Dressed Up for King’s Day...

As you can see our King’s Day outfits were pretty basic. 

Veronica added an orange dress that she bought for a few euros. 

We eventually ran into Skye, who also went for a simple outfit.

My photos aren’t the best, but we saw some interesting costumes, including these orange spiky plastic wigs...

…three lions...

…a king...

…some fans of leather...

…a future Heineken drinker...

….and a cute couple with their goofy owners.
 

King’s Day in Amsterdam...

After taking Kati for a walk the next morning, Veronica and I took the train up to Amsterdam. 

On our way to Bob’s house (Lisa was also out of town), we saw the usual giant Dutch flag hanging in front of his neighbor’s house.

We dropped our bags at Bob’s and the three of us hit the streets. In addition to the usual flea market stalls...

…there were lots of orange things for sale...

…orange things on display...

…and orange games.

Bob decided to test his luck with a flying ball game...

…which he was pretty good at.

We covered a lot of ground, including making it to the Rijksmuseum, with lots of pretty tulips in front...

…Vondelpark, with this nice reflection... 

…and this building with its lovely murals above a pancake house
 

King’s Day Carnival...

Before the bands started, Veronica and I wandered over to Malieveld to check out the annual King’s Day carnival, not as participants but as observers. 

It was definitely very colorful...

…with flags from around the world.

It always boggles my mind how many people spend money on their chance to win a big dorky stuffed animal...

…or on sugar spun into a ball of fluff.

We swung back by on our way to the train station to capture some night shots.
 

Koningsnacht 2022...

It was unfortunate timing that Jimmy had to head to London for a conference at the same time that the country was celebrating King’s Day for the first time in three years. Veronica and I headed into The Hague to check out the first King’s Night (Koningsnacht) since 2019. 

It was quite a solemn moment to see the Jantje sculpture covered in a knitted outfit in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. 

The opening band on the main stage on the Lange Voorhout was actually from the Ukraine and they were good enough to keep us willing to stand among the huge crowd for their entire set.

We then wandered around and listened to a few more bands, including at this stage on the corner of the Hofvijver with the cityscape in the background. 

I was quite surprised to see that one of the oldest buildings in The Hague, which houses a restaurant and inn, has added a vending machine for Dutch fried snacks. 

I wasn’t so much surprised but horrified to see the overflowing trash. 
 

Cherry Blossoms and Spring Flowers...

The cherry blossoms were beautiful this year as spotted in Voorschoten...

…and The Hague. 

So was the wisteria as spotted in Leiden. 

Most spectacular were the flowers in front of the Mauritshuis to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the museum. 

While the flowers on the building were artificial, the many planters were filled with real flowers...

…including an incredible variety of tulips.

 

Hashing in Breda...

It was a beautiful afternoon for hashing, but sadly only a few of us were willing to make the journey. 

Just the Tip came up with a very creative trail in virgin territory.

Sadly no one took a photo of me crossing this bridge, which made me stretch outside my comfort zone. 

This crossing was too intense for me, so I went the long way. 

We saw some fun sculptures...

…and some very fancy homes.