Queen's Day

Last Saturday we celebrated the birthday of our queen. Every April 30, we Dutchies dress in orange and go outside to celebrate by selling (or buying) old goods,  do some dancing, some canal cruising, etc.

Ever since I was a teenager I went to Amsterdam on Queen's Day, during the first few years I walked through the city for hours and visited different parts of the city to dance and have fun with my friends. Which is so much fun btw!!

This year I wanted to have a different one and visited my brother (who lives in Amsterdam) the day before. The next day we got up early to visit one of the many flea markets in a beautiful part of Amsterdam (Oud-Zuid).

Then we paid a visit to the 'Westerstraat' where they sell lots of vintage leather goods for a reasonable price, unfortunately all the fine stuff was already gone (note to self: FIRST thing to do on Q-day: visit Westerstraat!).  

In the afternoon we went to the Jordaan (near the city centre) for some live music and took a ferry boat to a dock in the North of Amsterdam.

At this dock, called "NDSM werf" there were many different parties, DJ's and theatre plays. The weather was great and I really enjoyed the relaxed vibe, so different than the other (over)crowded places I usually visit during Queen's Day.

So if you are planning a visit to Amsterdam, make sure you are there on April 30, I highly recommend this all Dutch party!

Orange in Amsterdam

My final post about my orange adventure.. 

On the pictures you see an overcrowded central station in Amsterdam, as you can imagine, it took us some time to get out of the station. And a shot of the wonderful street in the center of Amsterdam were we watched the final game.

We did not win the final…. but we became 2^nd of the world! I think it’s a huge achievement for a country as small as this.

There was a bit of disappointment at first, however a great feeling of joy and pride at the end! I had so much fun watching the games together with friends. I will definitely miss the atmosphere and everything around it. All the orange accessories are put away at this point, waiting to be worn at Queens day again.