Update: Ameland has closed and Dutch Pavilion has relocated – see: A return to Dutch Pavilion in Second Life. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.
Sorcha Tyles is a long-time acquaintance in Second Life; as an artist she is rightfully highly regarded for her Second Life landscape and avatar studies; as a former gallery owner she offered many (including myself) the opportunity to display their work. Now, as a the holder of two parcels within a Homestead region she shares with a close friend (I believe the other two parcels within the region are private), she offers two small and similarly-themed settings where people can visit, relax, take photos, chinwag and enjoy a dance or two if the mood takes them.
Separated by a channel of gently flowing water, Dutch Pavilion and Ameland are two sides of the same coin of creativity, and given that travelling between the two can easily be enjoyed via rowboat, they make for a pleasant joint visit.
Both sit as low-lying sandy islands, Dutch Pavilion the slightly smaller of the two, with the sand meeting the sea to the north to form a shallow-beachy bay held between two rocky headlands, and behind which sits the Pavilion itself, a delightful structure of brick, steel and glass fronted by a terrace with outdoor seating guarded by both flowers and rocks.
Relax, hear the waves and have a cup of coffee at the café, while chatting with friends or just hangout at the beach and recharge! Discover the hidden spots and go fishing while watching the sun set…or start the day with breakfast by the fire.
– Dutch Pavilion About Land description
Grass and scrubby dunes guard the back of the café, while the Landing Point for those arriving by teleport sits over to the island’s east side, close to a former lifeguard station which now serves and an information kiosk. If the café is a little busy, there are various places to sit out on the sand – one of which is alongside the fire pit mentioned in the location’s description (above) where breakfast might be enjoyed, and another in the lee of one of the north side rocky headlands, complete with an upright piano for company. Deck chairs and towels are side out on either side of the beach’s sweep – but do watch out for the local scorpion!
There are some gentle touches to be found around the setting – notably on the dunes behind the café, with lots of touches of detail that bring the setting to life. For those wishing to take photos, rezzing rights are available by joining the local Group (as is the case with Ameland) – but do please remember to pick your bits and pieces up after!
Sitting to the east of Dutch Pavilion is Ameland, which could be reached via a simple teleport (by, say, camming and double-clicking or via LM or using the teleport signs on either island) – but where’s the fun in that? Particularly when you can take a rowboat from the beach and then – after excusing yourself for disturbing the local sealions – row your way across the intervening channel and make landfall along the Ameland’s shoreline.
Welcome to Ameland, loosely based on the real Ameland. Enjoy the calmness, listen to the waves, the birds and find tranquility. Enjoy the free pancakes at the pancakehouse 😉
– Ameland About Land Description
For those unfamiliar with it, Ameland, it “is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes and is the third major island of the West Frisians” (via Wikipedia). For her iteration, Sorsha offers some light touches from its physical world namesake (such as the lighthouse), with the focus of the setting being the pancake house sitting under the shade of a large monkeypod tree.
The Landing Point for the setting for those who do TP in, is to the south of the island, and a track smoothed into the sands of the island runs from here around the west shore, passing the little deck where fishing can be enjoyed and a rowboat obtained for crossing to Dutch Pavilion, before looping past the dunes on the north side of the island to roll up to the back of the pancake house, curling a set of playground swings in its arm as it does so.
The pancake house takes the form of an old farmhouse with seating on both floors indoors, as well as out on the stone-laid terrace set before it. The pancakes are plentiful and offered with a range of fruits and syrups (including one I’m rarely without, often taking it with my coffee: hazelnut – if you’ve not enjoyed a hazelnut latte (assuming no nut allergy!), then I’d be tempted to say you’re missing out!).
As with the Dutch Pavilion, dancing might be had here for those so inclined, whilst drinks and nibbles can be enjoyed out on the benches places on the sands. It is also along the sands of the shoreline that multiple places to sit and pass the time might be found, either on your own or with a friend or two, while the more active can always grab a bicycle from the rezzer close to the rowboat dock, and take it for a peddle around the sandy track – just please mind the bunnies hopping around!
Both Dutch Pavilion and Ameland are very engaging and pretty, ripe for photos and ideal for relaxing within. They are each offered under their own EEP settings (and lend themselves to personal EEP settings, as I used with my shots of Ameland), and both are finished with a gentle soundscape. So, why not hop over and see for yourselves?
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