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Dutch trains sucked more than usual in 2022, stats say

Eva Gabriella
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Dutch trains sucked more than usual in 2022, stats say

In 2022, Dutch rail networks lost all control as train systems suffered 450 causal disruptions. The result? Train travellers in the Netherlands faced the most trouble in YEARS. 😅

According to the NOS, Prorail, the Dutch governmental organisation responsible for the national railway networks, was a nuisance to loyal train users last year.

We guess you can say they weren’t so pro after all. *ba-dum ppsssshhhh* 

Why and how?

Staff shortages, collisions, system errors, and delays do point the finger towards this reputable company.

Director John Voppen, at Prorail, acknowledges that “there is work to be done for the rail sector. Let’s invest in our people and resources to improve performances.”

That being said, Prorail isn’t all to blame. Another culprit was that good ol’ friend of ours — the Netherlands’ temperamental weather.

Good things (and trains) come to those who wait

Voppen’s message is good news for the 1.1 million daily train travellers in the Netherlands. Except, things won’t change instantly.

Rail work will disrupt at least 40 tracks in 2023, so get ready to release your pent-up rage about NS trains in our comments section. It’s definitely one of our readers’ favourite things to do. 😉

READ MORE | People are now throwing stones at NS trains (and it’s not exactly helpful)

If it all gets too much, you can always put yourself on a train that whisks you to another country — hopefully one with fewer delays.

What was your experience with the trains in 2022? Tell us in the comments below!

This literal Nazi TREASURE MAP just got released to the public

Lyna Meyrer đŸ‡±đŸ‡ș
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This literal Nazi TREASURE MAP just got released to the public

Time to strap on your hiking boots, pack your backpacks and get digging! As part of the annual ‘public access day,’ the Dutch National Archives have just published a real Nazi treasure map. 

Yep, you read that right! And the best part? The treasure on the map has not been found yet! 


 or at least that’s what they think. 😏

Will we be rich?

The content of the treasure is said to be made up of four zinc ammunition boxes with valuables such as watches and jewellery, as RTL Nieuws reports. 

Sounds boring? Well, according to Annet Waalkens of the National Archives, the treasure is “worth several millions” đŸ˜±

Translation: “Don’t tell anyone, but I suddenly have an idea on how to find the treasure in Ommeren.”

According to the NOS, the valuable loot was plundered by German soldiers from a branch of the Rotterdamsche Bank in Arnhem in August of 1944. 

READ MORE | Photo report: the Netherlands at war, 1940-1945

After explosions struck the building during the defence of Arnhem, it was said that German soldiers made use of the situation. They put the valuables in their coats, and buried them later on — supposedly right here in the lowlands. đŸ€”

So, where can we start treasure hunting?

Grab your OV Chipkaart, because we’re hopping onto a train to Gelderland. To be exact, the treasure we’re looking for can be found near a tiny village called Ommeren. 🔍

READ MORE | Hidden
 treasure? Mummified animal discovered by new homeowners in Dutch town

But don’t quit your job just yet, because it’s not as easy as we think …

Precisely due to its high value, the Dutch state has tried to uncover the treasure in the past, but to no avail. 

Now the question is: was the story all made up? Did amateur treasure hunters find the valuables? Or
 IS THE TREASURE STILL BURIED THERE?

What do you think happened to the Nazi treasure? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Murderers of Dutch crime journalist also wanted to kidnap Mark Rutte

MihĂĄly Droppa
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Murderers of Dutch crime journalist also wanted to kidnap Mark Rutte

You may have already heard about the notorious murder of crime journalist Peter R. de Vries. Well, as it turns out, there was a plan to kidnap the Dutch prime minister too. 

This information came from one of the key witnesses at the end of last year, who says they heard it from Krystian M., the suspect for organising Peter R. de Vries’ murder. 

After De Vries’s assassination in July 2021, Rutte received extra security due to the ongoing threat, according to NU.nl.

READ MORE: Dutch prime minister becomes target of organised crime

Eddy

The statements of the protected witness (also known under his pseudonym Eddy) are one of the most important sources in the trial so far.

After the murder in July 2021, he later reported to the police in November that he knew more about De Vries’ murder. 

READ MORE: Street named after Peter R. de Vries following crime journalist’s murder

At the time, Eddy was a close friend of Krystian M., and according to him, the criminal organisation was looking for someone who could kill “a journalist”.

It was the uncle?

According to Eddy, Krystian M. was referring to the murder plan as “uncle”. He never mentioned a concrete name, but he concludes that behind the nickname there is Taghi, the person who is also behind the murder of Nabil B.’s lawyer, and that crown witness’ brother.

READ MORE: The Netherlands’ most notorious gangster: Willem Holleeder

Eddy said that, in Rutte’s case, all the references were made to “uncle”. 

Princess in castle 

Princess Amalia, the heir to the throne in the Dutch royal family also received extra security in September 2022. She had to leave her student house in Amsterdam, and go back to the Royal Palace. 

Rutte is also not allowed to eat his apple on the bike now, because extra security also extends to him. 

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is literally in the middle of a heatwave (in JANUARY)

Eva Gabriella
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The Netherlands is literally in the middle of a heatwave (in JANUARY)

Temperatures of up to 17 degrees Celsius have hit the Netherlands this week, making it the warmest beginning to a year on record. đŸ„”Â 

The Netherlands has just broken a record and it’s not one that has us saying gefeliciteerd!

Climate specialist Bart Verheggen told RTL Nieuws that these temperatures are niet normaal and that the same panic over extremely hot summers needs to be applied to warm winters.

This January has already experienced temperatures of 16.9 degrees, setting records for the warmest January day ever measured for seven European countries.

READ NEXT | Minimise your climate impact in the Netherlands: 5 steps

Winter heatwave

In a world faced with a crisis, you might expect immediate action to be a response to such news. Except, 16 degrees isn’t as uncomfortable as 40 degrees in the summer, so feelings are very different.

The nights are even as warm as the days, with “temperatures (that) belong to May or June,” says Maurice Middendorp of Buienradar to RTL Nieuws.

It goes without saying that action needs to be taken, especially when foreign meteorologists label the issue as “the worst heatwave ever.” đŸ˜Č

A European effort

The Netherlands isn’t the only one suffering; the rest of Europe has been dealt the same blow. đŸ”„

“The intensity and magnitude of this winter heatwave are unique in European history,” says meteorologist Colin McArthy to RTL Nieuws.

Ecological collapse

Biologist Arnold van Vliet says that “Ecosystems are in decline,” and that plants and animals are in real trouble due to man-made climate change.

READ MORE | This innovative Dutch “Tree Cocoon” could help reforest the planet

Come on guys: how many more klimaatklever people do there need to be for climate change to be taken more seriously?

Have you been feeling the rising temps this winter? Tell us in the comments below.

Mastercard to replace Maestro debit cards in the Netherlands in 2023

Liana Risseeuw đŸ‡±đŸ‡°
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Mastercard to replace Maestro debit cards in the Netherlands in 2023

Mastercard just announced its decision to phase out Maestro debit cards in 2023, and here’s what that means for you and your geldje (money). 💳

From mid-2023, Maestro-branded debit cards will no longer be available, reports Betaalvereniging Nederland (the Dutch payments association).

Why are Maestro debit cards being given the boot?

Maestro debit cards don’t allow customers to pay for products at shops outside of Europe, and even online payments must be facilitated via the online payment system iDeal.

READ MORE | Transaction declined: why don’t my bank cards work in the Netherlands?

Maestro cardholders, therefore, are often left high and dry when attempting to pay for things abroad as their cards don’t allow them to pay in regular shops outside of Europe.

And, they haven’t usually got a credit card to fall back on (something that only 55% of Dutchies own).

The newer Visa Debit and Debit Mastercards that are currently in the process of being rolled out intend to fix these issues. (Better late than never, we guess! 🙌)

What does this mean for existing Maestro cardholders?

Fortunately, cardholders will not have to wrestle with the beast that is Dutch bureaucracy, as banks will automatically send them a new card sometime in the coming year.

Just over half of all shops in the Netherlands now accept Debit Mastercard and Visa Debit, so they also needn’t worry about being left unable to pay for their essentials whilst the new debit cards are in the process of being rolled out.

What do you think of Mastercard’s decision to get rid of Maestro cards? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Caught red-handed: man tries to steal gas but forgets he’s in a diesel car

Eva Gabriella
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Caught red-handed: man tries to steal gas but forgets he’s in a diesel car

On New Year’s Eve, a man driving a diesel-run car was seized by the politie after stealing gas from a local petrol station. đŸ€­

Employees were suspicious when a car entered the petrol station with taped licence plates.

All was revealed when the car came to a stand-still — the man had filled his diesel-run car with petrol which meant it could no longer drive, reports the NOS.

READ MORE | Dutch woman refuels her car with her husband’s company fuel pass — and he gets fired.

A failed getaway

It’s assumed the man had previously stolen petrol last week
 at the same station. 

The man took off on foot after he became aware of his mistake, prompting employees at the petrol station to sprint after him in a sort of cat-and-mouse chase. 🐭

He was eventually caught and handed over to the police. Hoera!

What do you think about this man’s mistake? Tell us in the comments below.

The first code yellow of the year in the Netherlands due to fog and rain

Lyna Meyrer đŸ‡±đŸ‡ș
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The first code yellow of the year in the Netherlands due to fog and rain

A code yellow was issued on Tuesday morning in five Dutch provinces due to locally dense fog. Noord-Holland, Utrecht, Gelderland, Overijssel, and Flevoland are affected.

According to the KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute), the fog banks may be misleading, as visibility can vary from place to place, reports NU.nl. So, pas op!

Moody weather

After breaking several records over the weekend, the Dutch weather is once again struggling to make up its mind. 🎱

After the fog lifts later on in the morning, the first half of the day is set to be dry, with little sun. 

And it wouldn’t be the Netherlands if there wasn’t also wind. 

While the rest of the country will see weak to moderate winds, wind near the coast will be strong, with guts of wind of up to 85 kilometres per hour. 💹

READ MORE | Dutch insurers reported half a billion euros in extreme weather damage last year

Later on in the day, we’ll also see *drumroll please* 
 some rain, of course! đŸŒ§ïž Temperatures will rise to about 8 or 9 degrees Celsius. 

But ditch the sweaters

Both the wind and the rain are here to stay (at least for a little bit), but so are the mild temperatures. đŸŒĄïž

Tomorrow’s weather will be just as impulsive, with strong winds and lots of rain, and temperatures ranging between 11 and 13 degrees.  

How are you going to spend the gloomy day? Tell us in the comments!

Racist messages projected on Dutch bridge: “White lives matter”

MihĂĄly Droppa
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Racist messages projected on Dutch bridge: “White lives matter”

While most people were celebrating the end of 2022, others decided to, um, project racist slogans on the Erasmus Bridge. Sorry, what?

Sentences like “White lives matter,” “Cheerfully white 2023” and “Zwarte Piet did nothing wrong” were shone onto Rotterdam’s iconic bridge. 

The police are investigating the case, reports the AD. 

Fireworks show organisers had no idea

When Rotterdam’s fireworks show was cancelled due to weather on New Year’s Eve, a mystery projector stepped in, allowing the racist slogans to be seen at midnight. What a way to bring in the new year! 😬

READ MORE: Dutchies completely ignore firework bans, causing chaos and hospitalisations

According to Mark Rouwenhorst, one of the organisers of the called-off firework show, the projection came from one of the apartments facing the bridge. 

“During New Year’s Eve, we already saw a text appear on the Erasmus Bridge as ‘Happy New Year,’ but we didn’t pay much attention to it. We did see that the projection came from a flat, and we thought it was a bit mischievous.”

“The next morning, we heard what happened to the original text, which is terrible, of course. If we had known that, we would have paid better attention to which residence the projection came from,” said Rouwenhorst to the AD.

READ MORE: Dutch church and monument burns down overnight, likely from fireworks

He also noted that it is not possible to project something from such a distance with your projector from standard stores, so it was probably a professional laser projector made for these kinds of purposes. Suspicious! đŸ€”

Called out

Many people decided to grab their keyboards and express their opinion on social media. Twitter has been full of reactions, calling the incident a shame. 

Mieke Megawati-Vlasblom, a politician from BIJ1 Rotterdam tweeted as well.

“It gives a very unpleasant and unsafe feeling. I saw it on Twitter and immediately thought: racism doesn’t stop, not even on a festive day like today.”

Anyone who has information or has seen the projector is asked to report it to the police.

What do you think of this racist performance? Tell us in the comments below!

Dutchies’ New Year resolution? Ditch the three kisses post-pandemic

Francesca Burbano
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Dutchies’ New Year resolution? Ditch the three kisses post-pandemic

New year, new resolutions — and Dutchies are calling time on greetings that include three kisses on the cheeks. 

While the three kisses are a formal Dutch greeting to do when you say hello or meet someone new for the first time, people in the Netherlands are over it. This was shown by research conducted by Editie NL, reports RTL Nieuws. 

The end of kissing

During the research, a survey was organized that included 1042 people of all ages from different regions in the Netherlands. 

The results revealed that only 39% of Dutchies plan to continue this germ-spreading etiquette into the new year. 

In contrast, 67% want to say “doei” to the three kisses. The only exception? Giving three kisses when you wish each other good luck. 🍀😘

Less kissing, more hugging

The research showed that Dutchies have found an alternative to the kissing rule: shaking hands or hugging. Over 20% prefer greeting one another with a shake of a hand, while 27% prefer a good old hug. đŸ€—

Wanting to end the three kisses isn’t entirely unexpected. The pandemic forced everyone to reconsider their greetings.

“It was a period in which we had to adapt very quickly,” etiquette expert, Annemarie van Leggelo, told Editie NL.

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #22: Give everyone three kisses to say hello

The new generation

Van Leggelo reports that Dutchies wanting to make the three kisses disappear was even made clear before the coronavirus, particularly for students. 

“Ladies in particular thought three kisses was too much,” she reports. 

While the three kisses have always been a traditional form of greeting in the Netherlands, Van Leggelo states that “the new generation is doing it less and the older generation will slowly stop as well.”

The Dutch have spoken: it’s time to bring back hugging in 2023!

What do you think about ending the three-kisses rule? Tell us in the comments below! 

Tens of thousands plunge into icy-cold water to bring in the New Year

Eva Gabriella
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Tens of thousands plunge into icy-cold water to bring in the New Year

More than 50,000 Dutchies dived into freezing cold lakes and seas across the Netherlands to celebrate the turn of a new year. đŸ„¶

A tradition known as the annual New Year’s dive (Nieuwjaarsduik) brings people near and far to icy waters in and around the Netherlands. And no, not for ice-skating.

Tens of thousands of men, women, and children with nerves of steel participated this year, bringing past year’s numbers to shame, reports RTL Nieuws. 

A two-year hiatus

The Nieuwsjaarduik was put on hold for two years because of the virus-which-shall-not-be-named. đŸ€«

READ MORE | The New Year’s Dive at Scheveningen: How the Dutch start their year (well, the crazy ones).

To celebrate its return, people turned out in droves for the honour. Of course, let’s be honest, if you’re promised a warm erwtensoep afterwards, then who wouldn’t want to join in? đŸ€Ș

A fresh start

Usually, the water is freezing (a la January in the Netherlands), but at the time of the dive, the participants enjoyed a warm 11 degrees Celsius as of the recent record-breaking temperatures.

But why do these fearless Dutchies insist on plunging into the icy water? Well, they claim that it’s refreshing, floods you with endorphins, is good for blood circulation and the immune system, and is great for your mental health.

Our suspicion? We reckon it’s one hell of a way to cure a hangover.

READ MORE | New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands: traditions in Amsterdam and beyond.

What do you think of this crazy Dutch tradition? Tell us in the comments below.

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