Amsterdam Day 281: Remembrance Day and Liberation Day

Today we participated in the remembrance of the German occupation during World War II.  It appears that all of the Dutch participate publicly in that remembrance.  The main event is the moment of silence where the country shuts down at 8pm.  Cars and bikes pull over to the side of the road.  Trains and busses stop.  And people gathered at war monuments even in the smallest cities remain quiet. for 2 whole minutes.  The main ceremony in Amsterdam is broadcast on TV which is where we decided to participate this year.  Remember, I have a 3 year and I don't think that there has been a waking moment of his life where he has been quiet for 2 minutes at a time.  All I have to say is that it was a very moving cermony, and I hope to be able to participate live at one of the monuments next year.

Here is more information about this two day holiday if you would like to learn more.


The Netherlands has its own way of commemorating the Second World War and celebrating the country's liberation from five years of occupation. Unlike most countries, the Netherlands sets aside two days to mark these events. The first is a day of solemn commemoration; the second a day of public rejoicing with the young at the center of attention.

The Second World War left an indelible mark on the Dutch, who had remained neutral in the 1914-1918 war. Though memories of the Second World War are gradually fading, it still represents a watershed in Dutch history and continues to occupy thoughts and conversations, remaining a constant reminder of the fragility of civilisation and democracy.

Liberation 

Germany occupied the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. The number of people still alive who lived through the war has obviously declined. By 2000, they formed no more than 20 percent of the population. Yet many are still deeply aware of the years of Occupation, the persecution of Jews, Roma, Sinti and other minority communities in Dutch society, and the destruction of Dutch towns and villages. They are also aware of the liberation.

It took almost a year for Allied forces to liberate all the territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, from September 1944 until 15 August 1945, the date on which Japan capitulated. Hence, different parts of the country celebrate their liberation at different times of the year. But on 4 and 5 May, the entire country unites to observe a day of remembrance followed by a day of celebration.

Remembrance Day (4 May)

Since the end of the Second World War, the Dutch have observed 4 May as a day of reflection, a day to honour the victims of war. At eight o'clock in the evening the country unites in commemorating the civilians and members of the armed forces who lost their lives in the Second World War. Unlike most countries, the Netherlands does not mark the occasion with large military parades. People all over the country gather at war memorials in their own communities, and at the stroke of eight the entire country observes a two-minute silence. All these events are broadcast live on television and radio.

A national ceremony is held in Amsterdam, with a memorial service in the historic Nieuwe Kerk in Dam Square, followed by the laying of wreaths at the foot of the national war memorial. The ceremony is attended by His Majesty the King, members of parliament and people from more than 100 organisations representing the different groups in society who were affected by the war. After the two-minute silence, wreaths are laid at the foot of the national monument in Dam Square. The ceremony is broadcast live on television so that millions of people all over the country can take part in the solemnities.

Remembrance Day is a tribute to all Dutch victims of war. Special honour is paid to civilians and to members of the armed forces who fell in the Second World War, and to all Dutch nationals who have lost their lives since, in other wars or in peacekeeping operations. Three special wreaths are placed for civilians who died in Europe in 1940-1945: one for members of the Resistance, one for victims of persecution, and one for civilian casualties. A separate wreath is laid for those who fell in Asia, and another for the servicemen and merchant marine crews who gave their lives in the line of duty.

Liberation Day (5 May) 

The close of the Remembrance Day ceremony signals the start of Liberation Day festivities commemorating Germany's capitulation on 5 May 1945. War veterans gather in Wageningen, where the historic documents were signed, and parade through the city in celebration of the anniversary of liberty regained. Liberation Day is a national holiday. The solemnity of Remembrance Day gives way to joyful celebration.

Special Liberation Day events are organised all over the country. Two highlights of the day are the official launch of the celebrations - held in a different part of the country each year - and the open-air concert to mark their conclusion. Many local authorities organise special events for their own communities, and thirteen liberation festivals are held in different regions of the country, featuring both Dutch and international artists.

National 4 and 5 May Committee 

The Dutch government established the National 4 and 5 May Committee, in which four government ministries are represented. The committee is responsible for organising the Remembrance Day memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony, and the events marking the official beginning and end of Liberation Day. It also coordinates the 13 liberation festivals and runs projects to inform youngsters about the significance of these two occasions and encourage them to take part in the activities.

This information was provided by the British Society of Amsterdam and the Netherlands.

Amsterdam Day 276: Squirrel Bridge

I have two things to say about Squirrels in the Netherlands. First, the Dutch word for squirrel is really cool. It is eekhoorn. Sound it out. Sound it out a little faster this time. It sounds an awfully lot like the English word acorn. Which is hilarious because that is what squirrels always collect. Well I thought it was funny. 

The other thing I found out I discovered while in church. I have no idea what the point of the lesson was (something about working hard without actually accomplishing anything), but I remember this story. Apparently, The Haugue spent a lot of money in a squirrel bridge to help protect squirrels from getting run over on the highway. And up till now, there have been 5 squirrels saved in two years. This also struck me as hilarious. 

Maybe I am looking at this the wrong way and maybe there is a lesson to be learned. This reminds me of another story. 

One day an old man was walking along the beach. It was low tide, and the sand was littered with thousands of stranded starfish that the water had carried in and then left behind. 

The man began walking very carefully so as not to step on any of the beautiful creatures. Since the animals still seemed to be alive, he considered picking some of them up and putting them back in the water, where they could resume their lives. 

The man knew the starfish would die if left on the beach's dry sand but he reasoned that he could not possibly help them all, so he chose to do nothing and continued walking. 

Soon afterward, the man came upon a small child on the beach who was frantically throwing one starfish after another back into the sea. The old man stopped and asked the child, "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving the starfish," the child replied

"Why waste your time?... There are so many you can't save them all so what does is matter?" argued the man

Without hesitation, the child picked up another starfish and tossed the starfish back into the water... "It matters to this one," the child explained

So next time I have a need to tell this story about the starfish, I will use the example of the Dutch building a squirrel bridge instead. 

Here's the article about it if you want to know more. 

Netherlands bridge built especially for squirrels costing £120,000 has been used five times

‘In 2014 three squirrels, and in 2015 two squirrels, were spotted on the bridge'

A bridge built especially for squirrels to be able to cross a busy motorway in the Netherlands – which cost €150,000 (£120,000) to construct – has been used five times since its erection, according to officials.

The bridge was built in 2012 to give squirrels safe passage between the Haagse Bos forest and Oosterbeen, and Clingedel park, and spans the N44 motorway by the Benoordenhoutseweg.

According to The Hague online, the country’s Animal Protection Agency said the bridge would stop squirrels from being run over on the motorway, which had been a problem, and would help their declining population grow by expanding the rodents’ habitat. 

But the bridge has only been used by five red squirrels since it was built, The Times reports.

The number was discovered after a local councillor enquired about the efficiency of the bridge.

The Mayor’s office responded with the statement: “In 2014 three squirrels, and in 2015 two squirrels, were spotted on the bridge.

“This is evidenced by monitoring using CCTV cameras on the bridge.” 

The Mayor added that the bridge had been funded by government using environmental compensation money relating to the relocation of the US embassy to Clingendael when asked whether the €150,000 had been wasted on the roden

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/netherlands-bridge-built-especially-for-squirrels-costing-120000-has-been-used-five-times-a6892856.html

Amsterdam Day 274: King's Day

Today we celebrated Koningsdag or King's Day, a giant party in honor of the King's birthday. To start off the celebration, the city sets aside huge areas for Free Markets. They are basically the largest neighborhood garage sales that you have ever seen in your life. It is the one time of the year where taxes are suspended on the sales of goods for non commercial entities. But it is so much more. 

For as far as the eyes could see, there were booths set up selling clothes, toys, books, and other crap. But there were also people selling handcrafted items, baked goods, french fries, cotton candy, etc..  In addition to selling stuff, children were showing off their musical skills on the violin, trumpet, and drums. If there was not music from the children, there was music from speakers. There were also carnival type games set up everywhere, but done in an organic way by the people instead of a company. The whole things is so industrious and entrepreneurial like. 

For a feel of the atmposphere, think of the energy and excitement of the crowd before a 4th of July parade, and put everyone in orange instead of red, white, and blue. Although people did also have red white and blue since those are the colors of the Dutch flag. People were wearing so much orange and the most rediculous hats. The tackier the better. And at 10am the beer booth was going strong. It was amazing to see how many people were already drinking, or still drinking from the night before. 

After going around and finding so many wonderful "treasures," Ryan stated that this was the best King's Day ever. And this was even with occasional light rain, 41 degree temperature, and cancelled fireworks because of strong winds.

Later in the afternoon, I took the kids up to Vondelpark, the large central park in Amsterdam. By the time we arrived, most of the sellers had gone home, but there were two that were particularly interesting for the kids. 

First, this lady set up a bubble booth. For two Euro you got 10 minutes of blowing large bubbles. The better part was that for free, you could run around and pop the bubbles. After about 45 minutes of bubbles, we moved on to the next booth, but not before we were soaked and covered with soap scum.  

Ryan found a guy that was packing up all the rest of his "treasures" and he told Ryan he could take anything she wanted for free. And so she took many things. And most importantly, she did not forget about her little brother. She made sure to take a Mickey Mouse coloring book because Charlie loves Mickey Mouse. Again Ryan exclaimed that this was the best King's Day ever. And I had to agree, Best King's Day ever. 

Amsterdam Day 271: Day Night to the Tulip Fields

Jaimee and I were able to find a sitter for date night (and when I say we I really mean Jaimee). We had a couple of options: Dinner in the city, a movie, or a comedy club. I thought it would be fun to go check out the tulip fields again, but this time with no children. Just the two of us. No distractions. No bathroom breaks. No fights in the back of the car. And no one to look at me with a disgusted face when I kissed my honey. 

So we took off around 7 at night to go find some new fields. It didn't take long before we found some perfect places to pull off the side of the road and tip toe through the tulips. 

We were able to hold hands and walk through the fields joyfully, like before we had kids. Don't get me wrong, I love the kids, but they are whiny and ruin romantic moments like this. 

We took a little advantage of our time together. Such a romantic place for getting a little action. 

I love this wonderful woman in my life and can't imagine this adventure with anyone else. 

As Jaimee put it as she was taking a picture of me amidst all the flowers, "If you die soon, I'm going to use this picture of you for your funeral."

Amsterdam Day 270: Keukenhof Gardens

Today was our day to explore the Keukenhof Gardens and the tulip fields around Holland. 

We started off at the front of the park looking at flower after flower after flower. Charlie was stopping at every tulip and calling it a rose. I would then say, "No, that is a tulip." And then he responded acknowledging that it was a tulip, just to start the process over at the next rose, I mean tulip. 

The Keukenhof Gardens are surrounded by beautiful tulip fields in various stages of blooming. We of course had to stop and take tons of pictures. 

The best part for the kids was the playground and petting zoo. Nothing like a selfie with a goat. 

And there was a fun maze that the kids ran through over and over again. 

We did manage to get a family picture right after Charlie jumped into the canal. He was hopping from one pad to another when he unexpectedly (although we really knew that it would happen), he jumped straight into the water. 

And here are a few more pictures of the gardens. 

It was a beautiful day filled with beautiful flowers, and we loved it. Or at least the adults did. 

Amsterdam Day 269: Grand Canary Island, Black Sand Beach

We went to this beautiful black sandy beach just down the hill from the resort that we are staying at. The sand is so soft and beautiful. The black rocks surrounding the beach were stunning also. Ryan and I were walking down the beach to the cool rocks when a topless lady walked by. Upon passing, Ryan said, well that was awkward. Cameron ran up to us a minute later. I wanted to know what he had seen so I bluntly asked him if he saw the topless lady. He responded, "There is a lady without a head or is it a lady without arms?"  I just took that as a no that he had not seen her. 

Welcome to the beaches in Spain. 

Amsterdam Day 265: Everton @ Crystal Palace

The second night in London, I was lucky enough to be able to attend my first premier league football game. Actually, this is my first professional soccer game ever. I was very excited because Everton has a player that I actually know off, Tim Howard. He plays goalkeeper for the US National Team and had an amazing game in the last World Cup. But alas, he didn't play this game. 

Still, the energy and excitement in the stadium was amazing. I have no idea what they were singing, since I don't speak English English, but it was exciting. The match was not exciting enough to make me a Crystal Palace or Everton fan, but it did make me start wanting to go watch some professional games in The Netherlands. And ultimately it ended in a 0-0 draw so there was never the excitement of a goal.