Gearoid and I had planned to have a quiet Saturday night. He had run 20 miles and had a paper to finish and I was resting up for my own 20 mile run the next day. However, we got a call from a friend who was moving into her new downtown apartment and needed some help transferring her IKEA purchases from the car to her second floor apartment. Much to my delight and to Gearoid’s chagrin, the kermis was in town! A kermis is the Dutch equivalent of a fair or carnival.
As a child I always loved the fair or a good carnival. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that some of the charms and magic I appreciated as a child are nonexistent with my adult eyes. There are some things though that no matter what age I am, I will always appreciate. The key is to visit the fair on a warm but not too hot summer or fall evening right when the sun is setting. The bright lights get brighter and the dinginess decreases. I tap my foot and refrain from actually “busting a move” to the loud music that alternates between bad club music and a trashy pop song that I actually recognize. I love the screams of the brave ones who willingly strap themselves into a metal box to be tossed in the air or spun in a circle at obscene speeds. The best part is walking by one of those dizzyingly frighteningly rides and feeling a warm whoosh of air sweep across you as you smile at their self- induced fear.
I was most tempted to ride this death defying ride.
Yes, there are people up there.
Loved the Indiana Jones theme music that played!
I’m always attracted to the games with their expensive $0.50 worth prizes and the people who spend $23 to win one. The act of someone trying to win a prize for a loved one or at least someone they may eventually love is as romantic to me as the night time trip on the Ferris wheel. Both children and adults get excited by the glorious food that is often only served at these special events. Cotton candy bigger than your head, popcorn, roasted nuts, ice cream and an assortment of fried foods line the midway in stands that you avoid observing too closely. The Dutch aren’t as inventive at the foods they fry (maybe because they’re more health conscious?) and instead make sure that the kermis has typical Dutch fare such as delicious broodjes (sandwiches), olieballen (“donuts”), and smoked eel (yum?). I shouldn’t mock the smoked eel when deep fried butter on a stick is a new food at the fair in the States.
Olieballen- This stand smelled delicious!
Old fashioned candy
I’m also used to fairs and carnivals taking place in giant empty fields or parking lots (in more urban settings). Being such a tiny country limits the placement of giant rides and fried food stands in the Netherlands. Plus, most parking lots are underground and fields are being used for farming. The Dutch are really ingenious about how they utilize their limited space. So instead of being in a wide open space the kermis in Nijmegen lined side roads, was placed in corners out of the way, took over outdoor café and market spaces, and edged along the river. In a word it was everywhere. Poor Gearoid promised me a quick look at the kermis but every time we turned a corner there were more bright lights and loud noises beckoning me. Although the Ferris wheel along the riverfront was pretty spectacular, I was more impressed by the clever pony rides that took place on a road behind the library.
As a compromise, we didn’t go on any rides or buy any heart stopping (in the bad way) food but we did walk around for about an hour which for Gearoid’s shaky legs was a big deal. He avoided actually participating and I got a walk down memory lane in a new way.
Yes, that is a little girl in a hamster ball. It was funny until she splashed me.
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