The Even Greater Tokyo Region

Lelystad

For no particular reason, yesterday I checked out Lelystad. I knew nothing of it before, and as you will soon find out, that was no big loss.








Let's begin by reading a passage from my diary as I was looking out the side window of the train:

I have a feeling that all these towns are new satellite towns. Depressing apartment blocks, construction sites and pretentious trees. I'm beginning to think that maybe Lelystad doesn't have a museum. The roofs are all the same, the rows of trees separate the portions of different architecture. Small cars outside every house. Cranes. Grey skies, and those pretentious trees. They're trying to disguise what these town really are: living factories. They don't belong here, and neither do the people. Uprooted from any culture or convenience for the illusion that they are living richly, like they feel they are entitled to. For their own 40m2 with a window with a view of someone else's window with a view, and perhaps if they are lucky, they can look out upon those pretentious trees, that fail to soften the sharp edges of this depressing reality.
I was right. Lelystad is part of the post-war land reclaimation projects.

The town was established in 1967 and is 5 metres below sea level. I arrived at the brand new station. The glare, the edges hurt my eyes.
Even the artist's drawings have those damn pretentious trees.

Really, these towns just exist as cheap alternatives to living in real cities, where everyone commutes to every day. Part of the construction site of the station had children's art on it. I mean, these kids know. This painting is iconic in this regard. It is a circular train track, going nowhere in a tiny tiny loop. Lelystad: Where even kids get depressed!

I was however wrong about there not being any museums. Just a short 15 minute bus-ride from the station alongside the fake coast were a couple. It turns out, none that I really wanted to go to. However, the place was packed, full of people- even people speaking German and French. Tourists? Yes, this place has a very large outlet mall. I'd been to outlet malls in Japan, and honestly, noone does tack better that Japan, but this place seriously reminded me more of a theme park. Yeesh. This city could not get any more artificial.For big and tall men who still want to dress like douche-bags!

Two little girls, one little boy, and an eager beaver... Fail...


On the way home, between the Lelystad and the other identical towns, this was the scenery. Literally, it is a barren wasteland, brought up from the depths for no real good reason...
I don't know. Maybe Lelystad is a great place to live. Their website talks about it being a 'feat of engineering', but with all the magnificent, pretty and charming towns and cities in Holland, I feel that Lelystad is a defeat of humanity.