Walking home the other day I happened to look up, as I am wont to do, and realized that they were back.
I saw what has now become an annual sight, worthy of mention: the graduation backpacks are up the flagpoles again.
It’s a longstanding Dutch tradition that when you finish your high school exams, up goes your backpack on the flagpole.
Seems we had quite a bumper crop of graduates this year as I counted (and photographed) four backpacks aflying.
BTW, for regular readers, the infamous Catarina (of Orange Lion Better Roar and Learning the Language? Child’s Play fame, among other posts) is pictured in the last backpack/flag photo 
In sharing this particular event, I’ve decided to also share a bit about mijn straat.
Everybody sing along:
This little straat of mine…I’m going to let it shine.
It’s actually rather easy to cast your eyes upward in our neighborhood as the architecture encourages you to do so. Three story, attached brick ritjeshuizen line both sides of our block-long street, a micro-neighborhood within a larger area.
The houses rise tall, slender and proud, like the Dutch they represent.
Trees line the quiet street, full and lush and in bloom.
The sidewalks are fairly wide (at least by Dutch standards), and each ritjeshuis has a tiny, fenced in entry area, transitioning from the public area of the street to the privacy of one’s home and castle.
These spaces are handy for storing bikes or hiding trash bins, and often serve these purposes.
Yet being avid gardeners – and the Dutch truly are – most of these mini-courtyards are well landscaped and used as an extension of the occupants’ living space.
In essence, they function as open air sitting rooms, especially when the front French doors of the ritjeshuizen are thrown open for sunlight and fresh air.
All manner of small trees, plants and flowers decorate the entries.
Some especially talented Green Thumbs are able to coax vines to snake their way skyward up the brick facades.
The end result is that from mid-spring to early autumn, street level is transformed into a parklike setting with verdant greenery and fragrant blossoms.
Bicycles are parked along the fences, children play with chalk on the sidewalks and voetbal in the street.
Elderly residents sit outside to capture the warmth of the brilliant sunshine.
Our neighbor’s kindly black labrador Sig patrols up and down, keeping a watchful eye.
Needless to say that it’s a lovely little street. And home.
Yet this summer there is an added air of special celebration.
As the white banner proudly proclaims, this is the centennial year for our little Ten Hovestraat.
The party is scheduled for Saturday, and we are sorely disappointed to be missing what will be a festive street party with music, games, food, firecrackers and good cheer among neighbors.
I highly recommend looking up every now and then: it gives you a new perspective, and you never know quite what you’ll encounter.
Linda, I am actually reminded of the Madness song, Our House (in the middle of our street). What a great post. Too often what we see everyday fades into a jumbled haze and we miss the simplest and loveliest moments by not paying more attention to what’s right under our noses. Thanks for sharing this little piece of you.
Thanks Kym, I’m glad you liked it. There really are lots of little things that help to make our neighborhoods feel like ‘home’ (whatever and wherever that may be). I always love your posts about discovering new places in London
I love Dutch house designs, so distinctive, so pretty. I was also thinking of the Madness song when I was reading this!
The Madness song is quite accurate, Jack, in that our house is in the middle of our street. I enjoyed seeing them perform at the Queen’s Jubilee concert, by the way, one of the best performances that evening.
Agreed. Much better than JLS (whoever they are?!!!)… I’ve been away too long obviously.
Our house…in the middle of our street…
Jinx!! Must admit until this time of the year I never look up!
So much to see: Dutch architecture (love the various tops of buildings), Dutch sunlight and landscape that inspired the Masters, my neighbor Catarina with a water gun, etc.!
How neat and orderly it all is! And how proud the residents seem of their street. I wish we had more of this in Jamaica… I love the idea of the entry area.
Jamaica has that tropical lushness that is so welcoming. On our walk with our dog Oli yesterday, Husband and I saw a wrought iron-style park bench in front of one Dutch home with freshly painted shiny black metal and the wood a lovely lavendar. Looked so inviting, Emma!
So lovely to see all the green and each tiny immaculately groomed space – reminds me of our neighborhood in Germany – my mother tells about the week after moving in how all of the neighbor ladies were outside scrubbing their concrete steps and sidewalks on a Tuesday morning and she realized she’d better get with the program(me)!
Here in crowded Seoul, most of us live in high-rise apartment buildings or ‘villas’ (fewer than 8 floors). I’m so thankful that our complex includes lovely landscaping, walking paths, benches, and even the most Asian of all garden features – the koi pond…
So true Caroline, Dutch women are immaculate cleaners, inside and outside of the home. I do my best but there’s no way that I could keep up with them. I’m glad this post is getting people to look around and appreciate the esthetics of the culture in which they find themselves. The walking paths, Asian garden and koi pond sound lovely!
This post made me start singing ‘Our house… in the middle of the street…’ in my head. Ha!
That seems to be the consensus, Niki! Glad everyone has such a visceral response.
I love the idea of displaying your backpack, hanging it like a flag to let everyone know you’re moving on in life. It’s a gesture that’s so full of joy and optimism — which is exactly what graduates should feel like! So much more laden with symbolism than tossing it in a dumpster. (although I supposed there’s a lot of symbolism in that, as well….)
It is a proud display, Maria, very upbeat, sharing the good news with your neighbors. Growing up I remember friends who attended parochial schools would sign each other’s uniform blouses when they were promoted from elementary to middle or middle to high school.
Love the “up goes your backpack”! What a great tradition. The photos are absolutely beautiful…. backpacks and structures!!
Seems as though you really love it over there, and I have no doubt why…. it seems so inviting!
We do enjoy it Carol. Of course there are things (and people) we miss, but life is about finding and celebrating the good things. They’re there if we look (and I know you always do).