By: Gilbert Pilayre
Of Tulips, Windmills, International Courts, and tamed waterways
It was my second time visiting this part of Europe. The first was political in nature as I joined activists all over Europe including Dutch, Austrians, as well as Canadians, and fellow expat-Pinoys in a political action to demand justice for the victims of a sham war against drugs by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. And that includes political figures and activists that simply became statistics in the so-called war. So, the first one was political. And this second one was pleasure. We were on a bus driven by a friend who is a dead ringer of famous Hollywood actor John Malcovic.
The bus started from Vienna’s West Bahnhof at around 7:30 in the evening. It was difficult for me to sleep in a sitting position. It was no issue for my wife. She is a nurse and used to graveyard shifts. Like my dog, Floki, I’m a person of habit. I hit the sack at the same time I did it the night before. We stick to a daily routine with simply a few adjustments if it’s unavoidable. I stopped smoking years ago since I know it would be difficult for me to adjust later.
The sun was up at around nine the following day. On the highway, one can see the differences of the signages. In Germany and Austria to do a detour from the Autobahn, a signage is simply marked “exit”. In the Netherlands, it’s “uit”. Our first stop was Rotterdam. The driver parked the bus where it would be easy for us to return after having our breakfast. It was near the water where a sculpture of a twisted human figure (The Destroyed City) done by Ossip Zadkini. One can feel how humans destroy each as if cursed by the gods.
Then, we continued to the Hague. I did not visit the ocean when I first came here. Now I have done it with my wife along. My homeland is archipelagic. So, the sea is a common sight every day.
I have been to a lot of places already. But when a place impresses me, I always think of bringing along a loved one in time, like how I brought my whole family to the White Island in Siquijor after visiting it a few years while working with a development non-
While at the ocean in the Hague, I thought of visiting the area in front of the International Court of Justice. Unfortunately, time was running out. So, we left the place hoping we could visit it again someday. I know that when I’m back to my routine, this experience will simply evaporate like a dream.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel by early evening. I was already groggy from lack of sleep. But the urge to saunter around for a while is impossible to push away. The hotel was quite a museum. Old collections of engines and related stuff were all around. An old Chevrolet car was parked in front of our entrance. It reminded me of my uncle’s old service vehicle whose fuel is fed via a plastic container through a rubber tube. We call it at that time as “dextrose”.
A pair of huge white flightless birds called Nandoe were caged in front of the entrance. They are native to South America. I wondered how they were able to withstand the European winter.
After breakfast, the group went to Keukenhof where the tulips are. The colors were so beautiful that somehow a straight guy simply can’t deny their beauty. I told my wife” maka-bayot man diri.” (This place makes one feel gay). No problem, though, I consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ community though I’m straight with a wife and three kids. In the ‘vineyard’ of human diversity, I’ve chosen the ‘solitary walk’ of the suburban Father and Husband. I’m 100% an ally, but between the wife and the trio of kids, the only ‘closet’ I’m currently in is the one where I hide the good books from the toddlers and adults with the same intellectual level as the former.
The Netherlands is a leader in alternative energy. Numerous wind and solar farms dot the landscape, reflecting the expertise of Dutch engineers, who are among the best in the world. I envy their serious commitment to protecting the environment, especially as I watch people in my homeland waste the few natural resources we have left.
In the “vineyard” of Dutch floriculture, Keukenhof is the undisputed “Architect” of spring. Known as the “Garden of Europe,” it is a “moving meditation” of color that exists for only eight weeks each year.
Then off we went to Zaanse Schans were the ancient windmills of Netherlands can be found. We were surprised that some of them were still working. Now I’m back to that thought of how Pinoys can be harnessed productively like the Dutch people did to the elements.
It’s simply pathetic to see people wasted away by poverty and thieving politicians.
Leaving the Netherlands this Easter Monday felt like a solitary walk toward a horizon I cannot yet see. My heart was crowded with the ghosts of every oppression that turns the ‘sweet sweetness’ of life into a mockery of the divine. I looked out the window and prayed not just for a journey’s end, but for the liberation of a humanity that has forgotten how to be kind.
Rome intended the Cross to be the ‘residue’ of a failed rebellion—a warning to every ‘nobody’ who loved the poor. But the Resurrection became the divine ‘No’ that broke the ‘dictatorship of the tomb.’ It is the ‘just claim’ that the empire can never truly kill the light.
Ancient Windmills in Zaanse Schans
With Atty. Ricky Tomotorgo of Kabunyog in front of the ICJ taken a year before
My wife, Juliet, among the Tulips