If the grass is always greener on the other side? Many times it’s temping to think it is. But, it's also annoying, because it feels like that all our familiar things can never be enough – In The Netherlands, we don’t have metropolises like New York or Paris or the flamboyant greatness of the Emirates.
And, since 2020, we got covid19 in our lives. What seemed to be a virus on a distance at first, managed to strike hard in The Netherlands. A year later, we have to deal with all kinds of restrictions. If I’m tired of those? Absolutely! But, I can’t deny either that covid19 also brought something good…
Travel ban
The world stands still. Airlines are in high need because their revenue is lower than ever. Even from The Netherlands, there is little air traffic. For travel-loving Dutchies, there is no other solution than staying here. And, that is exactly the topic of this blog post.
Because ‘we’, let’s put it in general, are mostly acting like we ‘have to go’. As if we have to escape from The Netherlands, even if that’s only for a couple of days or two weeks. We want to have that ‘vacation feeling’, which means we have to travel abroad to get that.
‘It can be so beautiful out here’
But, a travel ban doesn’t have to be that bad! Because you can’t ‘get away’, you have to think in solutions. And, how nice can it be to explore your own country? There is some much more to see here than only the beach and Amsterdam. A few weeks ago, when I travelled by train from Tilburg to Amsterdam, I noticed how quick a scenery can change.
Of course, I have always appreciated The Netherlands. But, the combination of covid19 and a train trip, meaning looking at your own country from another perspective, can make that difference. ‘We’ tend to idealize everything ‘that is different from what’s familiar for us’ or ‘what we do not have’. Because ‘we’ all do that, we almost forget how nice and beautiful our own places can be. h homes from the Zaanstreek.
From Dutch cows in the polders to tree-knocking woodpeckers and deer in the idyllic forests: when I was travelling by train and able to view a large part of The Netherlands, I immediately thought: ‘It can be so beautiful out here…’
Old Dutch breeds
Of course, I have always appreciated The Netherlands. But, the combination of covid19 and a train trip, meaning looking at your own country from another perspective, can make that difference. ‘We’ tend to idealize everything ‘that is different from what’s familiar for us’ or ‘what we do not have’. Because ‘we’ all do that, we almost forget how nice and beautiful our own places are and can be.
From this new perspective, I wanted to create a typical Dutch collection, painted in characteristic Delft Blue. And, not with African animals like the elephant or giraffe, but just Old Dutch breeds, such as the Lakenvelder cow, Zwartbles sheep and Friesian horse. Africa is Africa, The Netherlands is The Netherlands. Every area or country has its own charme – let’s appreciate it that way! And, let's paint it that way!
Because, if even Chinese and Australian tourists catch the plane to Schiphol to enjoy our tulip fields, Amsterdam and the iconic mills on the Kinderdijk, our small country by the North Sea can’t hardly be described as boring…