Muiderslot

Today was the second major Dutch religious holiday since I arrived here. The first was “Ascension Day,” which marks the day that Jesus ascended to Heaven. Not quite sure why that’s not a bigger deal in the U.S.; seems like it would be in the ballpark of importance with Christmas (birth) and Easter (reanimation). Today was White Monday, and most of the country had a holiday. I wasn’t able to get a clear idea of what this holiday celebrates after a brief Wikipedia reading. But, hey, it’s a holiday. Even if about 40% of the country identify as non-religious.

I joined an expat “adventure” group I’m a part of for a bike ride to Muiderslot Castle, which had some special events since today is also a “castleday”. The castle was about eight miles from Amsterdam, in a little village.

I was a little surprised that there is a Dutch castle so close to Amsterdam. When I think of the Dutch, I picture non-violence and egalitarianism, neither of which fit neatly with castles.

The castle itself was smaller than those I visited in the Loire Valley in France, the Alps in Germany, and Himeji in Japan, but it had the charm of a castle. There was genuine moat, a little area for gardening, and the claustrophobic, steep stair cases that always make me a bit uncomfortable.

This castleday was somewhat oriented toward children. I caught two weapon demonstrations. The first involved an armored knight chasing dozens of children around with a fake sword. The second involved two men (probably the same guys in the armor from earlier) demonstrating actual sword, axe, knife, and poleax fighting techniques.