A little bit of America in the Vondel Park

One thing I love about summertime in Holland is the late, late light. At the height of summer, the sun rises around 5am and sets at 10:30pm or so. That means lots and lots of light. That also means we can start a bbq at 6pm and stay out til 11pm--all with plenty of light.

Being American, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the very American holiday with our gaggle of international friends at the loveliest park in Amsterdam, the Vondelpark.

Alex (from Colorado) and I sewed some very American bunting, she baked an American flag cake, and Elliot and I brought ingredients for beef sliders, coleslaw, and pasta salad. We brought the bbq's and goodies for gin and tonics, too. You should have seen our bikes! Stuffed to the brim for the picnic...

From 6pm til about midnight, we bbq'd and had a blast with friends. So many people brought their friends, and their friends brought others, we ended up with a solid group of 40 or so. In fact, there were only about 6 Americans. And only a few actually knew each other.

Unfortunately, the most embarrassing part of the evening was our rash attempt to sing the Star Bangled Banner...needless to say, we butchered it.  Other than that, great night!

⥥ yay for bunting on bikes



⥥ the Vondel Park


⥥ Koen and Alex (NL, US)


⥥ Li and expecting Laura (US, US/UK)


⥥ Emmy (NL)


⥥ Alex and Maria (AU, Colombia)


⥥ Paro and Nikhil (India)


⥥ Li and Taymor (US)


⥥ Alex and Mel (NL, AU)

⥥ Jordan and Shelby (US)

⥥ The cake ladies, Alex and Nina (US, Sweden)

⥥ Laura and Chris (US, NL)

⥥ Singing the National Anthem
⥥ the Birthday girl!

⥥ Patrick and Nina (UK, Sweden) and a photo-bomber!

⥥ Thank you Rosa, for carrying all our crap!

Spring tulips!

Almost overnight the tulips in Sarphati Park bloomed. They are so colorful! And so many different kinds! It's still pretty cold for spring, so although the flowers are out, the sun is not. Another reason to get out of town for a short holiday! Elliot and I are heading to Turkey to meet my parents--and get some well-deserved sun after this super long winter. Hopefully when we get back from Turkey it will really be spring in this country!

A balcony made for two

A project we've been wanting to get to for a while is our balcony. Now that it's spring, we have no excuse. The balcony gets very little sun, so finding the right plants can be tough. We went to the market and found a few different ferns and flowers that worked. It turned out lovely, don't you think? It goes perfectly with our favorite springtime drink, Campari and soda.

A day for a Queen!

Celebrating Queen's Day on April 30 is one of my favorite holidays of all time. And this Queen's Day was the last one! Queen Beatrix has held the throne for about 30 years. Before her, Queen Juliana. Before her, Queen Wilhelmina. Now, we have a King! King Willem-Alexander. Next year, King's Day will be on April 27, the new King's birthday.



Queen's Day is just a super day. It starts early in the morning with garage sales. It's the only day out of the year when you don't need a permit to sell your goods (or services or talents). If you take the time, you can find some great deals.

The sidewalks are full of people selling things (anything from old records, books, clothes, to homemade cakes and cookies) and the parks are full of parents and kids, also selling things like their old toys. Lots of youngsters trying to make some money playing their musical instrument, painting nails, doing silly dances, etc. It's hilarious and super cute.



In the afternoon, street parties take over the city. Bands and DJs take over the plazas. And boats take over the canals. It's a sight to see. Everyone is having a good time. Hoera!

Eindelijk!

I've been hearing this word a lot around here. It means finally. And it's usually said with an emphasis on each syllable, as such: eind-uh-lik.

Yes, we're talking about the weather. It's finally spring! The birds are chirping, the trees are sprouting new leaves, flowers are blooming, the winter coats are stashed. You can feel the elation. Now, don't get too excited--it isn't warm yet. We're still sporting gloves and scarves some days, because it's still about 41ºF in the morning. With highs of 52ºF to 56ºF. So, ya, not warm.

The best part about spring here is that the sun comes up at 6am, nearly reaches the top of the sky, and goes down around 9pm. Plenty of time on the weekends for going to our local park, Sarphatipark. I really love it because it's a locals kind of place. People jogging, walking with their kids, playing with dogs. Just a normal, gorgeous park.