I seem to be making a habit of crashing Dutch Embassy functions as the escort of friends' missing partners, but no complaints yet from any party. This occassion was the celebration of Queen's Day

"Queen's Day celebrates the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands and is supposed to be a day of national unity and "togetherness" (Dutch: saamhorigheid). The tradition started on 31 August 1885, on the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, later Queen Wilhelmina. Since 1949, after the ascension of Queen Juliana, Queen's Day is Queen Juliana's birthday on 30 April. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is on 31 January, she officially celebrates her birthday on 30 April. Queen's Day is known for its "freemarket" (Dutch: vrijmarkt) all over the country, where everybody is allowed to sell things in the streets." source

When I lived in Amsterdam working for Mileudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) in 1994, I had an insanely good time on Queen's Day. Most things were on sale for 1 guilder. I picked up, among other things, a cheese fondue set, a set of Dutch-English dictionaries, and even paid a guilder for some enterprising people to pet their dog. Several bands played on several boats at every canal intersection. This year's event at the residence of the Dutch Ambassador was a less wild affair, but very enjoyable. Everyone got a small stick-on orange tulip and the words to the national anthem upon entry, which everyone sang together later in the day. There was some yummy finger-food, including fantastic Dutch cheeses and spring-rolls. Drinks were sponsored by Heineken and Kovacs Nimrod Vineyard from Eger. I particularly liked the Syrah, Pinot Noir and NJK (Cabernet Franc, Merlot and a hint of Kekfrankos) wines. Nice people, the sun was shining, good food and wine - there is no better way to spend a Thursday afternoon in Budapest.

A quick change out of my suit, and it was on to the Marco&Kati concert at Treehugger Dan's to round off the evening. Greg Zeigler (The Last Drops, BRING) on cajon was a welcome addition to the normal duo. Kati's voice gave me goosebumps as usual, and Marco's rendition of Jonathan Butler's "Ocean" on a 12-string guitar was more amazing than usual. I had suggested they do Lori McKenna's "Ruby Shoes," and they did, but I missed it because someone needed to talk to me outside. Please do it again next time!

The Queen's Day theme continued the next day when Lennard and Jeroen picked me up to go to the countryside for the weekend. They were dressed in orange, had packed a large Dutch flag, and Lennard even sported wooden shoes which he was very proud to wear while clomping through the aisles of OBI. Jeroen made a nice salad of new potatoes, fennel, white/bear garlic (medvehagyma), mustard, avocado, dill, olive oil, lemon juice and salt along side some chicken wings and turkey burgers. Jeroen grandly battled an East German icecream maker that was heated up by the motor as quickly as it was cooled by the freezer, but the crystalized strawberry gloop still went down a treat. We enjoyed a nice Ukrainian wine from Oreg Pince in Uzhgorod, an Italian Reisling-Szilvani that they picked up at a wine tasting at Uzhgorod Castle last month - borderline sipping-spritzer. The other was a Syrah 2009 from the French Paul Mas Estate. It is a blend of three Syrahs from three Paul Mas vineyards. Good, dry, blackberry with a hint of cherry.

I finished 2 books between sunbathing and drinking spritzers. Christopher Moore's "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" was one of the funniest books I have ever read. Therefore, I had no reservations picking up another book by Moore. "A Dirty Job" pissed me offe for the first third of the book, and I almost quit several times. The central character is extremely unlikeable, the premise of giving Death a human form and character is a complete rip-off from earlier excellent works by Piers Anthony and Terry Pratchett. I did stick with it, and it did get better, but disappointing and I would not recommend it. I also read "Winter in Arabia," one of a dozen travellogues by Freya Stark describing her travels and archeological explorations, this time through Yemen in the late 1930's. "By 1931 she had completed three dangerous treks into the wilderness of western Iran, in parts of which no Westerner had ever been before; and had located the long-fabled Valleys of the Assassins (hashish-eaters). During the 1930s she penetrated the hinterland of southern Arabia, where only a handful of Western explorers had previously ventured and then never as far or as widely as she went." source The book did not meet my expectations, but like Moore, I am willing to give her a second chance.