30 April 2008: Queen’s Day is large national holiday in the Netherlands. I believe it’s a celebration for the Queen’s birthday. It’s always on 30 April, but people actually start partying the night before. But for us that night, I bought Sean some chicken so he could make adobo. I was craving some “home cooking” and we needed to eat the rest of the food in the camper before we returned it. And what else do you expect; we have a two year old!
On Queen’s Day, everyone dresses in orange. I believe because it’s the Queen’s favorite color. Luckily, I already had an orange shirt to wear. We picked up a cute orange t-shirt for Kai at a souvenir shop. And, Sean got a green Amsterdam sweatshirt. The shop was already sold out of orange ones for him. Dressed for the occasion, we hopped on the trolley towards the center of the city around noon, when the celebration starts. First, we decided to hit a part of the city where we haven’t been to yet. The past few days, we kept going to the same neighborhoods because we were on a mission to get things done, we thought it would be nice to explore somewhere else. That didn’t work out as well as planned. We got to the street, but couldn’t even SEE the street, much less see anything else besides all the people that were no less than 2 inches beside you at every angle. As a matter fact, I’m not sure if I was standing on street, sidewalk or what! So after picking up a lumpia for the road, we decided to head back to the same ole’ neighborhood that we might not get so lost in. Looking back, I’m not sure if it mattered, because we got lost wandering around in that neighborhood too. And, getting lost didn’t really matter. There was something around every block to explore anyway.
Queen’s Day is a mixture of a huge citywide street festival and flea market/garage sale. They close off the streets, erect food and drink booths and have stages with music/entertainment/DJs around every corner. People also sell their used stuff on the sidewalks. It would have probably been smart for us to sell some of our stuff, but we didn’t want to be tied down with it. I’m not sure if it’s an organized event, but there was also a large procession of boats going down the canals with people partying and loud music/DJs. It was an absolutely crazy event to see! As the afternoon went on, garbage cans started to fill up and litter on the streets was piling up. So by then, we tucked ourselves away in this tiny little restaurant somewhere along the canal near Leideseplein. (Darn, I wish I could remember the name of it!) Figuring we were about to leave the country of cheese, we indulged with some cheese fondue and a wonderful salad with warm goat cheese while watching the craziness, including a procession with Brazilian drum beats, walk by outside. Overall, we are thrilled that we were able to be in town during the right time of the year to experience this holiday. If you ever get the chance to go to Amsterdam around the end of April, do try to be there for this!
The Netherlands was the one country in Europe that I had the least expectations about and am pleasantly surprised by it. There’s this kind of bohemian vibe here. Cities are exciting and bustling, yet easygoing. And, there are also so many outdoor settings to go to for absolute calm and peace. In both settings, there are all different kinds of people from all walks of life on bikes. The bikes all look the same, old and beat up. They are definitely a form of transportation and not a status symbol! The culture is so immensely diverse, yet traditional is also valued. It is evident in their architecture. You see very modern, industrial designed office buildings and homes that are very classic-looking. Best of all, with such a diverse population, everyone still seems to live cohesively. It’s just such a lovely thing!
On Queen’s Day, everyone dresses in orange. I believe because it’s the Queen’s favorite color. Luckily, I already had an orange shirt to wear. We picked up a cute orange t-shirt for Kai at a souvenir shop. And, Sean got a green Amsterdam sweatshirt. The shop was already sold out of orange ones for him. Dressed for the occasion, we hopped on the trolley towards the center of the city around noon, when the celebration starts. First, we decided to hit a part of the city where we haven’t been to yet. The past few days, we kept going to the same neighborhoods because we were on a mission to get things done, we thought it would be nice to explore somewhere else. That didn’t work out as well as planned. We got to the street, but couldn’t even SEE the street, much less see anything else besides all the people that were no less than 2 inches beside you at every angle. As a matter fact, I’m not sure if I was standing on street, sidewalk or what! So after picking up a lumpia for the road, we decided to head back to the same ole’ neighborhood that we might not get so lost in. Looking back, I’m not sure if it mattered, because we got lost wandering around in that neighborhood too. And, getting lost didn’t really matter. There was something around every block to explore anyway.
Queen’s Day is a mixture of a huge citywide street festival and flea market/garage sale. They close off the streets, erect food and drink booths and have stages with music/entertainment/DJs around every corner. People also sell their used stuff on the sidewalks. It would have probably been smart for us to sell some of our stuff, but we didn’t want to be tied down with it. I’m not sure if it’s an organized event, but there was also a large procession of boats going down the canals with people partying and loud music/DJs. It was an absolutely crazy event to see! As the afternoon went on, garbage cans started to fill up and litter on the streets was piling up. So by then, we tucked ourselves away in this tiny little restaurant somewhere along the canal near Leideseplein. (Darn, I wish I could remember the name of it!) Figuring we were about to leave the country of cheese, we indulged with some cheese fondue and a wonderful salad with warm goat cheese while watching the craziness, including a procession with Brazilian drum beats, walk by outside. Overall, we are thrilled that we were able to be in town during the right time of the year to experience this holiday. If you ever get the chance to go to Amsterdam around the end of April, do try to be there for this!
The Netherlands was the one country in Europe that I had the least expectations about and am pleasantly surprised by it. There’s this kind of bohemian vibe here. Cities are exciting and bustling, yet easygoing. And, there are also so many outdoor settings to go to for absolute calm and peace. In both settings, there are all different kinds of people from all walks of life on bikes. The bikes all look the same, old and beat up. They are definitely a form of transportation and not a status symbol! The culture is so immensely diverse, yet traditional is also valued. It is evident in their architecture. You see very modern, industrial designed office buildings and homes that are very classic-looking. Best of all, with such a diverse population, everyone still seems to live cohesively. It’s just such a lovely thing!
1 comment:
you are both so cute! kai looks as though she is getting bigger!! i so miss Europe... and loved Amsterdam :) They have the BEST coffee ;)
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