Our bestie best friends Tom and Hope came to visit and we got to experience our first King’s Day celebration while they were here. It’s the biggest holiday in the Netherlands. It’s sort of like Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day. Everyone dresses in orange (in honor of the King), you can sell anything you want without a license, and everyone drinks all day. It’s a weird holiday, but I’d expect nothing less from the quirky and fun loving Dutch.
But before we got to King’s Day, we did all kinds of other stuff. Tom and Hope are the best kind of visitors because they come with a plan of things they definitely want to see and do but they also like to leave things open for spontaneous fun (like singing karaoke in the living room til 2am).
Tom and Hope brought gorgeous weather with them. It had been freezing the week before they got here and the week after they left it got back down to the single digits, but these lucky dudes got (nearly) perfect weather the entire time they were here. We took a stroll in Vondelpark the morning they arrived. Out in The PijpEating seafood towers and ALL the oysters at Seafood BarWe rented a car and drove out to Flevoland and biked through the tulipsWe rented a boat (The Shrimp Whisker isn’t ready yet) and cruised the canalsOut on the AmstelBoat picnicHope making a new friend in Dam Square. I have a similar picture of Hope and a donkey (or a mule?) from a couple of years ago in New Orleans. Hope’s a lady who loves all the pretty horses. Behold, the first group entertaining I’ve done since moving here. I invited my friend Heidi and her family over to join us for King’s Day brunch. Cooking in our European kitchen is no small feat. I was impressed with how it all turned out if I do say so myself! (Major props to James for being on snopelwarmen/magnetron duty.) And Tom saved the day with his home made Bloody Mary mix. They don’t sell it here. We should start a business. Feast fit for a KingJW enjoying a drink with his ancestorsHeading out into the King’s Day madness!The weather put a damper on some of the King’s Day festivities, but there were still plenty of drunk people on boats.Hey there hot stuffBrian found lots of tasty items. Tom gets a pretzelWe walked from our house through Vondelpark, over to the Rijks and then up to LeidsepleinTime for a little nip from the trusty old flask. It was rainy and cold on King’s Day, which was a bummer considering the rest of the week was splendid.JW sold cotton candy in front of our house. Next year he wants to move the operation to the intersection up the street where the crowds convene. We know how to get the party started — the night before King’s Day we sang karaoke until 2am. Our neighbors didn’t mention it when we ran into them in the park the next day so that’s good.James singing Flower of ScotlandJames gave Hope a ride to Foodhallen on the back of his bike Gin and Seedlip tonics at FoodhallenTom and Hope took a side trip to Bruges for their Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy anniversary and while they were gone I wore the FABULOUS peacock earrings Hope gave me to my anniversary lunch with James.Brian’s exhausted from all the festivities
Tom and Hope’s departure was the epic conclusion of our string of back to back winter and spring visitors. The house is now quiet and we’ve returned to our normal routines. I’m always a little blue when everyone leaves (it’s sometimes hard for us to remember we aren’t on vacation — we live here) and now it’s time to get back into the swing of regular life.
To that end, I volunteered to help organize International Day at JW’s school so that will keep me busy and give me a fun project to work on this month.
2 Replies to “Tom and Hope, King’s Day and Tulips”
Well I, had, the time of my life, and I owe it all to youuu…
Glad you had a such good time while your friends were there. Too bad Shrimp Whiskers wasn’t ready for Kings Day. We had a wonderful time visiting you guys in Amsterdam. You were wonderful hosts. The rest of our trip was one to always remember as well. It feels almost surreal to be back here at our place on the creek now.
ps. Loved you anniversary post. It was very special.
Well I, had, the time of my life, and I owe it all to youuu…
Glad you had a such good time while your friends were there. Too bad Shrimp Whiskers wasn’t ready for Kings Day. We had a wonderful time visiting you guys in Amsterdam. You were wonderful hosts. The rest of our trip was one to always remember as well. It feels almost surreal to be back here at our place on the creek now.
ps. Loved you anniversary post. It was very special.