It was exactly two weeks ago today. For months we had already heard of the Tilburg Fair (Tilburgse Kermis) coming in July...Europe's largest movable fair. 2010 was its 201st anniversary.
Astrid and I talked about seeing it, just to say we did it, as a way to see another city in The Netherlands, shooting two birds with one stone. We had also hoped to meet up with another Vision & Verb collaborator who happens to live there (alas, she was on vacation so that didn't happen). Then one of Astrid's co-workers told her about Pink Monday, the "be gay for a day" day at the fair. WhoHoo. Supposedly it's the busiest day of the fair and has been a huge success since its 1990 inception. If we had had pink shirts, we would have worn them, but it was enough for us to walk the 3.5 km walk from beginning to end holding hands. We do that anyway here in The Netherlands, where being gay is legally "accepted." Besides, there was enough pink around to make up for our omission (click to enlarge and then click again):
We were there on the early-evening end of things, leaving home after Astrid's work and arriving by 5:45...only 50 km away. After eating supper there in a sit-down cafe, we had had enough and were ready to leave by 8:00 p.m., before things got started on the entertainment scene. We knew the drag queens would be in rare form, but that's not what we were there for. We just wanted to SEE it...and not necessarily experience the whole thing. Don't you love that the kids get to see this as though it is just another ho-hum fair! I wondered how many of them had two mommies or two daddies?
What immediately astonished me, to be honest, was my first impression after entering the fair--seeing the incongruity of the main church rising in the background as a backdrop:
Now that I think about it, it's like seeing the Church's blessing on what was happening that Pink Monday.
Astrid's co-worker who told her about Pink Monday grew up with a dad who made and repaired the steam-operated, old-timey rides. So that, too, was one of our reasons for attending the fair. We didn't ride a thing, mind you, but had fun seeing what was before our very eyes:
Are there fairs in the States that operate steam rides, I wonder?
And would Nicholas want to ride one now at age 10!
As fairs go, this was as faerie as it ever gets. If we can't take a joke, I always say! Notice that even Granny Towanda butted in on the scene (even though she's still very green behind the ears).
And would Nicholas want to ride one now at age 10!
As fairs go, this was as faerie as it ever gets. If we can't take a joke, I always say! Notice that even Granny Towanda butted in on the scene (even though she's still very green behind the ears).
Speaking of Nicholas...when Astrid and I fly to Atlanta in October, we will arrive in time to take him to the fair he has attended every year since age 2. We wouldn't miss it for anything. Maybe this one (though perhaps a bit too pink for then!) was a good appetite whetter, getting us in the mood. But then, how can you ever get out of the mood, right?!
