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Queens's Day... Koninginnedag ____________________________ From Wikipedia
Queen's Day (Dutch: Koninginnedag) is a celebration in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba on April 30 (or April 29th if the 30th is a Sunday[1]).
Originally a celebration of the queen's birthday, it is now mainly
known for the 'vrijmarkt' (literally 'freemarket'), the one day in the
year that anyone is allowed to sell anything in the streets and
'koninginnenacht' (Queen's Night) on the preceding night. It is also a
Dutch holiday.This is a typical occasion for oranjegekte (orange craze), when the colour orange is a ubiquitous sight, referring to the name of the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange.
There are orange banners, orange colored foods and drinks, and extreme
amounts of orange clothing and creative accessories are worn as well.
Sometimes even the water in fountains is dyed orange. It is not
uncommon for people to impersonate the queen, not always in a
flattering manner.
The so-called 'vrijmarkt' ('freemarket') is similar to a nationwide car boot sale or Flea market.
Owing to a holiday dispensation from the Dutch government, people do
not need to pay taxes on their sales. Many people set up stalls or
blankets in parks, on sidewalks and even on the roads themselves (cars
are banned in some streets). The items sold are traditionally old
rubbish, but for commercial traders this is also an extremely
profitable day. ING bank has estimated the size of the trade in 2007 at about 200 million euros, with the approximately 1.8 million sellers making 111 euros on average. The freemarket in Amsterdam attracts the most visitors.
____________________________________________________________________________________ Had a great Queensday. Actually it's the first Queensday I've celebrated in Amsterdam. I've been to Utrecht twice and all other times I was not there for some reason or other. Me and a friend hauled away some old crap to sell on the Vrijmarkt, "Free Market.". Basically just hauled my crap down the street and staked out a corner. Sold old shoes, clothes, an inflatable swimming pool, etc.. Sold a lot of the ex's old crap too. Tee hee...=P Then spent all the money I made and more on drinks with friends late into the evening in the Jordaan.
People selling their junk from their attics on the streets
 
Cozy neigborhood party in the Jordaan and traditional Dutch woman..
 
Little girls selling stuff and kids..
 
ice cream under an orange hat and pianoman..
 
me with some beer I bought from someone selling drinks from their house window.
Vondelpark
 
Me on my golden bike warped by iPhone camera
 
My favorite Dutch treat! Poffertjes!! mini crispy sugared pancakes..
 
 
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