phase one - Sunday day

KONINGENDAG 2007

For those of you who viewed a similar (but not quite so comprehensive) blog entry at the same time last year, you will remember Queens day (perhaps the closest equivalent is Australia day?): The national holiday in honour of the birthday of the queens mother (the actual queen has her birthday in january which is not so convenient weather wise for such a celebration). and so everyone celebrates by wearing bright orange, drinking, partying, making new friends, attending various concerts around the city, and buying useless crap from people's junk stalls which litter the suburban streets...
i just couldn't quite figure why they had to wait to monday for the celebrations to officially start when we had to work tuesday. thus today was one of those days where you wonder why you decided, ever, to work in a school with such cheerful little children.


so on queens-day-eve we cycled to the 'vondel park' and cracked open the first heinekin at 11am.


which inspired us to hold a handstand competition.


unfortunately my bike inconveniently chose this national occasion to spit its chain off the spokes. never fear, i have become quite a mechanic!


but after five attempts my patience was petering, so poor jackson had to taxi me on the back of his bike while alicia boasted the true dutch skill of bi-cycling.


on my balcony, we had a few more drinks to soften the pain of all the imminent orange...


and i thought i should juxtapose the aussie spirit with a bit of dutch (i have officially been here over a year now, after all)


my funky decorations and outfit (so proud, i spent a total of 5.50 euros on orange atire and borrowed the rest).