A new round of coronavirus vaccinations is underway in the Netherlands. Bookings open today, and appointments will take place between September 16 and December 6.
According to a press release by the Dutch government, the launch of the vaccination round is meant to protect the most vulnerable groups from the seasonal coronavirus wave.
Specifically, the Omicron variant that’s currently doing the rounds.
Who is it for?
The new round of vaccinations targets people aged 60 and over, health workers, and anyone from a risk group.
However, people outside these groups who wish to receive a vaccine for personal reasons can still request one. This includes pregnant people who are officially no longer considered a category at risk.
The vaccine is free and accessible to anyone registered in a Dutch municipality, regardless of nationality.
How do I book a vaccine appointment?
If you belong to the risk groups mentioned above, you will receive a personal invitation by post. Letters are being sent from today, so yours could already be on the way.
After failing to help a drowning friend, whose death he filmed, a 55-year-old man named Alex S. was sentenced to eight weeks in prison on Monday.
The pair were swimming at a lake in the Dutch town of Rosmalen, in 2022 when the victim asked Alex S. to film him in the water. They had been drinking heavily.
S. continued to film and did not intervene for at least ten minutes while the man’s body remained still in the water with his head bent forward, nu.nl reports.
Ten minutes of footage
In his ten-minute-long video of the tragic drowning, you can hear S. notice when things go very wrong: “He’s dead, you know… He drowned”.
He later told the court that he thought it was all a joke at first; the victim did not ask for help, wave his arms, or struggle.
“Nothing happened for ten minutes. That’s hard to understand,” the judge says.
Eventually, S. pulled his drowned friend out of the water, tried to resuscitate him in a panic and called emergency services.
Eight weeks of prison
The judge found that an initial demand for an unconditional three-month sentence was too severe.
This was taking into account S.’s intellectual disability and the fact it took so long for the case to go to court.
Alex S. will now serve eight weeks, of which five are conditional. His lawyer announced immediately following the sentencing that he would appeal this.
Are you surprised by the man’s eight-week sentence? Let us know in the comments below.
Ever been interrupted mid-leisurely bike ride in the Netherlands by a harsh bell ringing behind you? Craning your head around, you probably spotted the perpetrator creeping up on your rear.
Your initial instinct might be to panic or stop, drop, and roll (word of advice: don’t do that).
You ask, what does this cycling stranger want from me? Are they cat-calling, angry, or just giving a little salutation? Welcome to the mysterious world of Dutch bike etiquette.
What is it?
That ringing sound behind you is a way for a Dutchie to alert you to their presence while not in your vision.
Maybe the bell strikes as you’re about to round a corner, a busy intersection, or still clambering onto your bike (not quite able to swing your legs over like it’s a well-tamed horse). But why?
Chances are, if a Dutch cyclist rings their bell while they tailgate you, they probably want to overtake — or, in some rare cases, prevent you from crashing into them.
The bell is a polite notice to say that you and your rookie international bike moves, while endearing, are a bit too langzaam (slow) for their tastes.
They’re probably about to usurp you with skill and grace that will leave you gazing with admiration.
Why is it quirky?
One reason this phenomenon might feel so distinctly Dutch is that cyclists from other countries are less confident manning the bike lane.
That’s why they usually keep careful 10-metre distances between two-wheelers, and tailgating doesn’t seem to feature in their vocabulary.
But in some sense, it doesn’t feature for fearless Dutchies’ either since their idea of “tailgating” is just a perfectly reasonable amount of space between bicycles — why would we need a word for it?
Once on top of that saddle, they are comfortable getting up close and personal.
Should you join in?
Terrifying and intimidating as this practice may feel at first, it’s certainly thoughtful. What else can they do?
Being overtaken in complete silence would undoubtedly make your blood run cold, not to mention the increased risk of a dangerous collision.
So, it’s advisable that next time you feel bold enough to overtake someone, you give them a similar heads-up before scaring the living daylights out of them.
Have you experienced this Dutch quirk? Tell us in the comments below!
As Dutch radio DJ Serginio Piqué and some friends were driving from Amsterdam to Belgium earlier this month, they were arrested and held at gunpoint by the police. Their crime? Driving the same route as Princess Amalia.
Suspected of following the princess, the royal family’s protection service had alerted the Belgian police about the allegedly suspicious car.
But it all turned out to be a big mistake, as Het Parool reports.
An unfortunate coincidence
So, what actually went down? The incident happened on August 2, when Piqué and his friends were driving from Amsterdam to Belgium for a meal.
Coincidentally, the car in front of them happened to be transporting Princess Amalia along the same exact route, which alarmed her security team.
When Piqué’s group arrived in Antwerp, they were taken by surprise when they were greeted by a team of heavily armed agents wearing balaclavas.
The group of friends was ordered to get out of the vehicle and kneel on the ground. As this was happening, agents were pointing weapons at them.
After arresting and interrogating the “suspects” for one hour, the police eventually realised their mistake.
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Linking five European countries
The seasonal night train will travel from Brussels through Rotterdam, Utrecht, Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck, Bolzano and Verona — before finally arriving in beautiful Venice. 🤌
That means stunning views of the Alps will accompany your journey, making it hard to peel your eyes away from the window.
Live out your wildest Sound of Music fantasies mid-journey. Image: Depositphotos
The full journey will take around 20 hours, with the train departing Brussels at 5 PM and making its way to Venice by 2 PM the next day. Natuurlijk, you can also choose to get off at any of the destinations along the way.
The only catch? Venice will not be a permanent destination in European Sleeper‘s route lineup.
Instead, the new night trains will only run during the months of February and March, departing twice a week as tourists flock to Venice for its famous carnival celebration. 🎉
They say lightning never strikes in the same place twice, but transport workers in the Netherlands do — so mark September 11 in your calendars.
Regional transport workers just announced that they will be striking in the second week of September, NOS shares.
They join the NS train strikes previously announced by FNV on the same date — which means not only will the NS services be down, but so will regional transport.
Morning commutes will be difficult
Those of us with a morning commute will be particularly unlucky.
This is because the strike affects morning hours. The NS and regional transport will not run between 4 AM and 8 AM, so you might want to work from home where possible.
You can check urban transport links in cities like Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam as they will continue to run.
Hair we go again! The 19th edition of the Redhead Days Festival, the world’s biggest event for red-haired people, is about to kick off in Tilburg.
Starting tomorrow, thousands of redheads and their families, friends, and fans are expected to convene in Tilburg’s Spoorpark for a weekend of light-haired fun.
Everyone is welcome
With free admission and a program packed with all sorts of fun activities, this three-day festival promises to be a blast.
There will be music, food, and workshops — all leading up to the festival’s main event, the final photoshoot!
That’s right: at 2 PM on Sunday, all the participating redheads are invited to squeeze in for the festival’s iconic group picture.
This year, the colour theme for the group’s dress code will be green, so come prepared!
A record-winning history
The Redhead Days Festival started in 2005, due to a man’s people-pleasing tendencies.
Breda painter Bart Rouwenhorst needed 15 red-haired models for an exhibition, so he published an advertisement in a local newspaper.
When 150 people replied… he simply couldn’t turn any of them down — so he photographed them all!
Because it was such a blast, the gathering became a yearly event. It kept growing, eventually blossoming into the international sensation we know today. 🍊
Are you thinking of buying a house in Amsterdam? Unfortunately, it’s a slim possibility for those on a normal salary.
Some may be shocked to hear that a listing for a 31 square metre studio has just sold for €185,000.
But what’s even more shocking is that this was the only home listed for which you could get a loan if you earned an average salary (without contributing any extra money).
🥲
Here's to hoping for better days ahead. I'm based in the Netherlands, at least job prospects are fine and taxes are relatively ok – but the hopes of ever buying a house are minimal for me rn
According to Het Parool, the average income of an Amsterdammer is €44,000. And, as housing prices climb, it is becoming increasingly less likely for the average Joe to buy a home in the Netherlands’ busiest city.
However, if you’re a first-time buyer, don’t give up hope just yet. According to the Dutch Land Registry, the number of young buyers in the Netherlands is rapidly rising.
Due to recent changes to housing regulations in the Netherlands, such as the introduction of the Affordable Rent Act and increased interest rates and transfer tax, many investors have decided to sell their rentals.
Let’s be honest: Chinese food is the staple of Dutch people who are too lazy to cook. There’s a massive amount of Chinese restaurants in the Netherlands: from frugal takeaway to high-end floating establishments, there’s one for every palate.
As a culturally aware expat living in the Netherlands, you must have heard native Chinese people complain about the Chinese food here. Ever wonder why they’re being so critical?
One reason is that most so-called Chinese restaurants in the Netherlands that do delivery are not strictly Chinese, but something of a hybrid between Indonesian cuisine and Southern Chinese cuisine. 🍛
Hence, you will see restaurants offering this kind of “Invented in the Netherlands” Chinese food with the apt descriptor: Chinees-Indisch.
Here are some features of this breed of comfort food that Dutch people love so much!
When getting Chinese food in the Netherlands, expect names you can’t pronounce
Dish names are often transcribed into the Latin alphabet, meaning that even Chinese people wouldn’t understand at first glance.
Yummy Chinese noodles! 🍜 Image: Pexels
Despite this, Chinese restaurants are going strong in the Netherlands. “Foo Yung Hai”, “Tjap Tjoy”, “Tau Foe”, “Tjap Ha”, “Koe Yuk” — these are just some words that almost every properly fed Dutch kid knows.
Luckily, restaurant owners are usually kind enough to provide Dutch — and sometimes even English — descriptions of the dishes under the unfamiliar names.
Enjoy meat or fish — and often both!
Europeans, especially foodies, often complain about how meat and fish should not be mixed in the same meal, let alone in the same dish.
Dutch-Chinese restaurant menus may have different sections for meat and fish, but don’t be surprised if you find big chunks of beef in your oyster sauce with your squid dish or pieces of shrimp in your stir-fried pork.
And you know the best part (or worst, if you have allergies)? This isn’t always written on the menu. Some things are better kept a surprise, as fortune cookies teach us.
Expect an avalanche of food
Doesn’t that look delicious? 😍 Image: Unsplash
Some of us may have this experience: no matter how many times you have ordered takeaway, it never ceases to amaze you how much food you are given.
Sambal: you’re going to get it whether you want it or not
You get sambal with your Chinese food in the Netherlands, even though it’s from Indonesia. Image: DepositPhotos
I’ve mentioned that Chinees-Indisch food consists of a lot of Indonesian and Southern Chinese cuisine. Normally, the Southern Chinese influence is prevalent, as most of the Chinese restaurant owners (or their forefathers) are Cantonese speakers from the South of China.
In Southern cuisine, however, spicy food is almost non-existent, because it is simply way too hot to eat spicy food when the temperature hangs around the thirties most of the year. ☀️
Of course, this would not apply to people living in the Netherlands, where summer days’ temperatures are rarely over twenty degrees, or my Dutch-Indonesian friends, who carry mini-bottles of Sambal in their bags. That’s how you know that the ubiquity of Sambal is an Indonesian legacy.
Congratulations! The Chinese food you eat in the Netherlands can’t be found in China!
Given the prevalence of Chinees-Indisch food here, you might think that you would find this everywhere back in China.
But, you would also be very proud to know that you won’t find it anywhere else in the world. (Okay, maybe in Chinatown in Indonesia, or Indo-town, if it exists, in China).
Dutch-Chinese food apparently fits into every occasion. Wait, really?
Chinese Dim sum, who wouldn’t want a bite out of that? 😋 Image: DepositPhotos
I love Chinese food, but I wouldn’t want to eat it all the time.
Let’s say you are invited to a movie night or birthday party or, even Christmas at a Dutch household. You will inevitably run into the situation where your Dutch friends are pouring boxes of Chinees-Indisch takeaway onto their dinner plates.
And best yet, they announce that (surprise!) dessert is going to be sweet rice pudding ordered from a Dutch bakery. (Well, rice pudding is actually Dutch.) 🍮
You can’t blame your Dutch friends. After all, ordering Chinees-Indisch food is just one of the most convenient and cost-efficient meals.
It is the kind of food you won’t mind presenting to your visitors — unlike delivery pizzas that remind everyone of all-nighters in college or shoarma that brings up memories of partying till 5 am and being as hungry as a cow.
At least it fills the stomach without, arguably, making you too bloated, unlike the all-occasion Dutch borrel food!
What do you think of Chinese food in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below!
