You’ll catch alot of posts out there about Queen’s day. Some writers will talk about the parties, some will talk about the craziness, and others will just talk. I’ve seen alot of national celebrations in my travels; Carnival in Venice, Popular Saints in Lisbon, New Years in Manhattan… all very big and crazy. But none, I repeat- none, has the vibe and the sillyness of Queen’s day in Amsterdam.
To support my case, you need only look to the children. Beneath all the drunkedness, and the techno-crap music blasting from the floating parties, there are in fact many little people who I believe are the backbone of the REAL Queen’s day.
They sing for money…. they sing well.. they sing badly, they sing. They juggle, they drum, or they do that devil stick thing. They make bands and plug in amplifyers to be alterna-rock-jazz stars for the day. They play violin, fife, trumpet, you name it…. give them some change if you like it, or maybe in hopes that they’ll stop. While they are little and an often ignored minority, my theory is that they are the soul of this holiday. They set the pace, the relaxed, silly, friendly, childish spirit that we so often loose along the journey of life.
For my part I had the pleasure of a boatride, city walk, and on the street danceclub with my buddy the Mindcaster. While we took plenty of photos and recorded lots of audio, I must urge you all to go beyond this level of experiencing second hand. Whatever that place you love hearing about, whether its Amsterdam or Rio de Janeiro, you must experience these things first hand. So save those pennies, book the trip, and experience. – Then blog about it, cause it’s fun to read about.
Tomorrow’s podcast will have more on this, and you’ll hear me declare war on something which is brewing in podcast land..