Amsterdam on King’s Day: We left the Tialfi by taxi and drove a very long way to the Q-Factory Hotel. Along the way, the driver told us a bit about King’s Day and how it’s celebrated. It honours the king on his birthday and is one big street party in residential areas like the one we were in. Anyone can set up a place to sell anything or to entertain in some way. So we left our luggage at the hotel and set out in the rain to see what we could see. On a nearby square we found a group watching a singer on a sort of small portable band shell. He was good and we found shelter and listened for awhile until he left the stage and no one replaced him. We walked around for an hour or so, passing many informal stands and stuff spread on the ground,that seemed more like yard sales than anything, as well as street food vendors. The crowds were light and it was fun to see the various get-ups people were wearing. Orange is the colour of the day, honouring the King’s family name, and people also sported the colours of the flag -- red, white and blue. Anything goes -- from orange tutus (on men, women and kids), to pants, shoes and fascinators. In the early part of the day, it was mostly families with young children who were excited and happy. We decided on lunch in the café at the hotel. There were very few people there at 11:30, unlike all the other eateries in the area. We discovered that lunch isn’t served until noon, so we got comfortable, shook the rain out of our clothes, and waited. No one said anything or asked us for our order, so eventually I went to the counter, only to be told that they were “closed" and only serving beer and non-alcoholic beverages. So we had coffee and went out again, walking in a different direction. By then the rain had stopped and the crowds were thickening rapidly. Many people were carrying glasses or cans or bottles of beer. 
Entertainers were performing anywhere -- a group of young violinists playing classical music,
a guy in a boat singing and telling jokes,
a guy with several cuckoo clocks and a slapstick routine, a guy with a turntable and very old records. Others were joining in the fun and the street stalls were doing better business. We found a seat on one of the bridges across the canal and watched the passing scene for awhile before finding a grocery store to stock up on enough food for the rest of the day, having a beer and checking into the hotel. It’s a unique one, apparently in an old factory, as its name suggests. From the front desk, we took an elevator, walked through a lobby and a couple of corridors, then another elevator that needed precise button work to line up with the door. The whole building is industrial in feel, with patched-together, worn, mismatched rugs carpeting the halls, and old furniture.
More Photos of the Day
Entertainers were performing anywhere -- a group of young violinists playing classical music, 
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