Going to The Netherlands for March break and strolling or cycling through that flowerland country or even better planning to view the sights by train?
It may interest travelling readers that the Dutch NS Railways have organized a Book Week between March 14-24, 2012 and are enticing the interested bookwurm with free trainrides, books and other festivities to celebrate.
If you intend to stay closer to home it’s still nice to read about an old Dutch tradition in surprising children with a “Poesie-Album” as the Dutch call a Poetry Album for children.
Enormously treasured decades ago by young Dutch children eager to have their classmate friends, teachers, family and neighbours write a poem in their poetic album. The poems where always illustrated with “poesie-plaatjes” as the Dutch call the colourful images used for these albums, which can be compared with the beautiful stickers sold in stores in North America. If you were lucky someone would illustrate their friendship rhyme with a beautiful drawing. The only difference, in the past the Dutch images looked more like the Victorian images on nostalgic Valentine cards. The link below shows you a Dutch poetic album. A young lady recites a short poem in the Dutch language:
“Tussen vriendschap en een roosje is een heel groot onderscheid. Roosjes bloeien maar een poosje vriendschap duurt een eeuwigheid.” Translation in the English language: “Between friendship and a rose lies a great difference. Roses bloom for a short while but friendship may last forever.”
Enjoy!
