King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima visit Haarlem!

Yesterday King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima visited Haarlem!  Andrew was able to get home early from work so we headed down to the Grote Markt to see if we could get a peek at them. They were due to arrive at the Provinciehuis at 1620 hrs. (4:20 p.m.) and then arrive via car in the Grote Markt at 1645hrs. We noticed that the Netherlands flag was flying on the Stadhuis and Provinciehuis:

We arrived around 1515 hrs and decided to stop and have a beer and a snack at Stempels while we waited. We finished up there around 1630 and walked over to the Grote Markt. It was very crowded so we inched our way in as close as we could get. There was a choir there who sang as the King and Queen drove up.

We couldn't see anything......except a lot of people!  There were people all over the place.....hanging out of windows: 

Standing on balconies:

And even up on rooftops!

The only way we knew they had arrived was because everyone in the crowd had their cameras pointing in one direction and they turned as the King and Queen made their way to the Stadhuis!  

Soooooo, I took my camera and held it up as high as I could pointing it in the direction of where I thought they were and started taking pictures!  We never did actually see them....but my camera did!!! 

The Bergermeister (Mayor) of Haarlem gave a speech, the King and Queen waved and then left....Kind of a letdown. Everyone was hoping for a speech......
The Bergermeister:

There was an entertainer, by the name of Dolly Bellefleur, that everyone seemed to recognize who went through the crowds shaking hands:

On our way home we saw a few cute families on bicycles!

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Yesterday I was walking back from the Haarlem Train station and saw a swan in one of the canals....and had to take some pictures....it was just so beautiful to see!