We survived our first Queens Day in Amsterdam. For those of you that don't know what it is - it was originally a celebration of the Queens birthday. Now it is mainly known for free market (vrijmarkt) which is the one day of the year when everyone is allowed to sell anything on the street without paying any taxes.
Everyone wears orange because it refers to the name of the royal family "The House of Orange".
Amy describes the day as St. Patrick's Day only everyone wears orange. My take on it is a bit different. Imagine Time Square on New Years Eave with everyone wearing orange, all buzzing about with all the drugs and sex you could ever imagine. The center of Amsterdam gets closed down to cars some of the trains even stop running. The pubs, coffee shops, restaurants, fields, parks, streets, and you name it are full with people. The water ways are full with boats. Everything is orange. Orange balloons, streamers, flags, and more. I think you get the picture.
The entire family went to Vondell Park to shop in the worlds largest garage sale. There are miles of people out trying to sell you the things that they cleaned out of the garage for the last year. Back when the event started (and still holds true for the most part), the intent was for the kids to go out to the park and sell their items they didn't want any more. It was a way for them to make money to buy new things they wanted. It is neat to see the kids working it to get as much as they can for their toys, books, clothes, and junk. Some of the kids play their instruments for donations. I told Amy that it was the parents way to prepare them for the life of a starving artist. Some of the kids bake cookies and make fresh lemonade and sell it.
Then there are the opportunist who come with their business and sell everything you could imagine. They take away from the charm, but once you look past them, it is a great event. Abigail was able to buy several new books in English, a new play kitchen complete with cook ware and plastic food, Dutch wood puzzles, a top that make noise when in motion, and a large floor puzzle. This has been a life saver as these are the toys that she is playing with.
There was a free concert across the street from the house. There must of been several thousand people there. We could sit on our balcony and listen to the music. The strangest thing was when one of the techno songs would come on, the house would start to shake. It felt like an earthquake. A little un-settling when you think about the age of the building and you see how they build things here.
Amy describes the day as St. Patrick's Day only everyone wears orange. My take on it is a bit different. Imagine Time Square on New Years Eave with everyone wearing orange, all buzzing about with all the drugs and sex you could ever imagine. The center of Amsterdam gets closed down to cars some of the trains even stop running. The pubs, coffee shops, restaurants, fields, parks, streets, and you name it are full with people. The water ways are full with boats. Everything is orange. Orange balloons, streamers, flags, and more. I think you get the picture.
The entire family went to Vondell Park to shop in the worlds largest garage sale. There are miles of people out trying to sell you the things that they cleaned out of the garage for the last year. Back when the event started (and still holds true for the most part), the intent was for the kids to go out to the park and sell their items they didn't want any more. It was a way for them to make money to buy new things they wanted. It is neat to see the kids working it to get as much as they can for their toys, books, clothes, and junk. Some of the kids play their instruments for donations. I told Amy that it was the parents way to prepare them for the life of a starving artist. Some of the kids bake cookies and make fresh lemonade and sell it.
Then there are the opportunist who come with their business and sell everything you could imagine. They take away from the charm, but once you look past them, it is a great event. Abigail was able to buy several new books in English, a new play kitchen complete with cook ware and plastic food, Dutch wood puzzles, a top that make noise when in motion, and a large floor puzzle. This has been a life saver as these are the toys that she is playing with.There was a free concert across the street from the house. There must of been several thousand people there. We could sit on our balcony and listen to the music. The strangest thing was when one of the techno songs would come on, the house would start to shake. It felt like an earthquake. A little un-settling when you think about the age of the building and you see how they build things here.
Amy and I decided that if you are single or don't have kids, this is one party not to miss.
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