April 30, Queen's Day in Holland, was marred this year by a crazed, suicidal driver who crashed into a crowd of bystanders watching Queen Beatrix and the royal family drive by near the Het Loo Palace.
When we were there, just a few days ago, the palace, garden and grounds were a peaceful, elegant place. The Stadholder William III built the Het Loo (pronounced hut-LOW) in 1692 as a hunting lodge. For generations, the Orange family used it as a summer residence. Called the "Versailles of the Netherlands" the palace is now a museum open to the public.
The town of Apeldoorn, where our guide was raised, is a very quiet, peaceful, orderly town. Four bystanders were killed in this unexplainable act of violence.
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