We are going on a….Summer Holiday.
No more working for a week or two!
Fun and laughter on a summer holiday
No more worries for me or you
(Is it just me or do you really hear Cliff Richard singing it?)
You’ve probably gathered by now that we were sprucing up your Summer months with articles about vacationing. We talked about game destinations that seem like a good holiday destination, about summer drinks to pair with your favourite game and more. What I wanted to talk to you about in this last Summer article isn’t exactly about gaming though. You see, when I go on a holiday gaming doesn’t feature large in my plans. It usually takes a back seat, I tend to spend my time with my family. And as our holidays are usually jam-packed with things to see and do, there’s little time to spend with my favourite game.
Looking for Sunshine Every Morning
I’m from the Netherlands, and we Dutch are notorious for going abroad when Summer is here. In my youth (yes, dear reader, we are going to get into that time way, way back then, when the world was young, lol) that meant we packed up the car and drove to a sunny destination. I guess it’s because we live in such a small country that our people are so keen on going abroad. A country that you can cross in three hours by car, so without much effort you drive into Belgium or Germany. Of course, we could have gone to the seaside, as many of our provinces border the North Sea. But my father in particular really wanted sunshine every morning, which wasn’t a surety if we stayed at home.
Which was why, as soon as the school holiday started, there was always a flurry of activity to pack the caravan. We started out camping in a tent but from 1978 we had a little caravan that we could hook up to the car and drive to the sun. That wasn’t a matter of “just chuck everything in and go”. No, everything had to be secured and evenly distributed.
We were totally self sufficient while away from home, with pots and pans, groceries, towels and linens. You name it, we brought it along. Now, we didn’t want more weight in the back or the front of the caravan. And the pressure the axel of the caravan put on the tow hook of the car had to be closely monitored. I think it’s the only time our scale, which my mother used daily to check how her diet was going, was used outdoors.
Keeping the Kids Busy in the Backseat
My father’s work allowed for three weeks of paid leave, so we made the most of that time going to Spain, Italy or the South of France. For destination Italy we crossed through Germany, with neatly paved wide Autobahns, and excellent gas stations called Raststätte. There we could put up our caravan to stay overnight without any qualms, it was clean, comfortable and safe. For Spain or the South of France, we drove along the famous Autoroute du Soleil that was constructed in the ’60s.
Picture me, 7 years old together in the backseat with my 11-year-old brother. Of course we didn’t have any video games, those simply didn’t exist yet. My parents had to resort to other means to keep us amused and “I spy with my little eye” only stays interesting for so long. Depending on our interests, they made sure we had things to do. To be honest, I don’t remember what my brother brought along, as this was far before the days of portable music on a Walkman. Maybe magazines about race motors, I don’t really know. In my case that meant bringing along a lot of books, and a form of gaming: holiday books. I’m not sure there’s an English word for them, but the magazine-like books had puzzles in them, pages to colour yourself and comics. I liked them nice and thick, so I had tons to do when we were travelling.
Precious Memories
I must say, when writing about this it makes me smile. So many good memories thinking back to our vacations. Memories about the first time we travelled with the new caravan and saw that the door was flapping open on the highway. About our two poodles, Pascha and Sandra, who always went with us and tried to stay cool in a fountain in Venice. About how my mom and dad maintained the regular weekend routine, even when we were abroad: morning coffee at 10.30 am, dinner at 5.30 pm. The extreme thunderstorms that beat down on our little mobile home in Austria. Good times and most revolve around family and being together. So there you have it, my Summer Holidays memories!