We do not sleep on King's Day

Day 2 - Sunday 26th April

We started off our second day with a search for some pancakes that ended at All Stars restaurant and bar. We ordered pancakes with chocolate sauce and a glass of orange juice each. The pancakes that arrived were massive and very delicious.

Next we had a walk around and headed to the Anne Frank house. We queued for two hours in the cold rain and wind to get in, but it was worth it. It was really interesting to learn about Anne, her family and friends, and her situation. The house just looks like a museum so it was hard to see what it would have been like living there but I'd still recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam. Afterwards we had some hot chocolate in the cafe there to warm us up.

We ate a late lunch/ early tea by the Prinsengracht canal and took some pictures of the area before heading back towards the centre.

Every year people in The Netherlands celebrate King's (or Queens) Day, which is a national holiday in honour of the King's birthday. This year was the first King's Day for the current monarch and was held on Monday 27th April. The festivities start the night before on what is known as King's Night. It's common for people to dress up in orange so me and Amy brought orange 'me in Amsterdam' tops and crown head boppers to wear.



After a short stop back at our hotel to change into our orange gear we went to see what was going on. We found a square with a jazz band playing, which I really enjoyed listening to. They were called Neutral Ground. We had a wander round the town listening to music and soaking up the atmosphere.

Day 3 - Monday 27th April

It's King's Day!!

On this day anyone can set up a market and sell whatever they like, wherever they like, without the usual rules and regulations. We heard Vondelpark was a fun area to go and see this, as it is specifically set out for children. I was impressed with the initiative and talent of the kids there. For example one girl was selling polaroid pictures and a group of boys were entertaining the crowds with their rock band.

After lunch in the park we headed over to Museum Plein and watched a big group of people playing bongo drums. It was amazing how they all kept in time together, especially as they were dancing as well.

We had a sit down by the pond and another 'Iamsterdam' sign then headed over to the Prinsengracht canal, picking up hot chocolate and chips on the way. We found a spot along the canal to sit down and watched the hundreds of boats go past. They were full of people dressed in orange and had inbuilt sound systems, DJs and even live musicians on a few. One boat had a barbecue and a few shot out orange star confetti at the people on the banks. At one point I decided to lie down and shut my eyes for a bit. Amy nudged me to sit up and I realised a man in a boat was talking to me in Dutch. In my dozy state all I could do was stare with a confused look on my face. A girl on the boat said "English" then he said "We do not sleep on King's Day!" Ahh I understand haha. And it's a lucky thing he had said that because my face was becoming sunburnt whilst I was laying there, although I didn't realise it at the time.

Finally we walked along the Prinsengracht and back towards the centre. We listened to a bit of music then headed back to our hotel. I really enjoyed King's Day and would love to go back to Amsterdam to celebrate it again one day.

Day 4 - Tuesday 28th April

On our final full day in The Netherlands, we got a train over to Utrecht and had a walk around there for a few hours. We found a Flying Tiger shop (the same as Tiger in England) and enjoyed having a nosy round, we even got given free stickers that said 'kaerlighed' which is Dutch for love. We were hoping to see some castles there, however they were all too far out of town. Instead we had a nice walk along the canal.

When we got back to Amsterdam we ate out at New York Pizza and had a big bowl of pasta and half a pizza each. In the evening we chilled in the restaurant/ common room in our hotel for a few hours and booked our accommodation for Paris.

J :)