Throughout the week of Kermis, a number of people told me that I couldn't miss the parade on Saturday. One of R's friends even went so far as to make sure I had the time and location that I needed to show up, since R had stayed in bed for 4 of the past 5 years.
And it was not disappointing - I love a good parade. The flowers on the floats were incredible, and it was set up so that individual kids could decorate their bikes or small vehicles as well!
Liefde voor Harmonie, the local marching band, celebrated its 125th year this year. It is apparently custom for all existing members to join the parade every year, so there were 5 conductors! It also made it very difficult to keep time between the front and the back... This was only noticible when they had to stop and we were right in the middle!
The start of the town marching band
After the band came their float. I should have taken a video, since parts of it rotated!
The super cool float
There were plenty of themed floats, including this one from the roaring 20's.
A friend of R is dancing on the left
Roaring Twenties
And this love float. Notice the guy in the crazy heart suit - this is an OppoSuit, a local dutch company that makes amazingly crazy suits!
The love float
I was also amazed to see some spinners on floats. But it let me know that I could find spinning somewhere in town!
Spinning during the parade!
The last float in the parade was from the local government. They had a fun time pretending to repair the road as they were going by, and had a nice mobile office set up on the float.
Love the juxtaposition of beautiful flowers in the big machinery
I figure my dad would have loved this float!
There was also a French Revolution float that I didn't get any photos of during the parade, but I managed to get some as it was going back to the starting point after the parade.
Managed to get a photo of the French Revolution float on its way back
When R and I were discussing when I should come for my extended stay, he suggested I should come for Kermis, literally translated as Carnival, the yearly festival that I heard so much about the past two years. He had trouble describing it to me, and after having attended, I now understand why. It's kind of like the Queen's homecoming, in that there are a lot of parties and a lot of people come back here for it, but it also includes a carnival like the CNE on one of the football clubs' fields. And, like most things here, there's a very different vibe to it, which I find very difficult to describe.
On Sunday, there was a Rollerblade pub crawl, which we did not participate in. The event struck me as so funny, and it was fun to watch. I figure if I'd participated I would have ended up with no teeth! We went to one of his friends' houses instead, and further onto Cafe Hogenboom, where they had a stage set up outside, and a dj booth inside.
At one point, one of the owners (and R's friend) came around and gave us little white paper hats, and a guy dressed up as a butcher started singing outside. One of R's friends tried to explain the back-story to me, but I've since forgotten the details, which is typical. The hats were fun though...
Sorry about the poor quality
There were events going on all week, but we didn't attend another until Thursday. We went to what was supposed to be a 90's party. I was disappointed that R hadn't told me and I didn't have time to find a costume, but it turned out no-one was in costume and the music was more 70's than 90's, so it was probably a good thing!
On Friday we went first to Cafe Restaurant Heemskerk Jan Punt where we met up with all of R's friends. Apparently this is the place where R often plays Billiards, as there are two tables at this bar. Then we walked over to 't Veen Eten & Drinken, where there was a giant party going on outside, but we went inside where, thankfully, it was much quieter. Later in the evening, a live band (De Tranentrekkers) came on who sang a bunch of Dutch songs, that people loved to sing along to. I, of course, didn't know any of the words, but enjoyed it just the same!
Saturday was the Jeugdbloemencorso, which I will post about later this week blogged about here.
After the Parade, we stayed at R's friend's parents' house for a while drinking, eating and talking. Afterwards, we walked down the main street, and ran into a whole bunch of his family. It was at this point that I decided there was no way I was going to make it through the day without a nap, so R's dad and I walked to their house so he could look after his pigeons and I could have a nap. It was a glorious hour and I felt so energized afterwards.
I met up with R and his friends at a friend's house, where we had a little bite to eat, then walked over to Hoek (the Slush Puppy Edition), a street party run by a number of young people from the town. The decorations were super fun, and the dj's that they brought in were pretty incredible. No surprise I liked the guy who spun the 90's tunes for a large portion of his set!
Giant pineapples at the entrance!
I also had some french fries, dutch style, with peanut sauce and mayonnaise. I hate to admit it, but the mayonnaise on french fries is growing on me...
Yes, that's mayonnaise...
While we were there we ran into R's family. He and his brothers are a little bit crazy, and love watching them interact!
the brothers
After spending some time at Hoek, we walked back along the main street to Cafe de Haven where this amazing cover band, Komen Lopen, were in the middle of their set. I seriously can't even describe how amazing they were - when we walked in they were playing Daft Punk's Get Lucky, and I thought it was an awesome slightly acoustic version that a DJ was playing! Seriously, they're incredible!! De Haven had a floating stage and dance floor set up, since it's a gezellig (i.e. small) bar and the band needed way more room for everyone to enjoy.
Band shots never capture what it's really like to be there...
Thankfully R got a photo showing just how excited I was!
