Egmond aan Zee

O and I were away for the weekend, though we didn't go far: just to a small coast town called Egmond aan Zee, which is roughly west of Alkmaar. It was our anniversary last Friday, and I got the idea from that, that since it was on a Friday, we could have a 3-day weekend and go somewhere. In the end we took Monday off instead and we didn't go away very far, but it was still a relaxing weekend.

We stayed in this massive hotel called Zuiderduin that was in some ways nice, and in others creepily 70s. The room's decor left a lot to be desired, but it was roomy, had a balcony, and the bathroom had both a shower and bathtub. Like separate from each other. There was a restaurant and two bars. There was an indoor pool, whirlpool, and sauna. It was all set up in this massive complex though, and to wander through it just made me feel like I was in a hospital with all these signs pointing you around in various directions. We mostly chose this place based on its proximity to the beach and the dune area (I wanted nature), and the spa/pool facilities. Well, with the weather we had, the beach and dunes were sadly underused (we did manage to go out on the beach Saturday evening and saw a lovely sunset, but it was so bloody windy). We spent a lot of time inside reading or playing card games. Which wasn't bad, necessarily. A kind of old-fashioned vacation.

We definitely used the pool, though, which was so nice. The water was quite warm, so it didn't take any getting used to, and it was fun to paddle around or carry each other all around the pool in the weightlessness. We went in twice on Sunday, the second time after dinner when the pool was clothing optional. It was my first time skinny dipping. I was nervous about deciding to go in nude at first, but in the end we found that nearly everyone there was naked (big surprise, in this country). There was hardly anyone around anyway. Not that I really cared once I stripped.

In the pool area, all of the signs were in Dutch, German and English, and there were some interesting English translations. One said "No bathing suites alowed" which is very 'Allo 'Allo if you say it out loud. Another was telling you that you had to wear sandals in the pool area. Well, that's what the Dutch and German parts of the sign said. The English part said "Mule's obligations." Enh? I don't know what crackpot dictionary they were using there...