The breakfast at our hotel was quite large. They had a spread of bread, toast, fruit, cereal, yogurt, meats, cheeses, bacon, eggs, etc… It was probably the most elaborate breakfast we’ve had the entire trip.
After checking out, we caught a train to Amsterdam. We arrived to Amsterdam Centraal Station to a sea of people wearing orange for Koninginndag (Queen’s Day). We immediately went out to the tram stop to catch a tram to Vondelpark, where our hostel is. At the tram stop, the sea of people continued and no trams were to be seen.
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A guy saw us looking at the schedule. “Where are you trying to go?” he said.
“Vondelpark” I responded.
“The trams are not running here today. Just follow the mass of people. And, good luck finding your way today.”
At the time, I was thinking that he was directing us to the next tram stop since this one was closed for the holiday. As we began walking, I began to grasp the extent of the Queen’s Day party. The sea of orange people stretched through all the streets of the central city and no trams were running anywhere.
So, we did as instructed, and followed the mass with full packs. About this time I’m wishing we didn’t purchase those three bottles of wine in Bacharach. I think my pack has doubled in weight since the beginning of the trip. It probably took us an hour to walk to the hostel through the crowds. I will provide details of the scene later.
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At the hostel, we checked into our room and rested our backs. We had reserved a private room back when we went through Amsterdam at the beginning of our trip. It was very nice.
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Also at the hostel, we purchased some Internet time. I received an email from a co-worker saying he had quit that day. Work is going to be a mess when I get back. I am not looking forward to it. But, for now, I cannot let thoughts of the cubicle taint the pure waters of my sabbatical. It is time to check out the party.
Darcy and I started by walking toward the center of the city, and, as I had mentioned earlier, the party is everywhere. No matter where you go, you hear music. Either it is being pumped from a concert, a bar, someone’s window, or a boat on a canal. The pictures will never fully capture the scene because the music plays such a big part in the atmosphere.
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Party boats are everywhere as well. At one point, we saw a traffic jam of party boats at the intersection of two canals. One boat even had a pole dancer. Crazy!
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On Queen’s Day, the city of Amsterdam lifts their regulations on buying and selling, so the entire city becomes a large flea market. Guys selling knock-offs are set up next to locals selling their used items and some guy trying to sell his handicrafts. I saw a lot of interesting stuff. People were also selling food on the streets. I saw a lady offering a bowl of pasta from a crock-pot for two Euros. I purchased a homemade chocolate chip cookie from a random lady off the street. It was delicious!
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Another interesting sight was two guys partying on the top of a tram shelter. They had a table and chairs, boom box, and cooler. They were up there dancing away when we first saw them. By the time I snapped a photo they were lowering items down to the ground. I think they were getting busted by the authorities.
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Ok, time for the negative. Because of the huge party, the sanitary conditions of the city went down very quickly. Garbage cans were overflowing, along with portable male urinals. Some areas were pretty nasty even in the early afternoon.
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We spent the rest of the day doing as the locals were… partying! The people moved like currents through the streets. It almost felt like we were all on a pilgrimage. To what, I don’t know.
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We returned to the hostel for dinner and a rest. We went back out again at about 9:00 and the city was completely trashed (and so were the people). We had a drink at a pub to try to escape some of the garbage and chaos. While we were there, we witnessed a fight outside the door. Some guy got his ass whopped. There was blood and everything. I hope I never get into a fight. I am a small man.
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We returned to the hostel after we had our fill of debauchery. We kept our window open and I could hear people all night long. What a party!
Tomorrow is the last day of our trip. I am very sad to leave, but I am also ready for some normalcy. Our plane departs Amsterdam for Manchester at 9:00 pm, so we still will have some time to spend in the city tomorrow.
Click here to see all our Amsterdam II photos.
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