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.

 

Art in Breda...

Re-imagined Tree Roots

Before heading to a hash in Breda, I zoomed through the Stedelijk Museum Breda, an art museum housed in one of the oldest buildings in town. Here are some of my favorite artworks. 

Sunflowers

Christ and the Samaritan Woman in Breda

This is the oldest existing cityscape in Dutch history, presumed to have been painted in 1520. One of the houses shown was demolished in 1534.

The shape of these 16th century Italian ceramic tiles were derived from Arab culture, which was fashionable in Europe at the time. The eyes offer protection against evil as in the all-seeing eye of God.

This still life from 1799 uses optical illusions to make it appear to be a niche holding a real vase of flowers.

Brains

Brains

 

Flower Parade...

After a two-year absence due to COVID-19, the Bloemencorso was back! It was actually our first Flower Parade in four years. The opening float of a baleen whale was my favorite!

There were lots of other cute animals, including toucans...

…swans...

…tigers...

…butterflies...

…bees...

…fish...

…and this mysterious creature.

There were also flower floats, made of flowers, of course.

 

More April Boating...

The following day, we were back in Leiden for some more boating...

…with Gerlof, whom Jimmy had worked with at the Dutch Ministry of Defense, and his son, Floris.

Although only 12 years old, Floris was already an accomplished skipper since Jimmy had taken them out once before and gave him a lesson.