When you get to write this column in December, it makes sense to look back on the past year. As a holiday business owner on Ameland, I found it a turbulent year. Waves of cancellations followed every press conference. And the gaps left by our German neighbours staying away were soon filled again by Dutch guests. Some of these Dutch visitors were setting foot on a Wadden island for the very first time. In the past they would have chosen Mallorca or Ibiza. This year, Ameland was their Ibiza of the Netherlands.
This group of tourists, mostly city dwellers, sometimes needed a little time to get used to Ameland's rural character. One bewildered guest anxiously asked me: “Aren't you afraid the courtyard garden will be crowded with homeless people at night? They're bound to sleep on those soft lounge sofas, because there's no lockable gate around the buildings at all!?!” Takes some getting used to, then. This summer, too, a family from Rotterdam was still sitting relaxed at their holiday accommodation 15 minutes before the last evening ferry left. All the apartments were fully booked and I knew they had checked out that morning to go home. So I quickly called a taxi so they could still catch the boat. 'Oh, never mind, madam, we'll just take the next one!' No, the ferry is not a metro that keeps coming and going. It's high season and the whole island is fully booked, so the only place left to spend the night is that soft lounge sofa (meant for that non-existent homeless person) in the courtyard garden. I also remember the family who went home 2 days early because they had made a discovery… they stood disappointed at reception and asked: “Is there really no McDonald’s on Ameland? Then our kids don't want to stay here a whole week!” I pointed them to the delicious (also deep-fried) kibbeling at our fish shop in Nes, but it was no use. They left for the mainland, despite the beautiful weather. Some guests even had trouble reaching Ameland at all… I could barely keep a straight face, but I also felt a bit sorry for them when I got a call with the following question: “We're not coming today because we're queuing in Harlingen, but there's no ferry to Ameland leaving from here?”
But back to that journey home, which was quite a thing for our 'Ibiza-goers' too. A lady stands pensively next to her rental bike, beside at least 20 bags full of new clothes and other nice purchases from Ameland. “Could you return the rental bike for us and call a taxi to the ferry, because we've bought far too much and don't dare to cycle like this!” Of course, we'll sort it out. What I found harder to sort out was the departed guest who called with the question: “We're back in Holwerd now but we can't see our luggage anywhere, and the bike rental man said it would all be fine...!” No sir, you should have put it on the ferry yourself. “What do you mean? When I fly to my holiday destination they make sure the luggage gets on board too, don't they?!” Well, it took some getting used to for guests and islanders alike. The all-inclusive guests of the Mediterranean resorts had now found us and expected service, service, service from the holiday business owner… “Would you look after our dog and baby tonight so we can go out?” and “Do you have a dog we can borrow for the beach?” I saw a business model here: match it with the babysitting request from the other guests, and you can even borrow a baby along with the dog.
I'm sure some of these guests will return to Ameland, because they have discovered how much natural beauty we have to offer. How lovely was the moment this summer when the girl from Rotterdam said: “Wow! How special, we'd never seen a real butterfly before!” And how she enjoyed the strawberries and raspberries in our courtyard garden, although at first she wasn't quite sure they weren't plastic. “Is that fruit in the garden here really edible?”
Welcome to our world, city folk from the Randstad. I'm joining the Liefde voor Ameland campaign, and let's assume that in 2022 we can all enjoy the peace, space and nature together. Because Ameland is exceptionally beautiful, even without a McDonald’s.
Froukje Mosterman-de Groot
