Let me state first that most of the people who visit us on purpose are those who love the quiet tiny village, the Wadden Sea with it's beautiful views and endless horizons, and the empty Friesian landscape.
Though during this Corona time, we also see people who would not even think about visiting this area in normal times. But now they are asked to stay at home or close to home, they all of a sudden feel the irresistible need to push boundaries and flock the otherwise unattractive quiet outdoors.
Preferable with on line ordered Pick-nick baskets filled by on-line ordered food. Unfortunately a very tiny majority forgot to buy poop sachet on line and left their overdose of WC paper at home, thinking that what once was food, now digested and disposed the natural way, can be left in corners of private gardens and or behind gates hidden under a pile of tissues.
I emphasize, it is only a single soul as the majority is well raised.
Now we see more and more people climbing the dikes for fresh air en stunning views, I can not always keep my usual 5 metres distance and need to stick to the government rules of 1.5 metres.
This is an impossible task when people take the stairs and half way stop to look around. In the best possible case they walk to the top and stay there, completely unaware of their kinsmen following them or those who want to go down. And to no surprise this is causing a blockade both ways.
The dikes are wide and still walkable for those who are fit and moveable. But if one is of a certain old age and less supple, going down a dike is quite a challenge (not talking about myself here :-)).
It often astonishes me that someone can stand in the middle of a passage way, surrounded by other people without even noticing them. Without catching signals of other human beings. Acting like they are all on their own in a large empty world.
Not only something you see with tourists but also with people in shops. Leaving their shopping trolleys in the middle of a gang way, walking back and forth gathering the stuff they need.
Or even worse, meeting someone they know and starting a conversation no one seem to be able to interrupt to pass by.
And if they are finally aware of others (caused by a loud 'Ahum' or a firm push where a gentle touch was of no help) they glare with a spread all over the face look of "Excuse me! I was here first!!"
Being an introvert does not help to wade through a crowd, one reason why I find shopping an almost impossible task. I enter the shop as Mr. Jekyll and leave it as Mr. Hyde. Bless my little country shop which still has quiet moments.
And watching the 'blocking behaviour' makes me scratch the back of my head. Because I do not want to annoy myself, I try to observe it with a somewhat cynical sense of humour.
Like yesterday. I could not pass on top of the dike stairs, it was literally blocked by people who felt a great need to lean on the gate that keeps the sheep separated from the humans (although the difference is not always visible), to enjoy the surroundings. Because there were also people who pushed to reach the top of the stairs, the Dutch 1.5 metres Social Distance was laughable.
I watched and indeed laughed. I told myself there was no need to understand this cattle behaviour so did not even give it a try.
I walked round them in a large circle, feeling blessed with so much space that for some odd reason, no one else had noticed.
He stood there like a lost Viking in Cycling gear, legs wide, his massive arms upwards, hands pushed in his waist. He was so fortunate to look over the crowd on floor level and that is what he did. He looked and looked.
Instead of asking him politely to unblock the passage, I watched him from a COVID-19 safe distance wondering when he was going to glance down to notice this 167 cm high lady with the two dogs.
It took a while but all of a sudden he returned to the real world, sounds reached his ears again, his brains caught human signals, his nose maybe the scent of living people.
I smiled, he almost jumped in the air at his impossible napped cycling shoes, said: "Oooh, I am so sorry!" and stepped aside, forgetting that his large body still remained within the 1.5 metres. Then a big smile as if the coin finally landed. And off he went, following the crowd at the stairs.
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| Photo: Ike Roelfsema |
Who are all welcome in our village but who we most likely never see again in 'normal' times, shifted by dislikes for empty horizons, dull blue skies, white clouds which could predict rain, the ever blowing wind and the boring green dikes.
And I am not gong to convince them otherwise!!
Love, Helen xxx
