Happy Hemelvaart, otherwise known as Ascension Day. This is one of those rare Dutch national holidays that is just really foreign to me. Considering how quiet it has been in town today, at least on our side, you’d think that it was a major holiday carefully observed by everybody. The reality is probably that most people are having a quiet, lazy day at home or have gone to the beach to make the most of the slight improvement of the weather. Me? I’ve been writing about alloy wheels. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t feel like much of a holiday for me today.
I’ve fallen a bit behind on updating my calendar of events, but there are a couple of interesting events coming up this weekend. First up the Bier Brouwers Festival (Beer Brewers Festival). It takes place at Molen de Ster on Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m. Entrance is free, but if you want to try the beers, you have to purchase a special glass for €4. There will be eight brewers there with various beers on tap. There will also be food and music, and I’m sure it will be a fun experience.
Festival a/d Werf begins today and runs through May 26. For the next 10 days, the city becomes a stage for all sorts of arts and performances. If you’ve been wondering about strange temporary structures popping up around town, this is most likely the answer!
Finally, starting tomorrow, the Design Route 030 (030 is the Utrecht area code) kicks off. Thirty designers, new and established, will have their work on display in various shop windows and other locations. The event kicks off tomorrow night at 20:00, with an opening party at Winkel van Sinkel. You can walk the route on your own any time to see the different works. It runs through 24 May, and you can find the route on the website. The Dutch do some talented work in the design field, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
That reminds me: all those utterly delicious Trappist ales: Chimay, Duvel and… what’s the one made from raspberries?
They’re what I always wanted beer to taste like.
Ah, happy days!
One of the great things about living here is that those are all readily available, and a lot cheaper than they were in the US!
Hemelvaartsdag/ Ascension Day is not a holiday people observe, apart from the hardcore Christians, probably. Like Tweede Paasdag/Second Easter Day it seems just to be an excuse for a day off
I figured it wasn’t really observed except by the more religious. We were talking with a friend about it all last night and discussing how quiet it was. We decided that everyone had gone out on Wednesday to enjoy the beginning of a long weekend, so they all stayed home and took it easy yesterday.
As far as I know it’s still celebrated in the east/south of the country. But don’t ask me any details
They tend to celebrate the religious holidays a bit more there in general, it seems.
Love this photo!
It really has nothing to do with anything I posted, but it seemed vaguely appropriate for the Design Route reference. In actuality, it’s from a couple of years ago when the Giro D’Italia bicycle race came through town. There was pink (the race colour) all over the city, including some special shop window displays such as this one.
I hope having to write about alloy wheels still allowed you sometime to enjoy Ascension Day.