Koninginnedag

Lang leve de Koningin! That's "Long live the queen!" for you non-Dutchies. It is Queen's day again on April 30 and Dutch folks around the world are celebrating. It isn't actually our Queen's birthday, which is in January, but we celebrate it in April in honor of the Queen's mother and because the weather is better in Holland in April. (Seriously, that weather comment is not a joke.)

I attended two Queen's day celebrations in the San Francisco Bay Area this week. There are tradtitionally three events Dutch people here can go to: 1) An adult party in a club in San Francisco hosted by the fabulous DJ Marcus 2) A kids/family event hosted by Juf Miriam who runs the regional Dutch school 3) A formal event hosted by the consulate with herring and jenever. I went to events 1 & 2, No. 3 is on Wednesday and I'll have to miss it.



The SF party was a blast, with Dutch music, loads of people wearing orange and Grolsch from a traditional bottle. The family event was fun too, I was amazed by the number of Dutch kids in the area. Juf Miriam told me there are now 60 kids enrolled in her classes and the party attracted about 300 people. Wow, that's different from the somewhat anemic turn our two years ago. Great job Miriam!

Typical Dutch

What's Dutch about this scene? Well, Chocomel and Heineken of course. We're sitting at a table in the Apenheul, a theme park/zoo near Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The visit with my lovely niece Paula was part of her first trip to Holland and a fun family gathering.

Oranjegekte (Orange craziness)

In Holland everything is oranje/orange these days. Of course all in support of our Dutch soccer team in the World Cup. My uncle Peike sent me this shot of his box of eggs he got at a local supermarket.

Fungus shows the way

In Holland you will see many of these "paddestoelen" to show you the way when you're hiking or biking. All of them are also indicated on most cycling and hiking maps, so if you see one you instantly know where you are on your map.

Bike signage in Holland

As a bicyclist you don't have to get lost in Holland. These special signs are just for you. Last weekend I spent in Holland with family on the Wadden island of Texel. This bicycle sign is near the ferry to Texel.