I was so excited for Queen’s Day today, that I drove my family crazy trying to get us out of the house early this morning. I wanted to see as much as we could and we did! I wanted to see and feel and experience what Queen’s Day was all about. I loved the feeling of it all and am so glad we braved the crowds and rode our bikes and walked all around and then some.
We rode our bikes through Amstelveen. It was the biggest garage sale I’ve ever seen! And people were everywhere, selling their wares, performing for tips, and selling baked goods.
After we checked out Amstelveen, we rode our bikes into Amsterdam and parked them by Vondel Park. Vondel Park was dedicated to kids and they could sell and act and perform too. It’s the only day of the year that the Dutch people are allowed to publicly sell their belongings out on the street. They don’t have yard sales or garage sale like we do in the US, so today is a HUGE opportunity for them and thy use every square inch of space. The craziest thing I saw was a fish race! I think they were selling bets as to which fish would move from start to finish first! Crazy!
I know I’m sharing a ton of pictures, but there was so much to see, that we’ve never seen before and I want to pretend you were there with me! We met up with Jen and her family. I have no idea how they spotted us because it was so crowded.
For five euros you could pretend to be a hamster! This looked like so much fun, but the line was very long, so we just watched.
After seeing Vondel Park, we wanted to see what the canal streets looked like and what was happening there. OMG – the biggest party I’ve ever seen! People were dressed up and singing and dancing every where you looked. Check it out…
Jeff’s office is in the city center, so we walked over to his office to relax and sit for awhile and to enjoy the views.
From Jeff’s office, we walked over to the Herengracht to visit with Toen and Loes. Their house is at a prime viewing spot to see all the boats going by. Charlie had fun helping Loes sell things.
I could go on and on, and hope you’ve enjoyed being a part of the celebration with me!
On the way back to our bikes at Vondel park, the clean up had already become.
Riding home after a long day.
Peaceful little duck family.
Happy Queen’s Day, and long live the new king!
