As we walk along the boulevard in Scheveningen, the last remnants of the beach clubs are being hauled away. The beaches are mostly empty, apart from a few people going for a morning stroll. Dogs - prohibited during the summer months - have returned. On the stairs leading tot he beach at the southern end of the boulevard, trainers are giving boot camps and boxing lessons. a group of women in black tights is doing squats, two large men are punching each other while a woman is shouting instructions at them and selects aggressive rap songs on her wireless speakerbox create the perfect soundtrack for their sparring session.
Here, at the southern end of the boulevard, there's a clutter of permanent beach clubs. One of these is the surf shop, clubhouse for surfing lessons and beach club called Aloha, a small, laidback place that shuts out the cold autumn morning by playing a melancholic late summer soundtrack - surf music: lazy guitars, yearning vocals and lots of reverb. Songs that sound like breaking waves at some tropical island where summer is eternal while love is fleeting but intense. The setting is timeless: natural stone, copper lamps, dark furniture and pillows that look as if their colours have faded because of too much sunshine.
We've just brought Rihanna Gaga to school, Billie Stormzy and me, and now it's the two of us. Billie Stormzy is very active, all arm-waving, feet-kicking and broad smiles - amazing smiles that seem to communicate full satisfaction with the here and now. Every once in a while something bothers him, but I only need to pick him up and rock him slightly, and he's happy again. Adding to the atmosphere is a beaming waitress, who seems genuinely happy to welcome whomever is passing by on this dreary Friday morning at the beach. Later, another woman joins us - she also works here, probably in the shop - and approaches Billie Stormzy and me. She kindly asks if it's okay if she has a look - which I think is really polite of her, as most people just assume your baby is there for them to be swayed by - and is captivated by Billie Stormzy's dashing smiles.
I order the Sunrise Breakfast Plate. The waitress tells me it might take a while because the croissant needs to be made ready, but I tell here that's fine. Time seems a rather abstract concept in this place, so even if I would be in a hurry - which, of course, I am not, I am having a breakfast at the beach - I would not be able to really care right now.
As I wait, and Billy Stormzy dozes off a little, I flick through old blogposts. I know I've been here with Rihanna Gaga, but apparently I didn't write a blogpost about that visit, because I can find no earlier entry on Aloha. I do notice how much has changed since the last few posts I wrote in the summer of 2018. Since then, I've changed jobs - I'm an assistent professor again, having gone back to fulltime teaching and research in January 2019. I do so at the university of Groningen, meaning I have to be there quite a lot. For this reason, we bought a trailer at a lake about half an hour cycling from my workplace in Groningen - right next to a beach club-like restaurant that I will certainly pay a visit to and write about for this blog somewhere next spring or summer. All in all, a lot has changed over the years that are spanned by this blog. With past entries from Dubai and Tunisia, it looks like the coming years will be much more grounded here in Scheveningen. But then again: you never know what happens.
The food is brought and the breakfast is very good. The yoghurt with homemade granola and fruit tastes fresh and rich; the croissant with butter and jam is pleasantly crisp; and the slice of bread with ham, cheese and eggs is topped by delicious tiny tomatoes. There's freshly squeezed orange juice, too, and at €11 this is good value for money. I have a tea as well (€2,50) and really enjoy my meal.
Then, it's time to go. In about an hour, it is time for Billy Stormzy's next bottle and I want to do some shopping on the way home. I pay and say goodbye, then leave Aloha's summer vibes for the chilly autumn morning outside.
Here, at the southern end of the boulevard, there's a clutter of permanent beach clubs. One of these is the surf shop, clubhouse for surfing lessons and beach club called Aloha, a small, laidback place that shuts out the cold autumn morning by playing a melancholic late summer soundtrack - surf music: lazy guitars, yearning vocals and lots of reverb. Songs that sound like breaking waves at some tropical island where summer is eternal while love is fleeting but intense. The setting is timeless: natural stone, copper lamps, dark furniture and pillows that look as if their colours have faded because of too much sunshine.
We've just brought Rihanna Gaga to school, Billie Stormzy and me, and now it's the two of us. Billie Stormzy is very active, all arm-waving, feet-kicking and broad smiles - amazing smiles that seem to communicate full satisfaction with the here and now. Every once in a while something bothers him, but I only need to pick him up and rock him slightly, and he's happy again. Adding to the atmosphere is a beaming waitress, who seems genuinely happy to welcome whomever is passing by on this dreary Friday morning at the beach. Later, another woman joins us - she also works here, probably in the shop - and approaches Billie Stormzy and me. She kindly asks if it's okay if she has a look - which I think is really polite of her, as most people just assume your baby is there for them to be swayed by - and is captivated by Billie Stormzy's dashing smiles.
I order the Sunrise Breakfast Plate. The waitress tells me it might take a while because the croissant needs to be made ready, but I tell here that's fine. Time seems a rather abstract concept in this place, so even if I would be in a hurry - which, of course, I am not, I am having a breakfast at the beach - I would not be able to really care right now.
As I wait, and Billy Stormzy dozes off a little, I flick through old blogposts. I know I've been here with Rihanna Gaga, but apparently I didn't write a blogpost about that visit, because I can find no earlier entry on Aloha. I do notice how much has changed since the last few posts I wrote in the summer of 2018. Since then, I've changed jobs - I'm an assistent professor again, having gone back to fulltime teaching and research in January 2019. I do so at the university of Groningen, meaning I have to be there quite a lot. For this reason, we bought a trailer at a lake about half an hour cycling from my workplace in Groningen - right next to a beach club-like restaurant that I will certainly pay a visit to and write about for this blog somewhere next spring or summer. All in all, a lot has changed over the years that are spanned by this blog. With past entries from Dubai and Tunisia, it looks like the coming years will be much more grounded here in Scheveningen. But then again: you never know what happens.
The food is brought and the breakfast is very good. The yoghurt with homemade granola and fruit tastes fresh and rich; the croissant with butter and jam is pleasantly crisp; and the slice of bread with ham, cheese and eggs is topped by delicious tiny tomatoes. There's freshly squeezed orange juice, too, and at €11 this is good value for money. I have a tea as well (€2,50) and really enjoy my meal.
Then, it's time to go. In about an hour, it is time for Billy Stormzy's next bottle and I want to do some shopping on the way home. I pay and say goodbye, then leave Aloha's summer vibes for the chilly autumn morning outside.
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