Travel & Hotspots
Wat te doen dit weekend
by Theo Bakana
Of course, I don't need to tell you that this is going to be a very special weekend, right? First of all, this is the last weekend of the year. Or well, for half of it. Saturday is the last Saturday of 2016 and then Sunday is immediately the first day of the new year. Huh, now I've done it, sorry. Somewhere I assume that the plans are already fairly set, but if you're still in need of some inspiration, here it comes. For the last time this year ;-).
New Year's Eve
Baking oliebollen, dusting off the shuffleboard, and rolling out my party poppers. That's pretty much how Saturday is ideally going to look for me. Because often I'm busy until the 30th saying that New Year's is overrated and then everything comes down to the 31st. And ending up in a crowded Appie is really no fun. So: be prepared. Kiek already gave you a number of tips. And here are some more ideas if you're still sitting with your hands in your Christmas coupe.
A girlfriend of mine always goes to Paris (yes, you can still take the car now too). If Paris is just a bridge too far, then check out the national fireworks at the Erasmus Bridge (see what I did there) in Rotterdam. If you really want to kick off the new year with a bang (think: confetti, streamers, and costumes), then you need to do some ticket swapping to see if you can still snag a ticket for Elrow in the Scheepsbouwloods. Is that all too much fuss? Then definitely listen to Renske, that's what I'm going to do too. Or maybe... #fomo
For the diehards
Sunday is New Year's Day. First, you need to check if all fingers survived the evening. After that, you can spend this first day just like 95 percent of the Netherlands outdoors with a good walk, a first bootcamp (think good resolutions) or working your way through the last apple beignets. The other 5 percent - the diehards, as I like to call them - think differently. Because the party is only over when they say so. If you feel more at home with this group, there are still plenty of places you can go. You can ring in the new year at Nieuw in De School, have a delicious first breakfast at The Breakfast Club which is on fire, or catch the first Awakenings of the year in the Westergasfabriek********. It's really just about what you're in the mood for. Binge-watching Gilmore Girls is of course also completely legitimate, and yes, I said that out loud.
Happy new year
For the less enthusiastic and dance fanatics for whom it was done with the champagne around 1 or 2 o'clock and who want to face the first day of the new year with a fresh head, there is also plenty to do. How about the New Year's dive for example? You have of course the most famous one in Scheveningen, but did you also know that there are crazy people (ahem, I mean athletes) all over the country who like to let their body temperature drop to -23423? Just as much of a cold-blooded person as I am? I traditionally skip that New Year's dive and then the Dutch Ice Sculpture Festival might be something for you. Also cold, but in a very different way. Or go skating, in Gouda for example.Still all a bit too active and more in the mood to stay home all day? Make sure you have enough treats AND wine AND champagne at home, invite your friends, and be the first to host a New Year's drink. That way you're done with it and nothing is as cozy as sharing the hangover together, because shared sorrow is half sorrow, remember?.
I hope you have enough inspiration to fill the next two days, then I'm going to check if those oliebollen aren't completely burnt. I'll see you next weekend, fresh and fruity. We can immediately check how those
resolutions are going. For now, a good ending and watch out for those screaming kitchen maids, firecrackers, ground seekers, party poppers... Anyway, you know what I mean.
Of course, I don't need to tell you that this is going to be a very special weekend, right? First of all, this is the last weekend of the year. Or well...
