Saturday – the Annual floral parade to Haarlem, from Noordwijk – so if you are in the Netherlands and close to Haarlem or anywhere on the route – check with your hotel concierge – because this a parade that should be missed. The theme this year is “Journey through Europe” This will be the 63rd [...]
Continue reading about Saturday 24th April – the annual flower parade to Haarlem – Bloemencorsodag
I did wonder, as I am sure many people do. Why do the Dutch wear Orange when their flag is Red, White and Blue? Why do the Dutch people have such a strong relationship with the colour Orange. Orange is the colour of the Dutch Royal Family, the lineage of the current dynasty, the House [...]
Continue reading about Why do the Dutch wear Orange when their flag is red, white & blue
Queens Day / Koninginnedag : or is it Orange Crazy Day – for the House of Orange. The shops are full of Orange merchandise right from 1st April – not just for the week prior to the big day. My memory from last year is obviously a bit out of tune. Is that short term [...]
Queens Day / Koninginnedag : or is it Orange Crazy Day? April 30th – Queen’s Day is a national holiday here in the Netherlands. It is a celebration for the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands (Queen Juliana’s birthday). The date has been retained as Queen Beatrix birthday is in January – not good [...]
Continue reading about Queens Day / Koninginnedag : or is it Orange Crazy Day?
Today is the spring equinox, and the first official day of spring in the Netherlands. In this lovely Northern land, seasons have so much more meaning than in countries closer to the equator. You feel each new season with all your senses, in sharp contrast to the last one. The transition from one to another [...]
Being vertically & linguistically challenged I missed it all when the Olympians came to Haarlem Grote Markt yesterday and to top it off it was freezing freezing cold. So I went home.
This is for Tomas, and anyone else who hasn’t actually seen snow falling anywhere. The view is from our lounge window. The odd bicycle going by – everything becoming slowly and surely white. It has been a beautiful, crisp, white white winter, wonderful for us from Auckland, New Zealand. It has not been so wonderful [...]
Continue reading about Snow Days for little people who haven’t yet experienced any
Want a ride? Table for 4 sir? Which bike is yours did you say?
Only a Netherlander would drive in an open convertible MGB and leave it open all day when there is snow all around and it could even rain – and then get into in the evening and drive away with it still open. That is a positive view on life
Most of the time, the Netherlands has the most old-fart-friendly landscape on Earth. It’s flat, has wide footpaths and bicycle lanes, and easy access to everything urban and rural. And then sometimes it snows and freezes… My word, it is beautiful! And at first, the snow is easy walking. When you walk in fresh snow, [...]
