April 30, 2008

Queen's Day


Queen's Day is a hugely popular day in the Netherlands. Everyone is free from work, and hundred thousands of orange coloured people travel to Amsterdam to party every year. I used to like it too, about ten years ago.

I've been living in Amsterdam for twelve years now, and to be honest I've completely had it with Queen's Day. A walk from Cenraal Station to, say, the Vondelpark normally would take about 40 minutes. On Queen's Day it takes about 3 hours. It's impossible to walk anywhere. All these people are walking as if they're one enormous organism: it's only possible to take a step if all the people in front of you also take that step. It's pretty claustrophobic.

So I'm staying in for most of the day. Still, I'm seriously having one of the best mornings of the year so far. I don't know how it happened, or if something is in the air, but listening to music today seems an almost bizarrely exciting new thing to do. I love it.

Download (Mediafire)
1. Nosoträsh - Arte
2. The School - Let it slip
3. The Kabeedies - Petits filous
4. Soda Fountain Rag - Don't kill the clowns

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