The Dutch are... Explosive (happy new year)

2023 came to a close last night, and let me just say, the Dutch really know how to welcome a new year. 

In the weeks leading up to the new year, I'd been noticing a steady increase in the number of explosions heard during both dark hours and light, but I was decidedly unprepared for the culmination of festivities last night. 

I'll preface this story with another one. Guy is visiting me for a few weeks, and yesterday we thought we'd go into Amsterdam and check out a few things. The plan was to go for one of the free walking tours, and then revisit and get a closer look at a few spots that piqued our interests. Well this plan was foiled, first by  a wrong train (my fault) and then by a desperate search for a bathroom (Guy's fault) which resulted in us missing first the 1 o'clock and then the 2 o'clock tours. 

No matter though, in classic McFeeters-Krone fashion, we changed plans, rerouting for the Anne Frank museum. We were met there with the news that the museum was at capacity for the day (guess we should have planned ahead-- a trait that I do not usually possess). Regardless, we were able to see the outside, and the solemn plaque that dubbs the the building "Anne Frank Huis". I got the same chilled feeling there as I did when I was there two years ago; this feeling in extreme juxtaposition to the hoards of tourists taking turns posing for a "thumbs up" with the plaque. I find this kind of behaviour to be a declaration of if not stupidity, then gross ignorance. 

Anyways. After this second partial fail, we decided we would go check out the Van Gogh museum. On the way however we got a bit distracted, taking us off route, and on a wander through the city. I'll be honest, this wander was more of a two-hour traipse-about, taking photos and admiring the architecture. By the time we got back on track, we realized that the museum was about to close. 

Throughout this whole extravaganza, there were the beginnings of the new year festivities. Every once in a while we'd have our eardrums blown apart by a group of kids setting off explosives in some alley or another. We had to get back to Utrecht a bit earlier than expected because the trains stop running early on new years eve. By the time we got back, festivities were in full swing (or so I thought). 

When we got back to my apartment (partially deaf), things really began to get out of hand. In the front my my place, there were a group of kids with what appeared to be several pillowcases full of fireworks and in the back, people shooting them off from their back yards. Now, I'm not talking those fireworks that you set off in front of your house for the kids, I'm talking professional grade, stuff you'd see at a city- organized firework show. Not only were my neighbors shooting off fireworks, it seemed like every single person (and those in couples too) in the city-- in the country even-- was setting off the craziest fireworks you can imagine. 

There's some scaffolding up outside my window and up until now its been mostly a neussence, but last night it really came in handy. Guy and I went up there and I kid you not, there was panoramic, 30 degree views of spectacular fireworks as far (and as close) as the eye could see. Imagine what the finale of a fireworks show is like. They do all their best work, everything's going crazy, its very climactic. Now imagine that level of intensity, but multiply it by ten, and then have it going continuously for at least two hours. That's not even an exaggeration. Guy and I only ever got off the scaffolding because the fireworks were getting hazardously close to our perch. 

The video above wasn't even taken at midnight. I'm telling you the Dutch are crazy. Most of them, set off by kids. Wild. Happy new year everyone! May this year bring more consistent blog posts.