said, as I peered into the back of the van, choc-a-block with lost cases. Ignoring the bumper deluxe Chanel suitcase, relieved, I dove for my own black suitcase, which incidentally was also full of my Christmas presents.

Cartoon: Matt, Daily Telegraph, GB

The story doesn't end there. A friend of mine, Kim, was less fortunate. Going through the same bungling procedure, her bag didn't turn up at all, even after 10 days. Yes, on Christmas Day she had no Christmas presents to give out BMI! Finally, being pretty annoyed she phoned BMI and offered to come and pick it up herself. At Heathrow she was ushered into what turned out to be an enormous hall filled wall to wall with thousands of suitcases. Here she found her luggage but what about the fate of the other bags? In a blonde moment BMI had removed all the labels with the baggage numbers, so now their job of re-uniting the lost bags with their owners was made even more hopeless.

In these high tech days it doesn't really promote ‘peace and goodwill to all men’, when one is unable to get an honest answer as to where ones luggage went from a computerized telephone voice. Also, wearing the same clothes for longer then two days and going out to buy interim underwear is a bore, when you know your case is full of all those lovely clothes specially packed for the festive season. So BMI, at the very least you owe me, Kim and all the other owners of the mislaid bags an apology and if you were feeling really generous…the next flight should be on you! 

First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

All Hail the Teabag!

Illustration: John Tenniel 

After the melodrama of the alarm clock first thing in the morning, I am someone who prefers the more gentle approach of a cup of tea instead of the instant ‘bang on the head,’ provided by a cup of coffee. Reaching for the kettle and the teabags is a daily ritual and makes juggling a tin of cat food (for the screeching cat), and the contents of the fridge for the wherewithal for my son’s packed lunch, a little more bearable with half opened eyes.

It seems that teabags have been around since 1904, when Thomas Sullivan a tea and coffee merchant from New York, decided to send his customers samples of tea in hand-sewn silk muslin bags. This was instead of sending the somewhat bulky and expensive to send tins, that were normally used by merchants of the time. It is said that his customers being totally confused by the new packaging threw the tea in hot water, bag and all. This revolutionized making a cuppa and as a result the ‘teabag’ was born. Being an instant hit this meant that after this Thomas Sullivan’s customers wouldn’t settle for anything else, so he continued to ship tea in his new creation the ‘teabag’.

What could be better? A gloriously quick solution, coupled with a simple design filled with your favourite brand or flavour on the end of a piece of string! Also, adieu to the sewage found at the bottom of a teapot.

But sad to say generic paper teabags, whether they are oblong, round or square do not contain the best grade of tea possible. Due to the limitations of size, teabags have for years contained only the inferior dust remnants found at the bottom of the tea barrels. So, the brown beverage in your cup although drinkable, is not the best quality that can be brewed from a tea leaf. The customer is definitely not getting the ‘full flavour’, as promised by some bright spark in the marketing department of many a brand.

Enter the pyramid teabag…yes, the Egyptians were onto a good design. Because of its shape, whole leaf and more exotic mixes of tea can be used. Made of woven synthetic muslin the process of infusion is improved resulting in tea with a superior flavour all the while still fitting perfectly in a cup, and still not creating any problems when it comes to packaging. These teabags have been around since the 1980’s originating in Japan and its more modern cousins are even available in a biodegradable jacket. Esoterically these charming teabags are a pleasure to the eye with the leaves and blooms on show, and may finally be able to unite the divide between the teabag in a cup drinker and those who prefer loose tea in a teapot. Both can enjoy a decent cup of tea.

Sources: 

Tea Muse

Tea & Coffee

First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

The Colourful World of Leona Leppers - Artist Interview

Hurtling through the Dutch countryside on a particularly grey Monday morning and travelling in a north-easterly direction away from Groningen, Kim and I headed for the little village of Ee (pronounced ae) to interview our next artist, Leona Leppers.

Both not having an awfully good sense of direction, even with the electronic route finder chatting merrily away on the dash board to itself, we wondered if this time we hadn’t gone a little far in pursuit of an article. But perseverance pays off and as we rounded the corner we were pleasantly surprised when we saw the house. A jewel on the landscape, this little house could almost come out of a fairy tale book with its garden filled with colourful objects, candles, mosaic slabs and streamers fluttering in the wind.

Leona opened the door with a welcoming smile, clothed and be-jewelled from head to toe in her amazing Technicolor creations and invited us in for coffee. Inside, the house comprises of two main rooms with an adjoining kitchen and Leona’s work can be seen from floor to ceiling in every nook and cranny. Just when you think you have seen it all, you discover another creation.

Creative from an early age and having previously worked as a drama therapist the dramatic change in her life came when her contract wasn’t renewed and she decided to look for something else. She was asked to take part in a fashion show entitled ‘Regal & Kitsch’ where for the finale she created a queen’s costume using the materials, which have now become her trademark style. Later she continued by making bags on request, which in turn has led to soft jewellery, interior objects and workshops for women interested in learning how to make her colourful designs.

The colours she uses are bright and the materials sumptuous, fluffy and velvety making you want to touch them and pick them up. Her designs are decorated with beads, unusual bits and bobs, shells, felt, in fact anything she can lay her hands on to decorate. All this she finds at markets and in curiosa shops, saying she has a nose for finding what she wants. This makes her work always refreshingly original. Influences in her designs come from music, and from travel books on India and Africa as well as religious icons taken from Christianity and Buddhism.

Leona doesn't live in the house anymore; she lives a stone's throw away over a little bridge in a larger house. There just isn’t enough room for her family any more, comprising of two sons (aged 9 and 12) and her partner. The little house is used as a gallery and studio for her work. She also has the intention of starting up a Bed & Breakfast in it for those wishing to escape the pressures of city life.

The house is also very symbolic of her life and personal growth over the years. Having first found the house when it was more or less condemned, with a mud floor, straw walls and no electricity or running water, Leona has breathed life into it and lovingly restored it to its present state. She has made it hers and filled it with a riot of colour and life, it is a haven where she can be herself without the need to explain herself in any way.

Find out more about Leona’s colourful work on her website at: Leona Design

First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

The Language of Flowers

The language and the giving of flowers (known as florigraphy) can be said to have started as far back as the 1700's by the Persians, as discovered by Charles II of Sweden, who then introduced the practice to Europe. But it was the Victorians (during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901), who developed this into a whole new language and their practices are best known today, because much of it has been well documented in books and journals of the time.

In their very protocol dominated society, the Victorians often replaced words with symbols and gestures, and flowers became an integral part of being able to express one’s thoughts and feelings to loved ones. The species, colours, number and grouping of the flowers were of great importance and as there weren’t as many flower species as there are today, each flower had a specific meaning. A particular favourite was the red rose, symbolizing passion and love, and meaning “Be mine’, whereas primroses stated, “I can’t live without you,” purple hyacinths, “Please forgive me,” and pink carnations, “I’ll never forget you.”

For roses there is a particular coding, but this can also be applied to other flowers as well. Red roses mean romantic love, purple signify that the giver had fallen in love with the recipient at first sight, coral and orange means desire, yellow is joy and friendship, pink roses express gratitude and appreciation, light pink roses show feelings of admiration and sympathy, peach can either signify either sympathy or gratitude and white roses show reverence and humility.

The messaging didn't shop there, how the flowers were worn or presented was also highly charged with meaning. If the flowers were presented upright it was positive, upside down and you were less fortunate. Also, how a ribbon was tied around the flowers was of importance; it referred to the giver if tied to the left and the recipient if tied to the right. A question could be answered depending on which hand the bearer had presented the flowers with. If it was the right hand the answer was "yes" and the left hand "no". Should you have the misfortune to receive a bunch of dead flowers, then not only did you now have nothing for your vase, your love had been totally rejected.

In order to attract positive chi in Feng Shui, flowers and their placement within the home play an important part. Dried flowers should be avoided at all costs as they do not ensure a good energy flow. Sunflowers bring stability and endurance, cyclamen bring passion and romance, the spider plant encouraged calmness, whereas African violets attract fame, or recognition. For calm regions of the house such as bedrooms, pinks are best for harmony, for busy areas, balance-inducing lilies and orchids are suggested.

These days, giving a bunch of flowers is more about the sentiment behind the gift than its actual meaning. We seem to have all but lost (with a couple of exceptions) the Victorians’ language of flowers. So go on, next time you give a bouquet, really say it with flowers.

Sources:
Blooms for Flowers     

Easy Flowers     

Flower Stories

First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs

Jon Boetes – Sculpting for Peace

The seed of inspiration for this project came due to a comment from his daughter, Jody Lee: ‘Will I ever find peace in this life?’ during her long and arduous recuperation after being in a coma for six years, because of a bicycle accident. This was then enforced, when, after John attended a charity concert in which Barbara Streisand, before singing her song ‘Somewhere,’ dedicated it to, ‘memories of all those good men whose lives have senselessly and violently been snuffed out like a candle.’

Before each sculpture can be started John makes a prototype in cement, an army of fifteen Indian workers, skilled carvers in black granite, then copies this. A difficult material to work with, but the inhabitants of Mahabalipuram are expert in working with this notoriously hard stone, unique to the region of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.

Where the peace park will be situated in the world John has not quite decided yet, but seeing as each sculpture can take anywhere from up to a year or more to realize from start to finish and weighs between 1.5 to 2 tons, the project is quite a lengthy one.

A completed bust of Gandhi (which took five months to make) will shortly be shipped to Groningen sometime in the spring of this year, with the idea of taking pride of place on the Gandhiplein, near the Hoornse Meer (Hoornse Lake).

John divides his year between his house in Groningen and his ongoing project in Tamil Nadu in India.

First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

©  Alison Day Designs