King's Day 2021

After last year's King's Day was cancelled (on a beautiful, warm, sunny day no less), we couldn't wait for this year's redemption celebration. Again this year we were advised to stay at home still under our partial lockdown measures, but that didn't stop us (or the majority of the NL) from having some socially distanced fun. It was another stunning day so we were excited to get out and celebrate a little. 

Pete has befriended our Dutch neighbor who also plays the guitar. They have met a few nights now to play music together and help Pete practice his Dutch. On King's day he invited us to join his family and a few other sets of neighbors we hadn't met before outside their house. Their son was having a mini free market and they had his drum set out for some entertainment. We really enjoyed getting to know some more neighbors, practicing our Dutch, listening to the jams, sharing Pete's science experiments and teaching everyone Kubb. Add some mimosas (because, orange) and special King's Day cake- a great morning. 

We went from the neighborhood party to Oudekerk aan de Amstel by bike to go to a BBQ at Mark and Petra's. They had set up some fun games for the kids in their garden while the grownups drank in the sun. At the end of the day, Pete and I talked about how nice this year's quiet, Dutch-centric day was. If things had been "normal," we'd likely have spent the day partying with expat friends and would have missed out on the local interactions. Still, I hope that by next year we can really party again!