Greg Shapiro on EditieNL “Come the Netherlands, We’ll Blow You Away”
12 January, 2022
The other day I got a phone call from Dutch RTL News, asking for an interview. “What do you think of this Washington Post article about Uitwaaien?” I checked the link, and there it was: ‘Forget hygge, it’s time for uitwaaien’ – aka ‘walking in the wind.’
Hygge you may remember as the Danish term for ‘enjoying winter coziness.’ And last winter there was an American flirtation with the Norwegian tradition of ‘open-air living’ friluftsliv. Could the Dutch tradition of uitwaaien be the next big thing in the US?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/01/06/netherlands-lifestyle-trend-uitwaaien/
I was happy to tell RTL’s show EditieNL that I am a fan of uitwaaien. In fact, where was I on New Years Day? I was with my family walking the dog in the Dutch dunes, in nature, and yes in the wind. What better way to start the new year than to let to old one be blown away – along with your hangover from the night before. (But don’t expect me to take part in the Nieuwjaarsduik where you celebrate 1 January by jumping into the North Sea… those people are crazy.)
EditieNL asked if I’d be willing to meet them at Zandvoort for an interview – and some real-time uitwaaien. I said “Yes AND – I’m bringing my dog.” I have a 6 year-old Black Labrador, who loves walking on the beach! And conveniently – just as the interview began – she pooped, and I had to pick it up. And so, for the entire time I’m on camera, you can see me walking in the wind with a little red sack of poop. Uitwaaien and hondenpoep opruimen. A true Dutch tradition.