Dutch Sjoelen Mania

 

First of all, it's pronounced SHOO-la and, translated into English, is "shuffleboard" for a table instead of the floor (as played in America).

And it really IS a Dutch game!  I first learned about it in 2013 (3 years after moving to the Netherlands from America)....

...while on our 15-day Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam, NL, to Budapest, Hungary.

Our first stop was at Kinderdijk, and because that's more-Dutch-you-cannot-get, they taught us Sjoelen.

Look at how young Astrid and I looked 12 years ago!

As you see, the game is played on a Sjoelbak (sjoelen board) which either comes with its own legs or, without legs, is set upon a table.  Each board has 4 slots at the end, into which the object is to get the most discs--30 in total--in three tries, for the highest score.

These are the 4 slots with their point values, shown by the brass tacks, totaling 10 points.

The goal is to get sets of 1-7 dics in all slots, with the score doubled for whatever you have.

So, 1 disc in all slots = 20 pts.;  2 discs = 40 pts.; 3 discs, as above =  60 pts., etc.

In the photo you see an extra disc in the 1-pt slot, which is counted as 1 pt. = 61 pts. total.

If the extra disc had been in the 4-pt. slot, it would be a total of 64 pts.

For extra credit:  With 30 discs, the high score would be 148 pts. (4 slots with 7 discs=140 pts., with 2 discs left over in the 4-pt slot = 8 pts.).  However, IF you get your 148 pts. in TWO tries, instead of the 3 allowed, you can take one of the discs from the 4-pt. slot and try playing it in the 4-pt slot again for the higher score of 152 pts.  OR if you get 148 pts. in your FIRST try, you get 2 more discs to try for 8 more pts. for the HIGHEST SCORE possible of 156 pts., which can happen in championship games!  

Are you ready to play?!

As you may remember, we spend each New Year's Eve day with dear friends, Jeannette and Femke,

who just happen to have their own sjoelbak.  This was in 2022.

Instead of playing separately we team up:  Jeannette and Astrid against Femke and moi.

This was in 2023.  Jeannette, bottom-right, is the pitbull.

She says she learned from her father.

In 2024 (barely 2 months ago!), I was doing my best....

And then THIS happened (which is where the "mania" part comes in):

A Sjoelen Club was started by one of our residents, Hans, here where we live and, when it became a weekly occurrence on Monday afternoons this year, in our recreation room, I decided to join.  I told them I want to learn better/more Dutch and they promised to help me.  Of course, I also want to play sjoelen, because I'm crazy about the game.

Hans sets up 4 sjoelbaks each week for the approximately 9-12 players thus far.

Standing up or sitting down, even in a wheelchair, anyone can play.

My high score thus far is 121 pts. (set of 6 = 120 pts. with 1-pt. extra),

but I've quickly discovered that was a miracle.  I'm happy if I'm between 90-100!

Sorry about the quality but you get the point (from this past Monday).

We each play 3 games, take a koffie break, and then play 3 more, totaling all our pts.

For my table, coming in second was just fine with me.  :)

Where's Astrid, you ask?  Because of her tinnitus, four boards with dics banging around is not a good idea!  Besides, we both want me to fend on my own to learn more Dutch.

However, Astrid CAN handle one board!  And that's why we decided to buy our own sjoelbak for our apartment, perfectly laid out on the work/play table behind our couch in front of the living-room window.  She, too, is crazy about the game, and we both want to get better for our New Year's Eve challenges with J & F.

And for granddaughter Hailey, age 6, to enjoy with us!

[photo credit:  Astrid]

Our sjoelbak arrived on Tuesday this week, and Hailey came the next day after school.

She already knew and played the game in after-school activities.

[video credit:  Astrid]

[photo credit:  Astrid]

Guess what!  Her high score was 102 pts. (set of 5 = 100 pts. + 2 pts.)!

That "little devil!"

So, there you have it.  Let the games begin!

[BTW, our senior-living community here, of 151 apartments, is still in renovation, which explains why stuff is in boxes in the bookcase.  But that's a story for another day!]

 

Viking's Grand European River Cruise: Kinderdijk

Viking River Cruise, Day 2:  Kinderdijk, NL (Facebook collage)

(click any collage to enlarge) 

Day 2 of the  Grand European Tour was really the first full day of our river cruise.  And once again, as with our starting point in Amsterdam, we were in familiar territory:  our own backyard, 15 miles from home.  In fact, if it's not too much information, it's where Astrid and I want our cremains placed.  That's how soulful it is to us.  

 We docked at Kinderdijk during breakfast time but didn't disembark till 9:30 a.m.

So Astrid and I went on the top sun deck to get the lay of the land.

We love to see how things work!

You can probably tell which of these images were taken from the sun deck...a new view for us both.

On the other side of the river was the Krimpen aan de Lek water tower, from 1909.

(Most of you know I "collect" water towers and weathervanes!)

Time to get off the boat for our first excursion of the tour.

Time to see what our boat looked like from the outside.

Truth be told, we did NOT take the tour, since this place is "old hat" for us.

We decided to wander off on our own for the 2 hours we had free.

It's almost impossible to get all 19 windmills in one shot, by the way.

 It was a cold, grey winter's day on that Sunday, 17 March, 2013!

[Check out real wintertime at Kinderdijk with snow here and here if you want more.]

Once back on board, waiting for lunch, we watched the pros undock us...

 ...and then backed up on the Lek river to turn onto the Noord river to get us to the Merwede river...

(with Rotterdam in the background and passing the Sliedrecht water tower from 1886)

 ...and then passing Noah's Ark in Dordrecht (yes, you heard me)...

...(how about adding a rain texture to make it look like the real deal!  :)...

...to then actually passing by our own city, Gorinchem, while eating lunch!

That's our Grote Kerk, our water tower (now an aparment building) from 1886,

our De Hoop windmill from 1764, turning as we passed by,

and the Loevestein castle on the other side of the river from where we live.

(I took these pictures inside at our lunch-table's window!)

All of that our first morning out!  Then it was time for fun and games after lunch:

Safety Drill and Dutch Sjoelen (Facebook Collage)

First we had a safety drill, participation mandatory.

Notice how you can pick out the crew from the passengers.

Will those blue vests really keep them afloat???

Then we played old-fashioned Dutch sjoelen, a game Astrid grew up on.

On Facebook I mentioned that of the 10+ players, Astrid lost by only one point.

Here you can see her explaining the ins-and-outs to Alex, our Program Director.
(I'm adding images of passengers who became dear friends.)

What a great first day, after Kinderdijk, to relax while sailing to Gologne, Germany, for our next stop the following day.  It was a chance to get acquainted with the ship and the passengers....

...and Peter, our cruise pianist...

...who entertained us all in the ship's wonderful lounge.

But of all the places I grew to love the most, it was the enclosed Aquavit Lounge

at the front of the ship, after passing through the main lounge.

It's where we ended up eating breakfast every day going forward.

Full of light and charm because of the openness and skylights.

So, how's that for a whip-snorting start!

We even danced our tails off that first night, as I recall.