Saturday, 27 April

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.

 The room is long and narrow with 1 high window and sparse furnishings. The beds are comfortable (though awkward to get into and out of), the shower quite luxurious and it’s clean, so just fine. The building is a centre for music, so has studios and concert halls as well as offices, restaurant and hotel.

More Photos of the Day

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28 April - Going Home:  The hotel corridors and elevators were so complex that we lost our way as we were leaving, but eventually made it to the front desk. Our taxi driver from the day before was waiting, as promised, and we were soon on our way to Schiphol Airport. Our driver said that in many years driving a taxi in Amsterdam, he’d never dropped off or picked up anyone at the Q-Factory Hotel, so he was interested in our experience. At the huge, very busy airport, we were immediately redirected to a different terminal, along with a very long line of other travellers. We were most grateful that our driver had gotten us a luggage cart and loaded it for us. When we got there,  an attendant let us know that our flight was delayed by 45 minutes and directed us to the far end of the very large space to check in. The check-in terminal refused to check us in and the staff there had nothing to offer. Fortunately, I spotted and Air Canada logo and found a lovely lady wearing the Air Canada uniform. Since our Lufthansa flight was joint with Air Canada, they quickly checked our bags and gave us boarding passes. Next was security, after another long walk. As usual, Larry had to step aside to be wanded, and my carry-on needed further scrutiny, so that took a little time -- but the staff were unfailingly patient, cheerful and friendly. Then we lined up for passport check, which was automated and easy. Naturally, our gate was so far away that we thought we were in a different country. Larry had had a very bad cold for 3 or 4 days, which had left him kind of wiped out, so this was all exhausting. In any case, we were comfortably settled in the departure lounge a good 2.5 hours before boarding and had gotten coffee and water to revive us. It was a smooth trip home from there. Pearson Airport seemed like a romp in the country after the magnitude of Schiphol. We took our time getting to customs and immigration and both were smooth and easy. Our bags were waiting for us and we easily got a limo to come home. After all the green trees in Europe, it was like moving back a month in time, but here we can still enjoy the emerging leaves and fruit trees in bloom, along with daffodils and other spring flowers that aren’t buried in drifts of snow. It’s always good to get home.

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