POSTCARD OF THE WEEK III: The Netherlands

I get a lot of flack for my mild obsession with the Royal Families of Europe. When I got this card, King Alexander was still only the heir apparent, so it’s in the earlier volumes of my collection.  This card came to me from Anja.

Why do I love following the Royal Families? After all, most of them aren’t even powerful. Like England, many of the royals these days are more of a symbolic presence, with maybe some influence over parliaments or politics. And it’s not even as if they are particularly fascinating people (aside from Diana Spencer or Sarah Ferguson). They mainly keep up their appearances and jobs, rear children away from the public eye (smart), and marry models or children of business people. Many do have charitable causes they work for, but few reach the level of notoriety that Diana Spencer did. I bet most people can’t even name the houses that each country’s royals belong to, other than perhaps Windsor or Amsburg.

I guess it’s one of those things even I can’t explain. But when I look at postcards like this one, especially looking at the three little girls, I just can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy….what spectacular lives they are going to lead one day! Every step they make will either be watched, documented, or at least noted by the general public. With that kind of influence, they could change the world without even trying! How amazing is that?

This card motivated me to look up the history of the House of Orange-Nassau van Amsburg, and now, thanks to that, I have three books on hold for me at my library on King Alexander’s mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. It’s a domino effect, and I bet once I read up on them, I’ll see another name dropped somewhere in the text that sparks my interest, etc. I am quite a biography enthusiast all around.

The Netherlands, funny enough, is on my bucket list of destinations to visit for a different reason: every year, The Netherlands plays host to Red Head Day…where over 7,000 gingers from around the world come together in celebration of red hair, freckles, and SPF-75 sunscreen (I assume). As a natural redhead, I feel obligated to make a pilgrimage to this gathering.