“Summer in the Netherlands is like Santa Claus. Everyone believes in it, but it just isn’t real…”
The above quote from a frisbee friend basically sums up the mentality about summer here in the Netherlands… And, this July has been the coldest and rainiest in Dutch history in decades. (Lucky me!) Every once in a while, the sun peeks through for an afternoon, or maybe even a day. But usually, it’s quite rainy and cold. However, “summer” still carries on.
This weekend, I went with friends to a street carnival in Rotterdam. This annual Zomercarnival (summer carnival) is supposed to mimic the famous Brazilian Carnival, or other Mardi Gras-type festivals.
Rotterdam is much more heterogeneous than Leiden, and every nationality and ethnicity seemed to be represented in the parade. The brightly colored costumes, dancing and spicy foods, while they provided a lot of fun and cultural variety, seemed completely incongruous with the cold (~58 degrees Fahrenheit), grey and mildly damp weather. But, as I said before, to maintain our sanity, we have to believe in summer, despite what the weather report actually says…
Also, this weekend, I played beach ultimate twice in Scheveningen, (try your luck at pronouncing this one!!). On Friday night, there was a huge turnout of about 20 players, despite the cold and rain. On Sunday, however, we had fewer players (~8), and the sun came out!
(Let's be honest. I probably didn't catch this one...)
We started playing at noon, but I ended up spending the whole afternoon there with frisbee-folk, enjoying the ever-so-rare Dutch warmth. The next two days should be sunny and in the 70′s, so while finishing work at UNAWE, I’ll also be taking time to be outside to enjoy this rare and probably fleeting treat!
Only one week left in the Netherlands!