Today is Queens Day in the Netherlands. Officially it is the 30th of April (the birthday of former Queen Juliana), but because that’s a Sunday the festivities have been moved to the 29th. A bit strange considering that most of the Dutch people have no connection anymore with the religious concept that Sunday is a day to rest.

I decided not to spend the weekend in Amsterdam (the Queens Night is a huge party!), but to go to my parents house. A relaxed weekend, catching up on some sleep and overdue emails. And my sister Sonja is also visiting, nice to see her again.

The weather was supposed to be cloudy and rainy, but for now I am looking at a clear blue sky. But it’s too cold to sit in the garden, with only 10 degrees… As a comparison, Shanghai’s mercury reaches 30 degrees today.