The "Queen" of all flea markets

It's almost that time of the year again when all enterprising Dutchies mark out their territory on the pavement (with either chalk or tape), and try to sell as much bric-a-brac (read: junk) as possible - yes, it's almost April 30 and that can mean only one thing, Koninginnedag (Queen's Day). For some reason this day is not really celebrated with pomp and ceremony, but rather with a sort of nationwide garage sale!

Just about every inch of the pavement in every city, town and village in the country is taken up with people squatting on rugs selling off mostly useless but strangely intriguing stuff. Koninginnedag is the one day of the year that anyone who is that way inclined is allowed to "set up shop" without a trading licence. A good thing it IS only for one day, as most of the "bargains" purchased on the day will either end up in the garbage by May 1, or be stashed away in an attic or garage to be sold again at next year's festivities!!

One could argue that selling junk is a rather curious way to celebrate Queen Beatrix's birthday, especially given that her birthday is actually in January! But being the good old sport that she is, the Queen decided in 1980 when she ascended to the throne that Koninginnedag would remain on April 30 to honour the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana. I think it probably has more to do with the fact that the weather in January is not really all that conducive to outdoor festivities! Royal spotting is also an important element of the day, and each year the Queen and other royals make an official visit to one or more parts of the "realm" to meet and greet her subjects :-)) The closest she gets to us this year is Den Bosch (about a 20 minute train ride away). Here in Nijmegen we will just have to make do watching it all on television (the broadcast starts bright and early, and continues for most of the day) and with Oranjepop, a home grown outdoor music festival featuring 100% local artists. Here's hoping the fabulous sunny weather continues and I can take some photos of the orange tinted madness to give you a better idea.

Alli xxx