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Believe it or not, the Netherlands is about to get SNOW

Eva Gabriella
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Believe it or not, the Netherlands is about to get SNOW

Fed up with the grey skies? Well, the Netherlands is about to turn white.  Reports are claiming we’re about to get hit with the first snowfall of the year —possibly today!

According to Het Parool a thin layer of snow will fall upon the Netherlands’ head on this glorious Monday. 

But it’s not just today. It’s time to throw on your woolly hat and gloves in preparation for a number of snowy and icy days ahead of us. 🥶

Blue Monday? Never heard of her

The KNMI (the Royal Dutch Weather Institute) and Weeronline report that Monday morning rain showers will undergo an exciting transformation and turn into a wet snowfall as the hours go by. (Listen, we prefer our precipitation in a fluffy, white, wintery form.)

READ MORE | How to survive the Dutch winter: weather, clothing, and more

However, the fluffy stuff isn’t going to cause too much chaos. “It will not lead to snow cover, at most, some snow will remain on cars, the lawn or the garden table,” Weeronline reports.

For now, the snow will keep it brief. At night, temperatures haven’t dropped below zero degrees Celsius yet, which means it won’t stick around for long.

It’s a slippery slope

Slipperiness isn’t on the cards for today. However, there is an increasing chance of ice and slippery mornings later on in the week, says the KNMI. 

By Thursday, the winter days will climax as temperatures are set to drop to -3 degrees Celsius and snow showers will fall all over. 😬

READ MORE | Code orange issued around the Netherlands due to ice and slipperiness

Whether you love or hate the snow, there’s some comfort to be found in this weather forecast. The Netherlands is finally acting the way it should at this time of year after a record-breaking January heatwave, turbulent winds, and many a rainy day.

Will you be out in the snow or keeping warm and cosy at home? Tell us in the comments below!

Plane landing at Schiphol Airport manages to miss the runway

Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
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Plane landing at Schiphol Airport manages to miss the runway

In yet another “holy crap” moment for Schiphol Airport, a Delta Airlines plane managed to miss the runway on Thursday morning.

The plane, en route to Amsterdam from Detroit, had a bumpy landing in the dirt in front of the Schiphol-Oostbaan. 

Now, we’re not saying we can fly a plane any better, but yikes!

Dirt, damage and delays

The incident caused some damage to the pavement and runway lights, resulting in an hour-long closing of the Oostbaan. 🚧

The flight’s passengers surely did not have a good start to the day, but luckily, nobody on board the aircraft was injured. 

On the bright side, maybe the adrenaline helped them power through the day and dodge the jet lag. 😉

READ MORE | Top European airports revealed — but Schiphol didn’t make the cut

After the incident, the plane was taxied to the gate, where its passengers could safely disembark, writes the NOS.

In typical Schiphol fashion, the incident led to delays and cancellations of other flights. And people weren’t happy. 😬

Schiphol’s shortest runway

Schiphol Airport has six runways, five of which serve commercial operations, such as the transportation of passengers or goods. 

The sixth one? Yep, you guessed it, it’s the Oostbaan 

With a length of 2,014 metres, it’s the shortest runway of them all, and it’s mostly used for helicopters and private jets. 🚁

The Oostbaan is generally not used on a daily basis, but Delta’s aircraft had been instructed to land there due to Thursday morning’s strong winds. 

What do you think of this Schiphol horror story? Let us know in the comments.

Hol’ up: Winter is returning to the Netherlands with a vengeance (and a chance of SNOW)

Francesca Burbano
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Hol’ up: Winter is returning to the Netherlands with a vengeance (and a chance of SNOW)

For those dreaming of sunshine (Read: us), you’ll have to wait a tad longer with winter rearing its ugly head for a repeat performance in the coming days. ☔️

Wet and stormy weather will attack the Benelux region, thanks to colder air circulating from the north with a chance of winter rainstorms, reports Weer & Radar.

Beware of the wind

On Friday, there will be strong winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour near the Dutch coast, unleashing their wrath on any unfortunate walkers with umbrellas. 🌬️

Over the weekend, stormy weather is threatening, with 40 to 50 millimetres of rain anticipated. Brr! 🥶

Rain, rain, and maybe snow

At the beginning of next week, a low-pressure area will settle over Scandinavia, sending a wave of freezing air straight towards the Netherlands — thanks, Scandis. 👎

The cold and moist air over the country will cause winter showers, so keep those winter clothes at arm’s reach.

Next week, we could possibly be seeing snow, with temperatures dropping and freezing overnight. ❄️

How are you spending the weekend with this cold weather? Tell us in the comments below! 

Nightmare: hundreds locked in pitch-black NS train for hours with no food or drink

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
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Nightmare: hundreds locked in pitch-black NS train for hours with no food or drink

Is this the pitch for the latest Netflix horror show? Nee hoor, it’s just one chapter in the ongoing saga of ‘look what the NS did now’, featuring a broken train, a failed evacuation, and a horde of angry passengers! 🤬

Roughly a thousand passengers were stuck on a ‘nightmare train’ en route to Utrecht Thursday evening, reports NU.nl.

Departing The Hague at 5:55 PM went off without a hitch, and it wasn’t until the train abruptly stopped that passengers realised that… *dun dun dunnn* something was terribly wrong. 🦇

No light and no loo

In the hours following the train’s breakdown at Moordrecht, weary passengers were forced to endure a complete failure of lighting and toilets.

Running outside to have a quick wee in the bushes was also off the table, with the train doors unable to be opened. (Is anyone else feeling claustrophobic?)

Stranded in the dark and waiting for an evacuation, some passengers took to social media to criticise the NS’s handling of the situation. Check out the darkness below:

Translation: Poor information @NS. It’s been two and a half hours now with no reliable information. #ns #stranded #train

People with places to see and things to do were understandably incredibly frustrated.

Translation: Some bonding time on the train fixed between The Hague cs – Utrecht cs @NS_online. A club of law students having a Christmas(?) dinner can no longer attend, a man who has to miss his wife’s delivery, and cake is passed around because it’s someone’s birthday. What a day

All attempts to tow the stricken train failed due to a defect, and it wasn’t until midnight that passengers were finally evacuated.

Translation: Evacuation #ns #stranded #train @NS

However, even the evacuation wasn’t without its fair share of craziness. After loading all evacuated passengers on a second train, this train was made to wait for permission in order to start driving.

Thankfully, some were able to make light of the 💩 situation.

Translation: Finally at our destination, after almost six hours on the train. Would rather have gone to Paris 😅 #ns #train #stranded

What do you think of the saga of the nightmare train? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

‘Murica! Dutch PM Mark Rutte is heading to the White House

Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
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‘Murica! Dutch PM Mark Rutte is heading to the White House

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Secretary of State Wopke Hoekstra will jet off to Washington next Tuesday, January 17. ✈️

The two are meeting US President Joe Biden, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the White House for a chat — maybe they’re also suffering from a Zoom burnout?   

A Presidential first date

Biden and Rutte have a packed schedule in Washington, with many important things to discuss.

On the agenda are, among other things, talks about Dutch-American economic relations, the war in Ukraine, and further cooperation in the field of defence and security.

The two also recently had a friendly interaction on Twitter, where some less important things were discussed (like, is it called football… or soccer?). 😉 

Besides that, the two heads of state have not had time for a gesprek (conversation) since Biden’s presidential inauguration in 2021.

READ MORE | Hiep, hiep, hoera! Joe Biden wishes the King a happy birthday  

The Dutch-American friendship

Mark Rutte is no stranger to the White House, having previously met up with Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

The Netherlands and the USA have been BFFs for many years, as they have maintained good trade relations, information exchange, and military cooperation. 🇺🇸🇳🇱

READ MORE | Dutch-American history: how the Netherlands played a pivotal role in America’s Independence

What do you think Rutte should ask Biden on his trip to Washington? Tell us in the comments!

About time! Dutch housing prices have DROPPED in the past year

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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About time! Dutch housing prices have DROPPED in the past year

When it comes to housing in the Netherlands, we here at DutchReview have spent much of our time writing about ways to navigate the difficult housing market — but today is different.

Today, the Netherlands’ housing gods (whoever they may be) have blessed us with some good news. Housing prices are actually lower than they were this time last year.

Say what?

Finished choking on your coffee? Ok, great. Allow us to elaborate.

According to the NOS, house prices in the Netherlands have fallen on an annual basis for the first time in nine years. By how much, we hear you ask? Just a glorious 6.4%.

In the last quarter of 2022 alone, house prices dropped by a whopping 3.7%, and this is a trend we hope to see continue. But don’t just take it from us noobs with a laptop and an interest in housing news, take it from the experts.

“The extremely heated market seems to be behind us,” the spokesperson for NVM Estate Agents, Lana Gerssen, tells the NOS.

Biggest price drop in Amsterdam

Check the date — it’s not April 1, so we’re not kidding. To our great surprise, the Dutch capital and its surrounding areas saw housing prices drop the most.

READ MORE | Interest, inflation, and lower house prices: what does this mean for Dutch housing?

Specifically, regions such as IJmond, Greater Amsterdam and Haarlem saw house prices drop by up to 9% compared to last year. 🤯

READ MORE | Gather round, folks! These are officially the best and worst neighbourhoods in Amsterdam

On the other hand, regions such as South Limburg and Twente saw housing prices rise by up to 15%. 👀

Time for a reality check

Ok, ok, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the Dutch housing market, so we’re going to keep it real with you.

It’s worth noting that while Dutch housing prices have indeed dropped over the past year, they still remain very high.

In 2023, you’ll still need to cough up a whopping average of €407,000 to snag an existing house. Want a new build? That’ll set you back an average of €498,000.

READ MORE | 7 ways buying a house in the Netherlands could save you money (wait what?)

While this is certainly an improvement on the €427,000 that was needed for a previously owned home this time last year, experts still believe the market will be tough for first-time buyers.

“The average house price is still over €400,000. Then you have to earn quite a lot, and with the increased mortgage interest, the monthly costs are so high that it is becoming increasingly difficult for starters,” Gerssen tells the NOS.

One word: interest

On top of this, these lower prices are now overpowered by higher mortgage interest rates. Over the past year, the Netherlands has seen its mortgage interest rates rise from 1% to up to 4%.

What does this mean? The higher the interest rate, the lower the borrowing power for hopeful homeowners to enter the market with. In fact, this is part of the reason why housing prices have dropped — people simply can’t borrow as much.

So let’s take this good news with a pinch of salt. While housing prices are lowering, people’s chances of getting a mortgage haven’t necessarily risen.

How have you been affected by the Dutch housing market? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: Jeroen Stoop/Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0

Average rental prices are on the decline in the Netherlands (but with a catch)

Mihály Droppa
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Average rental prices are on the decline in the Netherlands (but with a catch)

While for now, average rental prices are dropping, the number of homes for rent in the Netherlands fell sharply in the last quarter of last year.

More and more people want to sell their apartments, making renting a little less trendy, RTL Nieuws reports. In the long term, it might be even more difficult to find a place to live.

It is nearly impossible to find affordable housing in the Netherlands. Renting is crazy expensive, and the fact that landlords are selling their property that they used to rent out is not helping either. 

Unpayable Randstad prices

Most rental homes are disappearing from the market in bigger cities, especially in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and The Hague. 

The government has put in stricter rules for landlords, making it more difficult for them to rent out their secondary apartments. 

READ MORE: Why is there a housing shortage in the Netherlands? The Dutch housing crisis explained

Municipalities are also introducing local measurements to make it more difficult for investors to stay on the market. 

The municipality’s goal would be to make the rental prices more affordable, but we clearly don’t see the effect of it. Amsterdam alone saw a rental increase of 10.9% last year. 

“What is happening in Amsterdam, for example, is pure market forces: supply and demand are increasingly becoming unbalanced. In addition, we learn that many investors are currently withdrawing from Amsterdam and selling their rental properties, which also explains the declining rental offer,” — said Jasper de Groot of Pararius to RTL Nieuws. 

Do you still have hope that one day there will be affordable housing in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments!

Dutch train conductor warns travellers to watch out for ‘Mediterranean types’ on board

Francesca Burbano
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Dutch train conductor warns travellers to watch out for ‘Mediterranean types’ on board

Several travellers in the intercity between Almere and Lelystad were in disbelief yesterday. The conductor on the train alerted people to watch out for their belongings. 

Nothing out of the ordinary with his remark, you never know with pickpocketing on busy trains. 

However, the conductor continued by stating to be especially “alert to Mediterranean types to come to our country to roam the place.” Niet zo normaal. 😲

A social media storm

After the conductor’s shocking statement, it didn’t take long for travellers on the train to report it on Twitter, rejecting the conductor’s behaviour as a result. 

Translation: Dear NS Online, a conductor notified us to watch our belongings, that’s great! The additional comment that we have to watch out for Mediterranean types who come to our country to roam the place…seems quite inappropriate to me.

Translation: Dear NS Online, can you explain to me if it is usual for conductors to warn passengers of pickpockets on the train with the following statement: ‘They are Mediterranean types who unfortunately poach our country bare’?

NS responds back 

NS Online responded to one of the tweets stating they find the conductor’s remark very inappropriate too.

The NS reported to RTL Nieuws today that they “disapprove of any form of racism. And therefore this call. This is not possible.” 

The NS is planning to interview the conductor about this incident, and the conductor will be summoned by his employer. 

Have you ever had any weird occurrences on the train? Tell us in the comments below! 

Gather round, folks! These are officially the best and worst neighbourhoods in Amsterdam

Eva Gabriella
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Gather round, folks! These are officially the best and worst neighbourhoods in Amsterdam

These neighbourhoods in Amsterdam have been identified as ones you should live in and which to stray away from.

Using a scoring system, analysts at Rentola ranked Amsterdam’s neighbourhoods from 1 to 472 based on several categories.

The judges have spoken

The neighbourhoods were judged on a list of five things:

They made their final decision by sorting through the yearly statistics published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Drum roll, please

The top 10 neighbourhoods were:

  1. Diepenbrockbuurt
  2. Cornelis Schuytbuurt
  3. Willemsparkbuurt Noord
  4. Valeriusbuurt Oost
  5. Banpleinbuurt
  6. Beethovenbuurt
  7. Willemspark
  8. Apollobuurt
  9. Concertgebouwbuurt
  10. Minervabuurt Noord

These neighbourhoods were ranked highly for their closeness to cultural museums, the city centre, and amount of bars and restaurants in their vicinity.

Gefelliceteerd if you live in any of these 10 gorgeous spots. 😍

READ MORE | Where to live in Amsterdam: the definitive neighbourhood guide for 2023

Where scored worst?

We would love to go through them all, but we’d be here all day!

Though we will tell you the three worst according to Rentola.

  1. Hoptille
  2. Amsterdamse Poort
  3. Parooldriehoek

These neighbourhoods are far from the flurry of city life, and have higher crime rates and lower housing demand. 

What is your favourite neighbourhood in Amsterdam? Tell us in the comments below!

It’s over: experts announce the end of cheap flights in the EU

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
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It’s over: experts announce the end of cheap flights in the EU

Are you planning a relaxing holiday in the sun or a business trip to a bustling European city? Well, we’ve got bad news for you.

Experts say that plane travel is about to get a whole lot more expensive.

In fact, domestic plane tickets are set to get €20-€50 euros pricier, according to RTL Nieuws. 💸

European environmental measures will drive up ticket prices

The European Union is tightening its grip on domestic EU flights with a series of emission rules that airlines are obligated to follow.

In order to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, businesses must buy rights, and these rights can be traded internationally. Although they are currently free to the European aviation industry, this is subject to change in the coming year.

The costs of buying emission rights will give businesses a faster push to being more sustainable, says ABN AMRO economist Stef Driessen to RTL Nieuws.

Driessen then explained that airlines would manage these costs by passing them on to consumers.

Ticket prices aren’t the only things going up

If you were shedding a silent tear for the gruesome death of €9 flights to Barcelona, we’re sorry to say that excise duties are also increasing.

To discourage travellers from hopping on a plane, a new coalition agreement has sent excise duties skyrocketing from €7.95 to a whopping €26.43! 😱

A thing of the past

Even though budget airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet pride themselves on offering the cheapest tickets available, this advertising strategy may lead them to incur losses if they do not adjust their prices.

What do you think of this plan to reduce CO2 output? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

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