It's a frosty morning - the streets of Scheveninten are slippery because the temperature was below zero during the night. Still, as we walk through the main street of what is known as 'Scheveningen village', we meet a surfer walking briskly, on his way back from the sea. The surf must be really good this morning, because after that first one, we keep meeting man an women, their surfboard under their arms, going to and coming from the beach.
Our destination, Hart Beach, is a meeting spot for these people. There's showers here, and it's very busy this morning with people getting ready for an early morning surfer session, or relaxing after one. It's 9:30, but Hart Beach is busy. The concept is the same as Aloha: there's a clothing store, a surf centre and a restaurant and bar. The vibes are similar as well, but Hart Beach is several times larger and busier which makes the choice quite simple. If you like endless summer vibes and are a surfer or afficionado, you can go to either one; it just depends on whether you want a very relaxed, and very quiet place, or would prefer more of a buzz. If you'd like the latter, Hart Beach is your spot. In the weekends it regularly gets so crowded that there is no place left.
We sit down in a side chamber with a nice view over Hart Beach's sprawling terraces and, beyond that, the beach and the sea. The nice thing about Hart Beach, unlike some of the summer-only beach clubs, is that it is not trying too hard. Everything here has a feel of effortlessly cool: from the rusty drums with pictures of a dog/octopus hybrid in Victorian drawing style over the outside bar, via the storm lamps, to the laidback waiters. I order a Hart Beach Surfer Breakfast (€12,50).
Billy Stormzy is very active. Half asleep when we arrive, he wakes up soon after I've settled down and I pick him up and play a little with him. Being held is too restrictive, however, so I clear everything out of his stroller and put him on the mattress. He is extremely lively and active, waving his arms and legs as if he's engaged in some kind of aerobics session.
The breakfast is excellent value for money: an impressive bowl of granola, fruit and yoghurt, a slice of bread with a mountain of scrambled eggs on it, topped with bacon and chives, a croissant with butter and jam, and a cup of tea. The granola has a nice, spicy flavour to it, the eggs and bacon are tasty and the croissant is fresh. It's just a very good breakfast, that's only a fresh orange juice away from perfect.
Outside, it's a coming and going of surfers while men are taking down the palm trees that stand in huge pots on Hart Beach's terrace, an replacing them with christmas trees. Others are putting pillows on the couches, as if it was the beginning of a hot summer's day. Inside, more and more people are coming in and settling down for hot chocolates and coffees. Billy Stormzy is slightly overwhelmed. I've noticed before that he is quite sensitive for impressions and when there's too much of those, he gets a bit agitated. Also, it seems time for a bottle, since the last one he had was already more than two and a half hours ago. First, I take him to the toilet to clean his nappy, then I make him a bottle of milk and feed him. While I'm doing so, he seems to forget everything around him and starts dozing off, falling asleep well before the bottle is finished. Since he has a tendency to throw up large quantities of milk after he's been fed, I keep him upright for a while after finishing feeding him. While I do so, I also walk to the bar to pay. By now, it's early-Friday-evening-at-the-club-busy in Hart Beach. I do see why: despite it being cold, it's a wonderful sunny day, with a blue sky over the sea, painted with hazy stripes of cloud stretching from one side of the horizon to the other. And the pillows are not laid out for nothing outside: several people are already braving the cold and sitting down at the couches.
Billy Stormzy wakes up when I put on his coverall - a white thing that makes him look like a little icebear - but he is asleep again before we've reached the exit. It's time to go home, write this blog and pick up Rihanna Gaga from school. As we walk along the beach, I see men with carts taking the palm trees away. Winter is coming.
Also on Breakfast at the Beach: Jump back in time to see what it was like when Rihanna Gaga and I visited this place in 2017
We sit down in a side chamber with a nice view over Hart Beach's sprawling terraces and, beyond that, the beach and the sea. The nice thing about Hart Beach, unlike some of the summer-only beach clubs, is that it is not trying too hard. Everything here has a feel of effortlessly cool: from the rusty drums with pictures of a dog/octopus hybrid in Victorian drawing style over the outside bar, via the storm lamps, to the laidback waiters. I order a Hart Beach Surfer Breakfast (€12,50).
Billy Stormzy is very active. Half asleep when we arrive, he wakes up soon after I've settled down and I pick him up and play a little with him. Being held is too restrictive, however, so I clear everything out of his stroller and put him on the mattress. He is extremely lively and active, waving his arms and legs as if he's engaged in some kind of aerobics session.
The breakfast is excellent value for money: an impressive bowl of granola, fruit and yoghurt, a slice of bread with a mountain of scrambled eggs on it, topped with bacon and chives, a croissant with butter and jam, and a cup of tea. The granola has a nice, spicy flavour to it, the eggs and bacon are tasty and the croissant is fresh. It's just a very good breakfast, that's only a fresh orange juice away from perfect.
Outside, it's a coming and going of surfers while men are taking down the palm trees that stand in huge pots on Hart Beach's terrace, an replacing them with christmas trees. Others are putting pillows on the couches, as if it was the beginning of a hot summer's day. Inside, more and more people are coming in and settling down for hot chocolates and coffees. Billy Stormzy is slightly overwhelmed. I've noticed before that he is quite sensitive for impressions and when there's too much of those, he gets a bit agitated. Also, it seems time for a bottle, since the last one he had was already more than two and a half hours ago. First, I take him to the toilet to clean his nappy, then I make him a bottle of milk and feed him. While I'm doing so, he seems to forget everything around him and starts dozing off, falling asleep well before the bottle is finished. Since he has a tendency to throw up large quantities of milk after he's been fed, I keep him upright for a while after finishing feeding him. While I do so, I also walk to the bar to pay. By now, it's early-Friday-evening-at-the-club-busy in Hart Beach. I do see why: despite it being cold, it's a wonderful sunny day, with a blue sky over the sea, painted with hazy stripes of cloud stretching from one side of the horizon to the other. And the pillows are not laid out for nothing outside: several people are already braving the cold and sitting down at the couches.
Billy Stormzy wakes up when I put on his coverall - a white thing that makes him look like a little icebear - but he is asleep again before we've reached the exit. It's time to go home, write this blog and pick up Rihanna Gaga from school. As we walk along the beach, I see men with carts taking the palm trees away. Winter is coming.
Also on Breakfast at the Beach: Jump back in time to see what it was like when Rihanna Gaga and I visited this place in 2017
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