The guilder has been the currency of the low countries for centuries - this golden coin is from 1751 - it is in a coin collection at the Teyler's museum in Haarlem. But in January 2002, the guilder will be replaced by the Euro. It is a watershed in time - in the old Gouda cheese market next summer, the dairy farmers and merchants can no longer bicker over the price of a kilo of cheese in guilders and cents. In the train stations, the ticket machines no longer accept guilder coins - they are being renovated for the Euros. It promises to be an interesting experience in January when all the circulating notes and coins will be replaced!  Highlights from this year were many country walks (June) of 10 miles or more.

November 17, Sinter Klaas arrived in The Hague. By tradition, there is a big parade with the seasonal characters - noblemen and ladies from Spain, Spanish dancers and honor guard, hordes of fun-loving "black Petes",  and the holy man himself.

On November 10, I walked along the rivers Beneden Merwede and Merwede to the old fortress city of Gorichem (Gorkum). I plan the next trip (by bike) will start in Gorichem, take the ferry to the fortress city across the river, and visit the old castle of Loevenstein.
See the map of the country.
 

The folding bike that I bought has been a delight - just pack it on the train, bus, tram and you are off. At the destination, you are ready for a lovely ride through town and country. It folds up and unfolds in about a minute. The little wheels let you roll it down a train platform, and it weighs only about 20 pounds, but is strong for rough roads and trails. I have expanded my coverage of the country by leaps and bounds with this little marvel!

Horse shows reflect the role of the draft farm horses, ponies, and fighting steeds in the history of the country. Horses are still very popular in The Netherlands, and there are many fairs, markets and competitions. I avoided the formal dressage and hunting-jumping shows in favor of the pony fair (Vries) with a carnival atmosphere, the historic ringrider's competition (Middleburg), and the Power Horse competition  (Veere). There were all really different events and a great variety of fun. Sometimes the ponies have so much fun, they don't want to go home!
 

In late August the heather is in full bloom - time for festivals in the midlands with old dunes, pine and heath. "Lunteren days" is the name of an old festival in one of the local farming communities. It was a big bash and beer-drinking event, but more than half of the folk wore wooden shoes! At the end of the day, the miller folds up his sails and takes down the festival strings of flags flying between the vanes. In  Winterswijk, there is an annual Flower Parade featuring  large floats covered in asters, with decorative highlights from other plant materials.
 
 
 

Throughout the year, there are celebrations in towns for their liberation from the hated Spanish rule in 1572-1574. Leiden was liberated by the Dutch navy on October 3, and for its defiance in withstanding the siege, the king gave Leiden the right to establish a university. Leiden  is still the premier law and medical school of the country. Alkmaar has its festival on October 10 - the children are the center of attention.
 
 
 
 

The Spakenburg Festival Days in July feature ladies in their folk costumes. In this little town, though, as in a few others, (Staphorst and Scheveningen) some ladies wear their local dress to the market. They are very conservative and keep the old traditions.
 

The old ship (skutje) sailing competition spans two weeks in early August, held on the lakes in Friesland. These are huge ships, used as working vessels to haul peat in the early 1900's. The races begin in the different sponsoring towns. The symbol on the sail is the sign of the town - in this case, a standing lion for the city of Leeuwarden (lion's lair). I had a "front row seat" on a party boat which was on the edge of the race course. The racing ships came within a few feet befort they tacked onto a new course. Practically in front of us, two of the ships collided with a loud bang. One lost its bowsprit and had to withdraw. The other, undamaged continued to the finish.
 
 

Hunnebeds are the oldest man-made structures in the country. Believe it or not, they are 2000 years older than the pyramids of Egypt. They were associated with burials. These stone-age peoples dug up the boulders transported by glaciers from the last ice-age, moved them large distances, and built these structures. There are more than 50 in the north-east of the country.

The month of May has been filled with events - some joyous, some somber. The young prince Constantijn was married in the Big Church (Grote Kerk) of The Hague. On May 19, there was a procession, great celebrations and entertainment in the city center, and a full cavalry demonstration.  The crown prince, Willem Alexander announced his marriage date - next Feb. 2, in Amsterdam. The Dutch are now debating if his future wife will be called Queen Maxima or Princess Maxima....

May 4 was memorial day. I watched the wreath-laying ceremonies at Dam Square in Amsterdam.

The day the Ice Sculpture exhibit closed May 6, was the day that the International Sand Sculpture competition opened. Incredible works of art showed mythologies of the world.

The Japanese Garden at Clingendael Park is open for a short time during the late spring. It is an oasis of peace, tranquility and beauty.

May 24-25 was the annual International Potters Festival in Gouda. Competitors from many countries showed and sold their works of art.

May 24 was National Steam Train day. I really enjoyed the journey in a classic passenger sedan drawn by a huffing puffing and tooting steam engine. I enjoyed a country walk between two of the stations.

May is the celebration of Asparagus harvest in the south of the country. The white asparagus is considered the highest delicacy. Schin Op Guil had a celebration, and I also visited the wild orchid nature reserve in the nearby hills.

May 24-2 was the National celebration for Tug and Tow boats. The historic town of Viaden goes all out and the harbour is filled with working vessels of all sizes and shapes. There were river cruises, a big market, and the town square packed with all kinds of exhibits and booths.

The annual celebration of the ousting of the Spanish April 1, 1572 by the Dutch water-beggars in Brielle was delightful, as last year. Keukenhof, the showplace, is really busy, and the tour busses clog the small country roads through the bulb fields. The crocus are finished, but the jonquils and narcissus are in full glory. We had an early taste at  the early spring flower show. The annual flower parade was April 21.
The memorial day for my neighborhood was held on Sunday, March 4. It commemorates a terrible bombing of the area from the later days of World War 2.

I went to Maastricht on Sunday Feb. 25 for carnival - the Mardi Gras equivalent, celebrated in the southern traditionally Catholic regions. It was a blast!