The last Koninginnedag

It wasn’t so long ago that I learnt to confidently pronounce and spell “Koninginnedag”!  However today was the last – at least for some time.  Right now I’m listening to the angelic voice of Mirusia sing “Time To Say Goodbye”, dedicated to Queen Beatrix (now Princess Beatrix).  She ruled for 33 years and today handed over the reign to her son.  Now I have something else to learn – I’m not exactly sure what the correct term will be from next year – is it Koningsdag or Koningdag?  Oh, Wikipedia to the rescue – you can read the answer here, along with a lot of other information about the day (in english)

Each year, the country has turned orange (in honour of the royal family’s official title “House of Orange”) on 30th April.  Even the animals get into the spirit:

This public holiday is a time to party – and sell your 2nd hand belongings on the street!  The Wikipedia entry above also explains this tradition, called the vrijmarkt, the only day of the year where you don’t need a permit to sell in the street, or pay the sales tax.  We found a few bargains – my girls went a little crazy with the amount of barbies & my little ponies on offer!  These lovely little ladies below were great little sales girls, bargaining with me over their old toys (and double checking the prices with their mama….)

We were out for a while this morning in our local shopping area and then this afternoon went to explore Delft.  It was still a little chilly but there was a gloriously blue sky:

The rest of the time we’ve been watching the ceremonies and celebrations in Amsterdam on TV.  Almost time for bed now, I’m exhausted, but probably not nearly as much as those gorgeous princesses who were with their parents all day today!  My own two princesses are fast asleep now, the self-made crown laid aside.

If you’d like to see the remainder of my photos for the day, you can do so over at Zestee Photography.  If you celebrated, hope you had a great Koninginnedag!

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