Thursday, April 27 was Koningsdag (King's Day) in the Netherlands, a National Holiday celebrating the birthday of the reigning monarch in the kingdom. Though some in Suriname (a Republican country, where I'm from) celebrate this day - because of the small Dutch population in Suriname or either just for the fun of it - most don't. As I fall in the last category, this years King's Day is a first for me.
An aunt who has lived here for quite some time, prepared us for what to expect: vrije markt (free market) - where citizens sell used items at a reduced price - parades, performances, games and the royal family visiting a village or city in the Netherlands. This time Rotterdam was honored by their visit.
We started with a morning stroll through the town we live in, to see and experience what it had to offer. The free market was in full swing and we saw music boots and beer taps being set up for later in the day and evening. We then proceeded to Amsterdamse Poort in the Bijlmermeer, where a variety of people with different ethnicities reside(d), mainly from Suriname, the Dutch Antilles, etcetera.
The mood there was festive and bustling, with a live Gospel band performing, sellers and citizens alike selling food, drinks, (used) clothing, produce, toys and anything one could think of. The smell of barbecue and Surinamese cuisine teased my senses and I immediately fancied a good old charcoaled grilled chicken leg and satay (grilled skewered meat).
After seeing all there was to see, we ventured our way to Vondelpark, where there was much of the same: games, free market, food vendors and people enjoying themselves. We did see more of the (in)famous oranjegekte or oranjekoorts (literally: orange craze or orange fever), with people in orange hats, shirts, wigs, you name it. As it was a sunny day people also used the opportunity to picknick in the park and enjoy some music in good company and cold beverages.
Because of the size of Vondelpark (47 ha or 70 acres) we weren't able to see it all and were tired of walking and also felt hungry, so we decided to make our way to another part of Amsterdam. It was almost evening, so most people there either already cleared their "selling stations" or were in the middle of it. There was also a barbecue stand there, but the line was long and it turned out that they just put a batch of meat on the grill. There was no line at the Surinamese type of sausage sellers, so we bought his last batch.