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Let Love Rule

Evening falls over Berlin's Kurfürstendamm Square last Saturday. The German capital hosted the famous "Love Parade," the annual techno music parade that drew hundreds of people from all over Europe.

The event has been scaled back after it peaked at almost 2 million visitors in the late nineties. Organizers have struggled to find sponsors after the city stopped considering the party a "political demonstration" and refused to pick up the tab for some of the cleaning and security costs.

A small group of hardcore fans has continued to celebrate the party each year. Last Saturday, the event took place at this famous Berlin square with DJs Westbam and Paul van Dyk who spun the crowd into a frenzy like the good old times. (Thanks to arjanwrites.com reader Frank for sending me this photo).

Queen for a Day

If you think Mardi Gras in New Orleans is wild, try Queensday in Amsterdam. It is on the last day of April that the Dutch all flock to their capital, dress up in their national colors and celebrate the birthday of their beloved Queen Beatrix into the wee hours of the morning.

I vividly remember the first time I came to Amsterdam for Queensday a few years after I moved to the US. I was showing around some American co-workers and we took the train to Amsterdam Central Station.

This classy structure is usually the home of backpackers, hookers and other young hustlers, but that day a red, white and blue posse had taken over. As soon as we stepped out of the train, we were greeted by a vibrant mass of color, sound and smiling faces. A cosmopolitan mix of tourists and locals was moving like cattle through the city’s tiny cobblestone streets outside the railroad station.