Hof der dingen - Zwammadammen: a cute mug, a funky hat and…. lots of laughter

Patricia Steenacker has been a member of the Zwammadammen for several years now – a group of energetic women who swim in the sea every week, all year round. Freezing temperatures? They don’t just dip their toes in the water but jump in enthusiastically. You might have heard of Polar Bear Swim Clubs – they organise polar bear plunges and swim in cold, ocean water year-round. Well, the Zwammadammen are exactly that – but cooler. 

But how on earth did they come up with this peculiar name? “Well,”, Patricia starts, “it’s a fusion of two Dutch words: zwemmen (swimming) and zwanzen – a West Flemish word for chattering”. Oh, so these women are chatterboxes. “In all honesty, we do live up to our name”, she laughs. 

“Did you know that I handmade this mug? Nothing beats a good cup of tea after going for a cup of tea. But nobody thought about bringing teacups. So, I made each member a personalised mug with their name on it”. 

Now, what’s more West Flemish than crafting a mug for West Flemish women splashing around in the North Sea? Interesting fact: one of the other members is none other than Haike De Vlieger – a fierce woman who swam across the English Channel a couple of years ago.