On Wednesday, August 24, there will be little to no trains running in the northern region of the Netherlands due to a 24-hour strike by the NS staff. None aboard! 🚂
The first day of the strike began at 4 AM and impacts areas the areas of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and parts of Flevoland and Overijssel until 4 AM tomorrow, reports the NOS.
Unfortunately, while this strike “ends” within 24 hours, four more 24-hour long strikes will follow, impacting other areas of the Netherlands throughout the upcoming weeks.
Today, Arriva trains will continue to run between Leeuwarden and Groningen. Though, Freek Bos, the same expert who told passengers to stay home during the NS strikes, says we can expect extra crowds on those trains due to other cancelled intercity trains.
To get an up-to-date look at what’s happening in all the different stations, you can check the situation on the tracks, provided by the NS website.
If, unfortunately, your train gets cancelled due to the organised strike, it’s possible to get a refund of up to €25 per person.
Why is the NS staff on strike?
In short, money. 💰
The trade unions and the NS disagree about a new collective labour agreement which sees to increase the staff’s wages by €100 gross and offer them a one-off payment of €600.
The railway company explains that the demands of the trade unions are going too far as it’s still recovering from a difficult financial situation, as a result of the pandemic.
NS strikes: a location overview
Wednesday, August 24: Northern Netherlands, including staff from Groningen, Leeuwarden, Lelystad and Zwolle
Friday, August 26: Western Netherlands, locations The Hague, Dordrecht, Leiden and Rotterdam
Monday, August29: Northwest Netherlands, including Amsterdam, Den Helder, Haarlem and Schiphol airports
Tuesday, August30: Central Netherlands, including the locations of Utrecht, Gouda and Amersfoort
Wednesday, August31: Eastern and Southern Netherlands, including the Arnhem, Breda, Ede-Wageningen, Enschede, Maastricht, Nijmegen and Vlissingen stations
We don’t mean to derail your feelings, but getting on a train is basically going to get a lot harder in the following next week. 🚆
If you like detective novels, puzzle-solving, and adventure stories, you’ll love a good Amsterdam escape room.
Finding clues, reading between the lines, and thinking outside of the box, that’s what escape rooms are all about.
Escape rooms are the ideal experience if you’re visiting Amsterdam during the rainy season, or if you just want to put your detective hat on and get those brain cells churning. Elementary, my dear Watson! 🔎
We tested and chose these escape rooms based on reputability, user ranking, real reviews, and awards they’ve won. 🏆 Let’s unlock some secrets, shall we?
1. Locked Amsterdam: the Soviet mystery a journalist must solve
What clues did this journalist leave behind in his office? Image: Depositphotos
Locked has two Amsterdam escape rooms on offer and gets extra points for being connected through a masterfully crafted storyline — and a Soviet submarine might just be the key to it all. 🗝 Here’s what they’re about!
🗝 The Submarine
Journalist Hugo Laanen is following a hot lead on a Russian submarine that went missing 20 years ago during the Cold War while carrying a dangerous nuclear load — and which is yet to be found.
But then, Hugo disappears! It’s up to you to find him. You start your investigation in his office in Amsterdam Houthavens, but you’ll end it in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Thrilling!
🗝 The Liebermann Conspiracy
Hugo is back. However, whatever he revealed about the Russian submarine got him into deep trouble.
The brave journalist is in exile (potentially hiding from the Russian secret services) but he’s onto a new story and will need your help!
The powerful Liebermann group is up to some dark and twisted trickery. Hugo needs you to break into their headquarters and find out what they’re up to!
2. Sherlocked: the award-winning experience that’ll blow your mind
An ancient secret is well secured down in The Vault. Image: Sherlocked/Supplied
Sherlocked is on a mission to make the world just a tiny bit more magical. ✨ These guys and their escape rooms have a number of prizes under their belt — and for good reason!
Located in the historical Beurs van Berlage, a historical Amsterdam building, their two escape rooms offer more than a simple lock-and-key puzzle. The keyword is ‘immersive’: you’re not just playing an adventure, you’re living it.
🗝 The Architect
You’ve been called upon to investigate what appears to be the office of Dutch architect H.P. Berlage — but who was truly a member of the Society of the Crossed Keys, a cryptic group of leaders and intellectuals believed to be in the possession of some of the world’s best-kept secrets.
To add to the mystery, since Berlage’s death in 1934 the Society suddenly vanished without a trace — until now. Are you prepared to peel back the layers of this secret and uncover the clues in the architect’s office?
🗝 The Vault
You’re planning a heist. Yes, you. Get your team together, because you’ve got a job to do.
A mysterious object is waiting for you in the Vault. This is not a classic escape room experience, but a thrilling mission that’ll have you sweet-talk guards, crawl through tight spaces and think quick.
Curious? We were too! Our team turned from content writers into highly-skilled thieves for a day and tried it out!
3. Questomatica: the tech-savvy riddles that gamers will love
Ever thought of entering the world of 90s arcade games? Image: Depositphotos
If it’s your ultimate dream to enter a video game in real life, then Questomatica and their escape rooms open up portals that’ll transport you straight into pixel land. 👾
Through the clever use of light and technology, Questomatica fuses non-digital and virtual reality into real-life gaming experiences. This company has collected over 1,000 reviews on Tripadvisor — and more than 900 indicate a five-star ranking!
🗝 Arcade Invasion
Loved playing Pac-Man and Snake in the 90s? Well, then this experience is a dream come true.
Fight two-dimensional pixelated enemies with laser guns, open brick question boxes (Mario says, hi), and puzzle yourself out of this computerised reality!
Especially for the more seasoned escape room cracks amongst you, this is definitely an experience worth checking out.
🗝 Wake Up!
Are you living the dream? Well, at least for this experience you are. Questomatica allows you to dive straight into the dreamworld of Matilda.
Matilda is usually a happy and cheerful girl, but her dreams of this particular night are filled with illusions, puzzles, and warped realities. Can you help her wake up?
4. Logic Locks: the time capsule for daring explorers and brave adventurers
Solving the “Amsterdam Catacombs” escape room requires a lot of skulls…ehm, skills. / Image: Freepik
Logic Locks has quite the name amongst Amsterdam escape rooms. Their award-winning experiences immerse you entirely into their respective worlds because of their stunning attention to detail, lifelike props, and intricate storylines.
🗝 The Amsterdam Catacombs
This escape room is not for the faint-hearted. But if you’re a true-and-tested horror fan or fearless adventurer, then you’ve met your match.
Logic Locks specifically has a disclaimer for this room, warning players that you must be “mentally stable and physically fit” to enjoy this experience!
This adventure will lead you deep into the catacombs of the historic Posthoornkerk, a church located in the city centre. In order to escape the claws of the Amsterdam underground, you’ll have to face some of your biggest fears… ☠️ Are you ready?
6. Xitrooms: the mad scientist that left you his secrets
Watch out, it’ss explode any second! Image: Depositphotos
Xitrooms claim to have the first-ever escape room in the Netherlands. While we can’t tell you if it’s true or not, we can confirm their offering is top-notch.
Xitrooms offer a classic lock-and-key puzzle for both of their escape rooms. Great for beginners!
🗝 Professor X
You’re trapped in the science lab of a mad professor and you gotta get out! His twisted, genius mind has left many riddles and clues for you behind to solve.
One question remains: what is the result of his madness and what will actually help you escape?
🗝 Madam X
You’re on a mission: cracking a safe that holds a 69-carat diamond.
But here’s the catch: the diamond belongs to the oldest sister of Professor X and she’s asked her brilliant brother to build the safe.
Will you be able to outsmart the professor and crack the code?
If you like art, sophisticated puzzles and a good challenge, then Escapist has an Amsterdam escape room in store for you that’ll have you guessing until the very end!
🗝 The Gallery is a state-of-the-art escape room that builds upon a totally unique storyline: an unknown art dealer, a never-seen-before collection, and an art gallery that isn’t quite what it seems…
8. My Escape Club: the ultimate place for Sci-Fi lovers
Welcome to the world of Steampunk, dear traveller. Image: Depositphotos
Dystopian worlds, secret societies, and rusty time machines. My Escape Club has built three unique Amsterdam escape rooms that’ll tickle the fancy of every fantasy and sci-fi lover.
🗝 Judgement Day: in a dystopian future, humanity is about to lose the war against deadly machines, but a bunker might hold the weapon that’ll save us all.
🗝 The Curse: a mansion in Amsterdam is supposedly haunted by the remnants of dark magic and the ghosts of its past — are you brave enough to find out if this is true?
🗝 Steampunk Adventure: a time machine transports you back to the Steampunk World but will you be able to leave this parallel universe?
My Escape Club also offers VR experiences and real-life action games that reach far beyond the traditional escape room adventure. An added plus: all experiences come with some of the cheapest prices on the list!
9. Game Over: the dream-come-true of every movie fanatic
What’s hiding deep inside the Aztec temple? Image: Depositphotos
Last, but very much not least, Game Over is coming at you with six fantastical escape rooms that are heavily inspired by popular TV shows and movies.
Ever wanted to explore a cursed temple-like Indiana Jones? Plot a heist like the crew of Netflix classic La Casa De Papel? Or test your survival skills in a setting inspired by the Walking Dead? Game Over is where it’s at.
🗝 The House Next Door: enter a haunted house from which no one has ever returned and summon its demons.
🗝 La Misión del Profesor: you thought your planned heist was bulletproof — but then the safe doors close and you’re put to a brutal test.
🗝 Maniac: I want to play a game: you’ve fallen into the hands of the maniac Jigsaw and you can only survive if you escape his twisted game.
🗝 Forbidden Temple of Montezuma: the mystery disappearance of an Archeology professor leads you deep inside an Aztec temple.
🗝 Top Secret: you’ve been smuggled into the parliament’s building to complete a top secret service mission in under 60 minutes.
🗝 Walking Death: as one of the last remaining survivors, you’re trying to establish a safe settlement in a post-apocalyptic and zombie-invested world.
New findings from the Comprehensive Care Center of the Netherlands (IKNL) show that the chances of surviving cancer are increasing in recent years. 🥳
Thanks to modern treatments and faster diagnoses, 66% of cancer patients remained alive in the first five years after diagnosis between 2011 and 2022.
In comparison to the years 2001 and 2010, survival rates of Dutch cancer patients five years after being diagnosed were stagnating at 58%.
However, this is only just the beginning! Dutch experts expect that the survival rate will keep increasing, AD reports.
To what do we owe the good news?
In a nutshell, cutting-edge techniques and modern-day medicine! 👩⚕️
Today, there are better surgeries for certain cancer treatments and higher accessibility to pre- and post-treatments with radiation or chemotherapy.
What do we want? A world where cancer is completely curable. Image: Depositphotos
Unfortunately, the number of people falling at the hands of cancer is also on the rise. For instance, more than 123,000 Dutch people were diagnosed with the disease last year.
Differences among cancer types
As we all know, the survival rates differ depending on the cancer type a patient has.
For example, more than 90% of patients with skin cancer were still alive after five years, while the prognosis for people with pancreatic cancer is just 5%.
However, with better treatments available and earlier diagnoses, the IKNL expects the survival rate to soar in the upcoming years.
It may be small, but it means that we are one step closer to winning the fight against cancer. 👊
From next winter, we’ll be seeing sky-high fares for flights in and outside of Europe. So, fasten your seatbelts and your wallets, it’s going to be a costly ride! 🛫
Unless you’re considering renting a camper van for your upcoming trip to Italy, transportation is going to cost you an arm and a leg.
This isn’t to say that travelling on a budget is a thing of the past. However, it’s not hard to wonder why all these flights are becoming so much more expensive.
More expensive? Why?!
According to De Telegraaf, it all boils down to the sharp increase in airport charges, the flight tax, a soaring price tag on kerosene, and a plummeting euro exchange rate.
The airport charges at Schiphol rose by 37% — which brings the flight tax up from €8 to €24.
The exchange rate of the dollar, which has steeply risen against the euro, doesn’t do airfares any good either. If the euro continues to tumble, it’ll affect fuel costs, and airlines will have no choice but to bring out the big bucks. 💸
Kerosene plays the ultimate role in soaring airfares
While this certainly did a number on flight prices, it’s the cost of kerosene that will leave those charges surging — which rose by a whopping 50% since the beginning of the year. 😲
Air France-KLM holds out hope that the cost of kerosene won’t lead to more expensive tickets, but society deems otherwise and foresees it almost doubling in the next year.
Was going to say that I left lots of things unfinished today, but at least I booked my flight. And then I remembered I just compared the prices and didn’t book any flights. 🙂
At least it’ll do good by one thing (and one thing only): more expensive plane fuel means less desire for air flight, meaning less damage to the environment. 🌳
“Because the price for alternative kerosene is linked to that of regular kerosene. It is a pity that the government does not allow the flight tax to flow back into a contribution for cleaner aviation,” CEO of Transavia, Marcel de Nooijer, tells De Telegraaf.
Ticket prices for dirt-cheap airlines also given an extra boost
The CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, expects the average ticket price for chintzy flights to rise from €40 to €50 in the coming winter.
With that being said, it might be worthwhile to save your wallet from impending doom and travel more affordably.
However, if you opt to stomach the higher costs in an effort to fly overseas, we wish you luck in searching for those ultra-rare flight deals. 😬
What do you think about the upcoming increase in flight tickets? Tell us in the comments below! 👇
The Dutch weather is keeping us on our toes with a couple of surprise showers this week, but make no mistake: the summer season is not over yet. ☀️
Yesterday, the week started on a pretty sunny note, while today’s skies will see a few clouds in the morning.
We just woke up to 14 to 17 degrees and some local showers here in the Netherlands, but we can expect a warm and dry afternoon, with up to 31 degrees and little wind.
Grab the sunscreen (again…)
From Wednesday, you’ll have to start preparing for hot-hot-hot and dry weather, according to Weerplaza.
The sun will be bright, the wind will be calm, and the temperatures will stay in the high twenties to low thirties almost everywhere in the country.
Thursday will be the hottest day of the week, with tropical conditions in some areas, so don’t forget the sunscreen! 🧴
After the sun comes… uncertainty
Friday is still an uncertain case, but chances are that it’ll stay quite hot. However, as we’ve seen before, several warm and dry days in a row means that some thunderstorms might be on the horizon.
Unfortunately, if you think a shower on Friday will get us out of the depressing drought we’ve been in for the past few weeks, you’re mistaken.
The rain might not even bless us with its presence, and if it does, it’ll probably just be small, local falls.
Will the summer end soon?
The weekend is (also) uncertain, but at least the weather will be much cooler than the rest of the week — at least on the coast. We can hope for some rain — though a thunderstorm or two is also not unlikely.
However, most rain showers will probably fall in our neighbouring countries before the clouds reach us here in the Netherlands. We’ll simply have to wait and see, and accept the uncertain weather conditions like the good Dutchies that we are!
What are your plans for this week? As uncertain as the Dutch weather? Tell us in the comments below!
As we all know by now, the NS is about to roll out regional strikes throughout the next two weeks. However, some of us were probably thinking: but I’m good to travel when it’s not in my region, right?
Wrong. According to the Dutch travel organisation, Rover, those of us hoping to catch a train on any of the strike days should pack up our dreams and stay home, De Telegraaf reports.
If one region stops, they all struggle
According to the director of Rover, Freek Bos, we all need to look at the bigger picture. If one region stops working, this means chaos for the rest of them — and headaches for travellers.
Speaking with De Telegraaf, Bos explains that “in principle, this concerns personnel north of the Lelystad-Zwolle line. But if, for example, there are trains at a shunting yard in Lelystad that should actually run in Brabant, they won’t make it there either. The whole thing can go wrong.”
Either stay home or risk getting stranded
Look, ultimately, the choice is yours. Technically, no, there will not be strikes affecting the Randstad tomorrow.
That being said, the experts expect that more than a few optimistic travellers will find themselves stranded on a random platform that they had no intention of ending up on.
The best option is to leave your slippers on, get your milk frother and your strongest pot of coffee ready, and tell your boss you won’t be making it to the office.
“Otherwise, you run the risk of getting stuck somewhere. To be on the safe side, and to prevent that you will end up on a platform somewhere and have no way out, stay home.” Ok, Bos.
So, when should I expect to stay home?
So far, the planned strikes will look a little something like this:
The North Region — August 24
The West Region — August 26
The North-West Region — August 29
The Middle Region — August 30
The East and South Regions — August 31
Looks like we’re in for a bumpy ride — or should we say no rides at all. Sorry.
As a result of high energy prices in the Netherlands, many customers are unable to pay the total of their monthly energy bills. Now, these numbers are racking up.
Dutch energy companies are worried about the substantial fee customers will face when paying their final energy bill.
And this concern is certainly justified. For example, at Vattenfall, a multinational power company, about 10% of customers are €200 short when paying their monthly energy bills, writes RTL Nieuws.
Who’s to blame?
While some may point fingers at the rise in energy prices, the companies believe that customers must take better responsibility.
Make sure to turn off your home’s energy to avoid waste! Image: Depositphotos
They see that many residents don’t always adjust their monthly advance — and, eventually dig up their own hole by the end of the year because of paying too little.
According to the Dutch Association for Debt Assistance (NVVK), an estimated 800,000 households pay too little when it comes to monthly energy bills.
With the combination of rising prices and average-income households, customers must either reap the costs or pay more attention to their consumption as well as their monthly advance.
Would you agree with the Dutch energy companies? Tell us in the comments below!
The Dutch housing market is in a depressing state, with 99% of all houses being out of reach to single people living on an average salary. 😬
The situation has gotten worse with the recent increase in mortgage interest, writes De Hypotheker, making it even harder than usual to borrow cash.
A steep fall since last year
If you were a single, average-income person just one year ago, you would’ve been 70% luckier, since a baffling (not really 🙄) 3.3% of houses were available for you back then.
If this news instantly makes you (a single, average income-earning person) hate every couple on earth, you can simmer down since it’s not much easier for them to snatch a house in the lowlands either.
Nowadays, only 20% of houses are on the menu for couples in the Netherlands, a decline of 44% in just one year.
I'm just gonna wait until the inevitable catastrophic collapse of the Dutch housing market before I move out. Shouldn't be much more than a year or two away now!
It seems like the only option left is to live in the middle of nowhere in the Dutch countryside. No wonder people are running away from the Randstad region like never before.
Have your Dutch house dreams been crushed yet? Tell us about it in the comments below!
The humble bike has been any environmentalist’s best friend for decades. That’s why everyone should start acting more Dutch and jump on a bike whenever possible.
Even better — it’s 100% official. Research recently published in the Communications Earth & Environment journal confirms what we’ve known forever: biking is better.
The study found that if everyone biked as much as the Dutch, we could cut the CO2 emissions from car usage by about 20%. That’s a huge help in the fight against the climate emergency.
The study compiled data from 1962 to 2015, putting together the first-ever global overview of bike use and ownership.
Transport is a key part of most societies across the world, be it in the shape of a horse, a scooter, a bike, a bus, or an electric car — people need to move.
That’s also why the transport sector contributes to about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Half of this comes from cars, which have been a fan favourite for commuting for ages.
The Dutch manage to bike an average of 2.6 kilometres a day — quite a bit more than most developed nations, which still rely mostly on car driving.
However, encouraging everyone to bike as much as the Dutch is easier said than done. The Netherlands’ landscape is famously as flat as its pancakes and, despite the rain, Dutch temperatures are relatively comfortable all year long.
Other countries struggle more with normalising biking due to difficult terrain, uncomfortable or unreliable temperatures, and social stigma.
The best of both worlds
Difficulties nevertheless, the report claims there is enormous potential for increasing global biking habits, so if you’re planning on heading back to your home country, there’s no need to give up on biking culture just yet.
And if the climate crisis isn’t enough to get people going (or biking), it might be worth remembering the health benefits of swapping out the car with some physical activity.
"The Netherlands has spent fifty years building tens of thousands of kilometers of segregated cycle tracks and traffic-calmed streets.
On Wednesday, 24 August, NS workers will begin a week-long strike against the Dutch railway company, which will affect train schedules in certain areas.
That means: disruptions, cancelled plans, and a really good excuse to not visit your in-laws.
While the exact consequences of the strike aren’t crystal clear yet, here’s a forecast about what you can expect to happen within the next two weeks, according to Treinreiziger.nl:
Wednesday 24: The strike will mainly affect trains in the Northern region of the Netherlands (Zwolle, Groningen, Lelystad and Leeuwarden) with limited nuisance in the rest of the country.
Friday 26: Train passengers in the west can expect to face train traffic in Rotterdam and there will be little to no available trains in The Hague and Dordrecht.
Monday 29: Major disruptions will touch the northwest region of the Netherlands. Train traffic throughout North Holland (including Amsterdam) is expected to come to a standstill, also affecting international trains.
Tuesday 30: workers in the Central region will strike, which is expected to cause train disruptions in Utrecht and Amersfoort.
Wednesday 31: The last day of the scheduled strike will most likely cause a nuisance in the east of the Netherlands (Zutphen, Hengelo, Enschede, Arnhem and Nijmegen) and the south (Zeeland, North Brabant and Limburg).
Forecast not guaranteed
In the Netherlands, if unions plan to go on strike, they must announce it at least 48 hours in advance. Since NS workers want to work up as much surprise as they can muster, they’re not eager to share much information with the public yet.
Trying to find alternative transport to Cologne in case my train doesn't go because Dutch train personnel is going on strike on Wednesday So far everything requires some sort of train ride pic.twitter.com/jRdvq93UFV
Train disruptions and cancellations are expected. But, there’s a good chance that it could play out a little differently than the forecast above — so take the information with a grain of salt.
However, Treinreiziger.nl anticipates a NS workers will have a high willingness to take action because the railway company has been playing it safe during strikes over the last couple of years.
Hold on to your hats, internationals: it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
How do you feel about the upcoming strike by NS workers? Tell us in the comments below!
