Today we have a guest post from Keith Jenkins, a writer living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Queen’s Day
The birthday of the Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix is celebrated each year on the 30th of April. It’s not Queen Beatrix’s actual date of birth but her grandmother’s. Queen’s Day is characterized by a multitude of outdoor activities. Recognizing this, two queens in succession decreed that Queen’s Day should continue to be celebrated on 30th April due to the warmer weather in April.
This is the only day of the year that anyone is allowed to open a street stall and sell anything they want …read more

Theme travel has become a popular reason to travel, whether it is as part of a larger group or independently:  companies who put together tours centered around a theme, or travelers who prepare their itinerary around a given theme.
Opera and classical music buffs will want to consider this Top 10 list compiled by Frommer’s (read the full article for lots more details):

Göttingen, Germany – The small Deutsches Theater provides a cozy venue for opera lovers.  The town is also home to  the world’s oldest Baroque music festival, the International Handel Festival.
St. Petersburg, Russia – The Mariinsky Theater features classical …read more