Posts filed under 'Events'
Ice-skating has a long history in the Netherlands, and there is no child in this country who didn’t grow up learning how to skate! Of course this would happen the old-fashioned way: on ‘botjes’ (double-bladed skates) and holding on to a chair to remain balanced.
Traditionally, children living alongside the many rivers or canals in the Netherlands would be very pleased when they could skate to school instead of walk — it would save a lot of time! (And, of course, not everybody owned a bike like in modern times!) Their parents would strap on their wooden skates with leather thongs and skate for miles to go and see family they hadn’t seen in months.
On weekends big tours would be organized, and alongside the canal one could find little stands selling ‘koek en zopie’ — cookies and hot chocolate (or gin for the dads). After the tour, the family would come home to a big pan of ’snert’, the traditional Dutch pea-soup…
It’s been a while since it has frozen in the Netherlands, at least enough for all the natural waterways to freeze. In fact, the last ‘Elfstedentocht’ (Eleven Cities Tour), an ice-skating race that takes place in the north of the Netherlands and keeps every Dutchmen captivated as soon as the temperature drops under zero, was in 1997!
Thankfully every city in the Netherlands will make sure there is an artificial ice-skating rink in their centre. And in Amsterdam there will be five!
- Skating Rink Museumplein: 17 December 2008 – 22 February 2009, open daily from 10 am until 8 pm. My absolute favourite Skating Rink, to be found at the foot of the wonderful Rijksmuseum!
- Skating Rink Beursplein: 11 November 2008 – 4 January 2009
Not far from the central train station. There will also be a little Christmas market!
- Skating Rink Leidseplein: 1 November 2008 – 11 January 2009, open daily from 10:00 to 23:00. Not far from the Vondelpark. Set up in the middle of the cafés and restaurants of the Leidseplein.
- Skating Rink Wittenburgerplein: 6 December 2008 – 19 December 2008, open daily from 11 am until 4 pm.
Near to Amsterdam’s lovely city zoo, Artis.
- Skating Rink Westergasfabriek: 5 December 2008 – 4 January 2009
West of the city centre. There are loads of other wonderful activities in the Westergasfabriek area!
Well, we say: when in Amsterdam, do as the Dutch. So take your children for a skate on one of the many skating rinks (but don’t be afraid to show off your own skills as well)! Skates are for rent at the rinks.
Enjoy!
Esther in Amsterdam
December 1st, 2008
Once a year, a magical event hits the city of Amsterdam… De Parade!
Although ‘De Parade’ does translate into ‘The Parade’, it is nothing like a parade – it is in fact a theater festival, disguised in an old-fashioned looking fair ground!
‘De Parade’ offers a mix of art, theater, film, magic, comedy and music, together with a good supply of food and drinks. The atmosphere is arty, bohemian, easygoing and trendy – every single hip person in Amsterdam seemed to be at the opening night last Friday! It’s a great place for people-watching and having drinks by itself, but the shows are really worth paying a visit. The theater makers now have an outlet for ideas that are hard to find an audience for the rest of the year, so you can see some really special performances here!
One ‘idea’ I saw and thought to be supercool, was a silent disco. About fifty people in an open air disco, all wearing headphones and dancing the stars of the sky, and occasionally all singing along with the lyrics. Such fun! I will definitely go next time!
Every afternoon, beginning at 3pm, there is a special children’s program, with theater, dance, film and workshops. It’s aimed at kids aged 4 to 12, but it’s really a great place to bring younger children too – there is so much to see and experience! There are also some carnival rides that children will love!
Don’t worry about cooking dinner – next to a variety of bars and terraces (all special and cool), you will also find a huge choice of cuisines on the festival terrain: Portuguese, Algerian, Surinamese, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Cajun, soul food, French, pizza, to name a couple… All serving small portions, so great for kids (and for us, as we can try out many)!
Now, let’s hope for some good festival weather the next few weeks!
xxx Esther
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De Parade takes place in summer in the Martin Luther Kingpark (about 4 kilometers south of the city centre).
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Esther in Amsterdam
August 2nd, 2008
Today is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands!!! It’s a national holiday, and probably the most fun one of the year.
We are celebrating the queen’s birthday, and we do that by taking the day off, dressing up in orange (the name of the Dutch royal family is ‘The House of Orange’) and celebrating!
The evening before Queen’s Day is called Queen’s Night, and special events are organized around all the Dutch towns. It’s a good night to go out (if you can find a sitter)!
The real Queen’s Day, however, is fun for the entire family.
The Dutch government allows tax-free sales on this specific day, so the streets in the Netherlands transform into one big flee-market. (We call it ‘free-market’). Prices are super-low, because most people regard it as a chance to have fun, chat with complete strangers and get rid of some rubbish as a bonus! Children love having their own ’stall’ (blanket on the pavement with merchandise) – and in fact here in Amsterdam, the famous Vondelpark is reserved just for children.
There are loads of other activities: there’s theater, music, and EVERYBODY who has a boat takes it out on the canals (we say that on Queen’s Day you can walk over the water — the canals are simply covered with boats)!
It’s a crazy, fun day and it’s 100% Dutch. Happy Queen’s Day!!!
xxx Esther
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Queen’s Day
April 30th
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Esther in Amsterdam
April 30th, 2008
Here in the low-lands, we have a funny holiday called Sinterklaas. If you’re in the Netherlands now, or planning to visit around the 5th of December, you most propably will be seeing some strangely dressed up people on the streets…
St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra (Turkey) in the third century. He was known for his goodness and generosity: he was quite rich but used his entire fortune to assist the poor. Furthermore he was known for his love for children and as such he became their patron saint. Apparently he was also very concerned about the welfare of sailors and ships but that has nothing to do with this. He died December 6 AD 343, and the anniversary of his death has (weirdly enough) been celebrated ever since. In Holland, we like to be different and celebrate St. Nicholas day (’Sinterklaas’) on December 5th. But for weeks leading up to that, Sinterklaas keeps everybody busy!
Traditionally, Sinterklaas arrives from Spain (nobody knows why) on a steamboat (nobody knows why) somewhere in November; in 2008 it will be the 16th. On his boat, he brings alongside millions of presents for all the children in the Netherlands, his white horse Amerigo and many, many naughty ‘Zwarte Pieten’ (Black Peets), who throw candy to the crowds. This event is broadcasted on National Television. At the same time, Sinterklaas arrives in every single town or village in the Netherlands, and all little children go out to welcome him by singing the traditional Sinterklaas songs.
From that moment onwards, little children can put their shoes (yes, traditionally the wooden ones but nowadays even leather shoes are available in Holland!) in front of the fireplace before they go to bed. Sinterklaas will come in the middle of the night, riding his horse over the rooftops, and Zwarte Piet will climb down the chimneys (hense his black color) and gather the hay and carrots that the children have left in their shoes to replace it with a small gift, a chocolate letter, some traditional gingerbread mini-cookies called peppernuts or a mandarin (bad luck I suppose). Of course he only comes if the child has been listening to his parents perfectly well, didn’t wee in his pants, slept through the night etc.
Sinterklaas is dressed as a saint – red robe, red mitre, cross around the neck and holding a gold staff with a big curl in the top. He wears white gloves and an enormous ring with a precious stone around one finger (I guess he didn’t give it all away). He has a huge, white beard. He also carries a big book in which he keeps track of the behaviour of all children in Holland.
The weeks before December 5th, Sinterklaas visits schools, hospitals etc. We welcomed Sinterklaas at my children’s crèche last Friday. Of course the children are initially dead scared of this weird looking man with his black companions but when they understand they can eat as much candy as they like and get presents on top of that, they are even willing to sit on the good man’s lap (Kodak moment for all the parents).
The night of December fifth is when it’s really happening. Children are supposed to sing St. Nicholas songs in the early evening while dad sneaks out of the house and starts knocking on the windows and eventually the front door. When the front door is opened, a basket full of presents is found. In the meantime daddy re-enters the room pretending he has been to the loo (the older the children get, the more of a theater the whole thing becomes)! There are loads of presents for the children and also some for the grown-ups, and traditionally they are supposed to be accompanied by a poem.
When children are getting too old to be fooled by the whole thing, the evening is converted into a ’surprise’ night, where everybody makes each other funnily wrapped presents with poems – all aimed at gently mocking the other person.
If you want to know more about this silly tradition, you should read this article – it is all true, and it makes me laugh every time I read it: Sinterklaas, a Dutch tradition
xxx Esther
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Sinterklaas Avond (Saint Nicholas’ Night)
December 5th
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Esther in Amsterdam
December 5th, 2007
