REFLECTIONS
FROM MERSEYSIDE
I doubt
I've ever praised an airport before but I was in a good mood, after
an easy, quick and cheap bus ride from the centre of Haarlem to
Schipol, and it occurred to me this airport must be a model
for the rest of the world. Everything that can be automated – e. g.
the passport check – is automated and even the balls-aching
security check was quick, efficient and almost friendly. The icing on
the top . . . When I went back to the bar to get the scarf I'd left
there, they gave it me with a friendly comment. As I've said, I like
the Dutch.
Of course,
flying to Liverpool on EasyJet, I had to walk about 2 miles to the
gate. But even this seemed pleasant, given that – unlike, say,
Madrid - you don't have to go up and down and round and round. And
everything is clearly signed, in English. But, as I say, the walk was
so long that, when I passed the pilot, I asked him if we were there
yet.
Dutch
pronunciation 1: Quite a few languages have the kh ('kaytch')
sound – Persian, Arabic, Spanish and Scottish (loch) being
the ones that spring to my mind. But I wonder how many have the Dutch
combination of S and Kh that makes them sound as if
they're frequently hawking. It's a common feature of Dutch
conversation. In fact, the sign for the airport suggested the bus was
only going to places beginning with Sch, with Schipol being the last,
of course. Needless to say, Dutch - as well as the Sch sound - does also have the Kh/Ch
sound, sometimes in the form of G. So, I asked, are there words which combine both sounds? And you
already know the answer. Try Schavenhagen, for example. Doubtless my
old and new Dutch friends can some up with several more.
Dutch
pronunciation 2: I understand there've been several attempts to
reform spelling over the centuries. One suggestion I have – from an
English perspective, of course – is that AA should be the long A sound and not the short A sound. And that A should be short, not long. Similarly with
the double O. But I leave it to the excellent folk of the Netherlands (not
just Holland!) to take this further.
If there's
anyone in the Netherlands who doesn't speak excellent – even
idiomatic – English, I didn't bump into them. And the younger ones
seem to be able to avoid the famous Dutch accent. English, in fact,
appears to be an unofficial co-official language and people even move
backwards and forwards between the two, as some folk in Galicia do
with Spanish and Galego. All very impressive. It must be the easiest
country in the world for English speakers to visit. As well as one of
the most pleasant and well-organised.
Amsterdam
is so culturally diverse, it's like a smaller, cleaner, more
efficient London. Where the residents speak better English. One day was far from enough to see all it offers and I will go back for at
least a week.
Dutch
weather: Worse, I suspect, than the dreadful British winter weather.
Despite this, most people insist on travelling around on bikes, some
without gloves or any head protection whatsoever. This does wonders
for their complexion, of course. So, a great country to live in if you can't stand heat and the sun. Especially if you own a boat and a bike.
Finally .
. . I can't find it but I hear, there's an ad for an app
which helps you learn Latin. It says this app will be useful to you
if you're learning the language at school. Or should you want to take a trip to Latin. Perhaps reader Perry could chase it down and share
it with us.
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