Exactly one year ago, Peter and I came to Amsterdam to scope out apartments. Everywhere we looked there were chalk marks on the ground with names and unidentified Dutch (Dr. Seussical-looking) words. By our last day, the chalk marks were covered by mounds of second-hand clothes, bags and boxes of assorted knick-knacks, and other "treasures". This enormous, city-wide sidewalk sale, we came to find out, was just part of the holiday/extravaganza known as King's Day. No one we met last year could comprehend why we would be flying out on King's Day instead of staying for the festivities. We figured that once we moved here, we would be able to take part as real natives. So for a year, the anticipation has been building for the combination New Year's Eve-Fourth of July-Mardi Gras holiday known here as King's Day.

A few days before King's Day, with the anticipation building, some members of the International Women's Club donned whatever orange we could find and walked in the woods outside Utrecht (at the country home of the former Queen, no les… — A few days before King's Day, with the anticipation building, some members of the International Women's Club donned whatever orange we could find and walked in the woods outside Utrecht (at the country home of the former Queen, no less).

For an American, the idea of whooping it up just because it's a famous person's birthday is somewhat strange. I don't even know when President Obama's birthday is and we smooshed President Washington and Lincoln's birthdays together, for crying out loud. Yet even without our own royalty (or maybe because we are royalty-less) we have an acute fascination with British royalty. Think of the obsession with Princess Di, or with Kate's wedding, or pregnancy woes. My theory is that without our own royalty to admire, we think of British royalty as real life fairy tale inhabitants, Disney characters who walk and talk and have sisters named Pippa.

We don't have the same fascination with royalty from other countries. In fact, I didn't even know the Netherlands had a king or queen until we came last year to have a look at apartments. So I had a lot of catching up to do in order to get ready for King's Day, or Koningsdag. Let's start with the fact that until two years ago, it was called Queen's Day, or Koninginnedag. By the way, if you look at how similar the Dutch words for King's Day and Queen's Day look, you will have some insight into why I am finding it so darn confusing and hard to learn Dutch. But I digress....The holiday was originally called Queen's Day because there was a queen "manning" the ship here until two years ago. Then Queen Beatrix's son, Willem-Alexander, took over and the holiday morphed into King's Day. The holiday started back in 1885, in honor of the birth of Queen Wilhelmina. Since the Dutch royal family is from the House of Orange-Nassau, everyone dresses in orange on the Big Day, and on many other days for that matter. It's not the most flattering color on most people. Actually, when I look back at old photos of King's Day from years gone by, no one seems to be wearing orange afros or face paint. The holiday looked more dignified back in the old days. You can see what I mean if you check out these photos from a fun website, Stuff Dutch People Like: http://stuffdutchpeoplelike.com/2015/04/22/queens-day-through-the-ages/

You may notice that neither King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, nor their angelic daughters are dressed in garish orange. Only the boat is. There's a reason for that. Queen Maxima probably looked in the mirror ("Mirror, mirror, on the wall" et… — You may notice that neither King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, nor their angelic daughters are dressed in garish orange. Only the boat is. There's a reason for that. Queen Maxima probably looked in the mirror ("Mirror, mirror, on the wall" etc.) and chose the tasteful red outfit when she saw what orange did for her skin tone.

Here are some expats in our neighborhood getting into the spirit of things. Their t-shirts read, "Orange is the New Black". Those clever Americans!

So when you want to celebrate in style, do you think of running out and having a yard sale? I don't either. But somehow, King's Day festivities have come to include a giant flea market throughout the country. The sales take on a life of their own in Amsterdam, where folks stake out their territory with chalk days in advance, all so they can display their wares for all to see and (hopefully) buy. You know what they say: One man's trash is another man's treasure. I love this aspect of the holiday. These endless acres of sidewalk sales highlight the down-to-earth quality of the Dutch. And their thriftiness, too.

Tchotchke-lovakia, as we say in the Drucker house. For those of you who don't speak Yiddish, a tchotchke is a knick-knack. When you have a ton of them in your house, beware! It may look like Tchotchke-lovakia. — Tchotchke-lovakia, as we say in the Drucker house. For those of you who don't speak Yiddish, a *tchotchke* is a knick-knack. When you have a ton of them in your house, beware! It may look like Tchotchke-lovakia.

My favorite sales were the ones in Vondel Park run by children. These kids had obviously put a lot of careful planning into the design of their sale. Those Te Koop (For Sale) tents were brilliant. I'd like to put these kids in charge of th… — My favorite sales were the ones in Vondel Park run by children. These kids had obviously put a lot of careful planning into the design of their sale. Those *Te Koop* (For Sale) tents were brilliant. I'd like to put these kids in charge of the never-ending construction projects in our neighborhood, where careful planning seems to be utterly lacking.

These gals were obviously planning on making a killing. Note the large red glass vase used to collect their funds.

I came prepared with coins so I could treat myself to some junk, but I ended up just looking and not buying. There was quite a lot of what Macklemore would consider "Grandpa's clothes" for sale. I have included the clean version of the song. At least something can be clean here. Certainly not the streets of Amsterdam after King's Day, as you will see for yourself later on in this post.

To add to the random, patched-together feel to this holiday, there were also many enterprising kids and grownups offering their services for a euro. These services included having your glasses or iPhone cleaned, throwing a tomato - or an egg - at a person, or playing your instrument for all to hear. I'm told that the son of some Dutch friends of ours made over 100 euros selling coffee and tea. Not a bad day's work for a 10 year old.

This intense young man kept his eyes glued to his music, until a euro was dropped into his violin case. Then a tiny smile crossed his lips for a split second before he went back into full concentration mode.

Looked like a waste of some good looking tomatoes. Most of them missed the man and ended up in the grass. You had to admire the simplicity of this money-making operation.

There were loads of stands selling these Dutch pancakes, poffertjes, with powdered sugar, poedersuiker. It will come as no surprise to those who know me well that I have managed to remember many Dutch words when it comes to food. It's the rest … — There were loads of stands selling these Dutch pancakes, *poffertjes*, with powdered sugar, *poedersuiker.* It will come as no surprise to those who know me well that I have managed to remember many Dutch words when it comes to food. It's the rest of the language that I just can't seem to master. Sadly, the lines were long and I went poffertjes-less on King's Day this year. I won't let that happen next year!

By early afternoon, there was a sea of people outside. The wet weather that had been predicted had changed into a brisk but sunny day, which no doubt added to the number of participants. We decided to brave the crowds in the heart of King'… — By early afternoon, there was a sea of people outside. The wet weather that had been predicted had changed into a brisk but sunny day, which no doubt added to the number of participants. We decided to brave the crowds in the heart of King's Day: the canals.

It was truly amazing that some of these boats didn't sink from the sheer weight of the people and the booze on board. — It was truly amazing that some of these boats didn't sink from the sheer weight of the people and the booze on board.

It was also amazing that no one - at least while we were watching - pitched forward and into the water from either one of the boats or from a bridge. Or maybe that happened after we went home to rest our feet (from all the walking) and our ears (fro… — It was also amazing that no one - at least while we were watching - pitched forward and into the water from either one of the boats or from a bridge. Or maybe that happened after we went home to rest our feet (from all the walking) and our ears (from the pounding American pop music pouring off the boats).

In a sign of just how old I am getting, I have some ideas for a boat ride for King's Day next year. My friend Rebecca - who joined us for our King's Day tour - and I dream of floating down the canals with really good noise-cancelling headphones (to drown out the deafening disco and rap beat), some classical music playing, delicious food, and a spot down below to go read or take a nap when you need a break. This is coming from a gal who in her college days went on something called a Booze Cruise around Boston Harbor. (Don't ask).

This was the scene in our neighborhood at noon, with at least eight hours of revelry to go. On a regular day, the abundance of trash laying about on the streets is a problem here. I was worried that the entrance to our apartment might be b… — This was the scene in our neighborhood at noon, with at least eight hours of revelry to go. On a regular day, the abundance of trash laying about on the streets is a problem here. I was worried that the entrance to our apartment might be buried in mounds of trash before the day was done.

By 9 a.m. the following morning, Vondel Park, the scene of wall-to-wall people on King's Day, was eerily quiet, and even more eerily clean. Clearly, the town was prepared for the garbaggeaggeddon.

No, Casey did not drink the contents of this recyclable King's Day beer glass, but I think you can tell what he thought of all the noise and commotion.

So, all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my first King's Day in Amsterdam. Springtime is full of holidays in the Netherlands, all of which require a day off from work. With King's Day under our belts, we'll soon celebrate Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day) on May 4 to honor anyone - a war veteran or civilian on a peace-keeping mission - killed during WW II and subsequent wars. On May 5, it's Bevrijdingsdag, or Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany during WW II. http://www.4en5mei.nl/english/4_5_may__in__the__netherlands. Then there is Hemelvaartsdag, or Ascension Day, on May 14. I know it's sacreligious to laugh at a holiday involving Jesus' ascent into heaven. I really try not to, but with my 4th grade-level sense of humor, it's hard to resist. Keep in mind that the "v" in Dutch is pronounced like an "f" and you will see where I'm coming from. Finally, there's Pinkersdag, or Whit Monday, on May 25. As you can see, King's Day is just the warm-up to a month of short work weeks. Then again, on my sabbatical schedule, all my work weeks are short. Very short.

It's true we don't have official royalty in the U.S., we do have royalty-ish figures. All of this King's Day hoopla got me thinking about who could possibly inspire the kind of celebration I witnessed last week. Although I was never a big Elvis fan, he was dubbed "The King". And when I did some research about him, I ended up thinking he was really handsome, and a good singer. Would he inspire folks to dress up in orange wigs? Maybe not. But I'd definitely eat some pancakes with powdered sugar for him. Wouldn't you?

When I was little, I was obsessed with a T.V. show called Queen for a Day. On King's Day, I couldn't help but think about that show. Here I am on my birthday, circa 1968, as Queen for a Day. My very own Koninginnedag before I even knew there wa… — When I was little, I was obsessed with a T.V. show called *Queen for a Day.* On King's Day, I couldn't help but think about that show. Here I am on my birthday, circa 1968, as Queen for a Day. My very own *Koninginnedag* before I even knew there was such a thing. I may just break out my tiara for next year's festivities.