Koninginnedag

Do not be intimidated by the title of this post. It's Queen's Day!

The Dutch language loves its compound words. I always say, why put a space between words if you can get by without any? Like the word koffiepadapparat which if you break down and translate is Coffee Maker which uses the pre-packaged, pre-measured coffee pads. See? It's just much more convenient to say it in Dutch. The word you are looking at up top is one of my favorite Dutch words. The way it rolls off the tongue, after some practice, is just delightful. You see before you the word for 'Queen'-- Koningin; and the word for 'Day'-- Dag. Squish them together and you have Koninginnedag!

Don't be shy now. Say it with me.

KONE-ing IN nuh dakh-- Give that last consonant a great guttural push. Like clearing your throat of an abundance of phlegm. Yes, just like that. Now say it again.

Kone-ing in nuh dakh.

Koninginnedag!

You did it. Now you are pretty much Dutch.

For the scoop on what it's all about you can refer to this Wikepedia page or to this blog post from new reader Marloes. But for the fun of what it looks like, tune in below.

Queen's Day Sights

from The Hague, 2007 shot with my Canon EOS 400D

and

from Leiden, 2006 shot with the old Fuji Finepix A340

Nederlanders turn out in the National color:

Indeed, Orange is the color of the day:

Streets are filled with entertainers:

Flags fly proudly and abundantly:

There is food and fun for everyone:

Bargain hunters are sure to discover something amazing:

Brilliant young entrepreneurs are certain to make the big bucks:

His sign reads: "For 10 cents I will wiggle my ears"

Now, that's a Queen's Day party!