Obviously I am on the wrong side of the ocean to be showing you pictures of Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day), but Marco took some pictures to show me what it is like. I won’t go into detail, except to say that it is the celebration of Queen Beatrix. And it’s a day where everyone loves to wear orange (well, moreso the tourists). You can read an offiical publication for the Hague’s celebrations at the website, haagsekoninginnedag.nl. When Marco sent me that link, he spent a bit of time muttering about why they were mentioning Chinatown, since it is only a street and a half, of which only half of the shops are actually Chinese!
One of the more interesting things for me is the vrijmarkt, or free market, where anyone can sell their wares. Here are some of the pictures Marco took:
Oranje! Go books! (ik wil het oranje boek)
Marco was also kind enough to give a short description of his thoughts about the holiday:
So I went outside today on Queen’s Day to get some pictures for Niki,
and it reminded me why I don’t like stuff like this.
Too many people (lots wearing orange clothes) in a crowded street that is supposed to be a festive fun little flea market.
And in another street a garage sale type of thing..
I did see an amusing book (very orange) and later an actual vcr with tapes being sold. wtf 😉
Regardless, I fully expect to be dragged around by Niki, as I think she wants to experience the “orange feeling”
–I do want to experience the “orange feeling”. At least I did until I saw a picture like this:
Pictures like this stem my enthusiasm for stepping outside next year at this time! And do you notice how tall this picture makes Marco look?
Do I really want to step into that crowd? (Yes. For a little bit.)
VCR amongst DVDs. Blast from the past. It makes me miss my Nintendo and Super Mario Brothers.
Just one of the many examples of people selling their wares.
In case you are wondering, the Dutch word for table is "tafel", as in "Waarom is er geen tafel hier?"
It looks like a very interesting holiday. Should I start my Queen’s Day countdown at 364 days? Nah… I would rather countdown to Christmas and oliebollen. Yum.
Life in the Hague 
I have picked up some wonderful things on Queen’s Day. Beethovenstrat was so packed with people you couldn’t walk down the sidewalks, so I shopped at a nearby park and bought beautiful dishes and a fleece jacket. More for the fun. It is unbelievable how many people were jammed into a small area. Great photographs Marco. Virginia
I really enjoyed a somewhat more official market that we stumbled on the last time I was in the Netherlands. Not sure where – somewhere in the Hague. I spent most of my time looking at the (old) books 😉
I would have done the same if I had spotted old books. Hope you found something wonderful V.
Nah… but that’s partially because I had already book 3 books from a used bookstore (groep 4 or 5 I think, roughly). Need to get back to reading those!
I’m not usually one for crowds, but I find that the atmosphere is so happy on koninginnedag that it just doesn’t seem as stressful. Plus, you can usually find a spot to take a breather if it gets too much. The vrijmarkt here in Utrecht takes place around some of the canals, so it’s fun and pretty.
Nod.This one in The Hague isn’t pretty or fun at all.
It’s a small crowded street with crappy merchandise (3 stands selling cell phone covers next to one another, etc)
Nothing festive about this. Other parts of The Hague are better. 🙂