Happy Holland-Days!

I do apologise for the dreadful pun.  I've been spending the Christmas/New Year break in Lelystad, Holland with my boyfriend and thought I'd share some of what I've/we've been up to.  I liked these Christmas decorations at Gatwick airport, there's even a mini Harrods store, without the crowds or getting lost (I think I've been to Harrods at least five times now, and I still get lost in there)!

We did some Christmas shopping at the Lelystad town centre the other day, I thought these window displays were absolutely stunning!!

Perhaps not terribly practical for wear though.

I also got to attend Dennis's work Christmas dinner the Friday night before Christmas, which was quite fun. Met his workmates at this groovy little restaurant in Lelystad.

Those 'curlers' in her hair are lemons.

The menu covers were really cool (although not sure how they related to the food!) and the toilet doors were hilarious!

The food was pretty tasty too! Here are our entrees:

My beef and bean sprout salad was delicious, if a little salty.  I tried Dennis's carpaccio which was also lovely.  For main I stuck with a plain schnitzel and mushroom sauce which was a little underwhelming, but hey, it was free (the coleslaw and chips were yummy)!

But oh, the dessert made up for it! Mine was called "Loving Choco" - a warm chocolate muffin with caramel fudge AND warm chocolate sauce, with whipped cream and vanilla ice-cream!! Mmmm heaven!  

Those little white things (Dennis joked that they were cigarette butts) were the texture of musk lollies but a different flavour. Not sure what they were but they tasted nice! Dennis had an epic ice-cream plate.

If you're ever in Holland and want to visit, the restaurant is called De Rede and the Lelystad webpage can be found here.  It's all in Dutch though!

Spent Christmas Day with Dennis's family, had a yummy brunch and just hung out for the day, nice and relaxed.  Their Christmas tree was so pretty!

We went back again for New Year's Eve and ate oliebollen and apple fritters and played trivial pursuit with the neighbours.  In Holland anybody can buy fireworks and let them off, the two weeks before Christmas I was constantly jumping when kids let random fireworks off in the street (sounded like we were living in a war zone with bombs going off all the time!) which Dennis found very amusing. So at midnight on New Year's we went and stood in the street outside his parent's house and watched fireworks going off in every direction all around us.  It was pretty cool, but also cold and raining so we went back inside.

Another day we had a little outing, went for a ride to the harbour to see a replica of The Batavia.  The Batavia is famous for being shipwrecked off the coast of Western Australia in 1629 and some of the crew then mutinied and butchered many of the other survivors. I actually used to live near the Batavia Coast in Western Australia and I've seen the wreckage of the original ship at the Maritime Museum in Geraldton, so I was very interested in seeing the replica in it's homeland!

There is also a pretty cool shopping outlet just next to the ship so we went and had a look.  I liked how it was ship-themed, with cannons in the walls and a whale sculpture for kids to play on.

There was even a fake ice-skating rink!

There were some interesting sculptures in the area as well.  The wooden one is supposed to resemble the struts of a ship and the white head thing is apparently something to do with the founder of Lelystad.  Not sure what the squatting man is all about though.

Wild at Heart

I've been noticing a trend whenever I'm in clothing stores lately. There seem to be a lot of tops/jumpers/sweaters, t-shirts and pyjamas featuring animals in many stores in London at the moment.  I started taking photos of the ones I saw while wandering around different stores and as my collection grew the more I started thinking about how difficult it would be for me to choose one to buy and wear (if I was going to).  This is because, as an avid reader with a Masters in English literature, I find it very difficult not to constantly think about the symbolism and meaning behind certain images or ideas.  If I wore a jumper with a sheep on it would I be telling everybody I was a blind follower or a fluffy idiot?  Would the owl mean I liked to sleep all day and party all night, or that I was wise?

So the more I thought about it, and noticed (and photographed them) the more interesting it became. I think one would have to think long and hard before purchasing a piece of clothing like this that could tell the world so much about your subconscious choices and what kind of person you are!

Take for example the fox:

I'm sure everyone knows that foxes are generally associated with cunning and cleverness, but did you know the fox can also represent either a trickster or a teacher figure, symbolically providing guidance on how to make your way swiftly around obstacles?  Perhaps I should be wearing them to work.

Badger is interesting.  I wasn't sure what a badger might symbolise, but a little research shows that as badgers are solitary, loners, they can teach us to be self-reliant and comfortable with ourselves.  They are also bold and ferocious if cornered, teaching us to never surrender our beliefs.

The cuddly sheep, makes me think of my friend's nephew and his love of "Shaun!" the sheep, a spin-off from 'Wallace and Grommit'. The obvious association with the sheep symbol is that they are stupid or at best, blindly following the herd (like most teenagers really) but they can also represent innocence and gentleness. The black sheep of course represents someone who doesn't quite fit the norm, and male sheep (rams) generally symbolise virility and power. So don't assume the sheep is as powerless a symbol as you might at first think.

Of course at the other end of the spectrum (no not the wolf, that would be boring and predictable) are the fierce images of the big cats that often crop up on clothing, here a white tiger and a leopard.  Tigers represent strength and courage usually, but can also mean aggression, anger or unpredictability.  The leopard symbolises the archetypal hunter and represents the ability to forget your fears and go after what you want with fierce passion. The leopard can also symbolise physical strength and female sensuality and mystique.  All in all, a pretty powerful image to choose to wear.

This cute little penguin got me thinking.  Does wearing it just make you cute?  Well apparently the penguin symbolises fatherhood, endurance, self-discipline, etiquette and "slipping between worlds" (moving between water and land).  That's a lot for that little guy to be representing! But I think someone who wears that jumper (with any thought beyond it being cute) would be an interesting person.

Hares or rabbits generally represent fertility, which is how they became associated with Easter, and the saying "breeding like rabbits".  Wearing this jumper with it's many hopping bunnies might be saying something about that, but rabbits and hares also represent hope in the renewal of life, as well as gentleness, luck, trust, and friendship.

What about the adorable fluffy panda?! While they are universally seen as cute and fluffy like teddy bears, the panda in Chinese symbolism is actually thought to be as fierce as a tiger (Kung Fu Panda anyone?) if need be, representing the idea that you can't always judge things by how they appear.  With their single-minded pursuit of bamboo they also represent patience and as a beloved symbol the world over (the WWF logo is a panda) they also symbolise gentleness, compassion and rarity.

I don't know about you but I shall be thinking long and hard before I buy any clothes with animal symbols on them, I don't want to present myself to the world in a bad light! Before I go I will also leave you with some cute and funny animals on pyjamas, with no symbolic meanings discussed at all! :)

Note: The photographs I have featured were taken in the shops H & M, Next, and Primark.

To Market

I have visited the markets at Camden Town a few times, and my favourite part is definitely "The Stables Market".  Originally a stables (funnily enough) and horse hospital for horses injured while pulling barges along the canals, now it is an exciting and eclectic mix of stalls and shops. The array of merchandise on sale is staggering, and it's not surprising that it pulls in around 100,000 visitors each weekend!

I have been three times now, and I still don't think I've seen everything! From goth to cyberpunk to rockabilly and vintage, there are clothing styles to suit every taste.  From cheap to expensive it is easy to get lost for hours among the clothing, food stalls, antique and bric-a-brac shops and cafes that are housed in the old tunnels and horse stalls.  I especially love all the statues and information that showcase the history of the place, and are often used as part of the displays.

I have been quite strong and the only thing I've bought from here is food and a new pair of five-pound sunglasses, but if you had the money you could go crazy! So many awesome gift ideas as well as amazing clothing.  One shop that isn't my taste but is incredible just to visit is Cyberdog.  It sells lots of clothing for raves and clubbing, with neon colours and pictures that glow under neon lights, as well as a vast array of sci-fi looking gadgets and gizmos.  The shop itself is incredible, although I only managed to sneak one photo of the inside before being informed that photos are not permitted. It's a shame, just the robot mannequins on the walls warranted dozens of shots. But if you're ever in London, the Camden Markets complex is a must-see, it's no wonder it's the fourth most-popular tourist attraction in London!