Category Archives: Netherlands



Queens Day in Amsterdam

Queens day happens to be one of the most important holidays in the Netherlands, this year even more so, as the queen was abdicating in favour of her son and from next year the day will be the King’s day, which hasn’t happened in over 200 years. The event originally started to commemorate the birth of Queen Beatrix, but for people its an excuse to drink, party and vandalise the town.

The royal family’s house is Orange and Nassu, which makes Orange the predominant colour of The Netherlands, also the reason the entire country unanimously drowned itself in a sea of orange.

Orange was everywhere. People painted their cycles and vehicles

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Shops and stores painted their logos in orange

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Street vendors and hawkers were everywhere making a killing

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People were sporting orange caps of all kinds

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Even restaurant’s were following the suit wherever they could

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Flags were placed at every nook and corner – outside monuments, buildings and houses.

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Some spent their time either basking in sun, smoking up or going about their normal business, or all of them.

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Amsterdam was completely crowded and littered everywhere! So much so it almost reminded me of India.

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Even the flower beds on the streets were turned orange

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Some even resorted to playing with orange color, which took me by surprise, as the only time I’ve seen it happen was during the Festival of Holi

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Amidst the city up in chaos, with people on drinking binge and party spree, some found their moments of quietness

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They even managed to organise a cheesy concert at the center of the city, where the only played  songs of praise of the King and Queen and their children (ridiculous and preposterous IMO)

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Keukenhof

With millions of tulips planted just in the main garden alone, keukenhof stands as the worlds largest flower garden. That is not even including the hundreds of acres of private tulip plantations around the main garden. To say it was a lovely sight is a gross understatement and its something only pictures can convey.

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Tulips were not the only attraction, there were lot of art pieces all around the garden, not that anyone cared to notice them.

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Along with tulips there were other kinds of flowers too, just enough to not bore people with tulips.

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This was the sight right outside the main keukenhof garden

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