After what has felt like an eternity, summer is finally returning to the Netherlands.While parts of the country are in for a bucket load of rain in the coming days, from Friday, it will be drier and warmer.
Meteorologist Maurice Middendorp tells RTL Nieuws that, “a big bucket of rain” will fall this week primarily in the south, east, and southeast of the country.
Limburg in particular is expecting a downpour of 100 millimeters of rain. This is much more than what usually falls in the entire month of July. So, Limburgers — we suggest trading in your fiets for a boat.
In contrast, we can expect warm, summery evenings over the coming days. Night-time temperatures will hover around 18 degrees — so these will be sticky nights. According to Middendorp, “We will get the burdens of summer, not the lusts.” By this, we think he means that you can expect a mosquito or two.
Meanwhile, the north and west of the country are due to remain fairly dry and will not get cold this week.
Weekend full of sunshine
Meteorologists forecast that around Thursday it will become drier, and “the weather will be nice in large parts of the Netherlands.”
But Friday is when the fun will really start and the sun will really shine. We’re on course for very pleasant weather over the weekend, as winds from the north mean that it won’t get too hot. We can expect temperatures around 23-24 degrees. In some places, it will reach 25 degrees.
Middendorp tells RTL Nieuws that it isn’t clear yet what the weather will do after next week. “It could go either way,” he says. Let’s cross our fingers and toes and hope for the best.
How do you plan on spending this sunny weekend? Tell us in the comments below!
A lot of apologies were given today on behalf of the Dutch government. Meanwhile, the average number of positive coronavirus tests is increasing, reports the NOS.
The government has pulled the break on relaxations and coronavirus measures are back into place until August 13. But what is Rutte’s take on the numbers?
Infections, hospitalisations, and deaths
By 10 AM this morning, 8522 new cases had been reported to the RIVM. While that is 847 cases less than yesterday, the number of positive tests is increasing when looking at a seven-day average. In the past week, 6619 positive tests were reported on average every day. That’s a 582% increase from the week prior.
Hospitalisations have also increased slightly. Currently, 213 people are in hospital with coronavirus — 84 of those in intensive care.
Though fewer deaths are usually reported on weekends, the RIVM reports that, on average, one person is now dying from coronavirus every day in the Netherlands. That’s an increase compared to the previous week, where only one person died every other day.
Dit is vergelijkbaar met 3 van de 5 penalties missen als er *geen* keeper in het doel staat. pic.twitter.com/g3yJiTzKde
— Roel Griffioen – #apologiesNotAccepted (@roelgrif) July 12, 2021
Tweet translation: This is comparable to missing 3 out of 5 penalties if there is no goalkeeper in the goal.
Rutte apologises
Rutte has now apologised for the rapid relaxations that the government made towards the end of June, reports the NOS. He accepts that the government made an error of judgement but believes that the recent outbreaks can be stopped, saying that “the Netherlands is a sensible country.”
The Prime Minister also apologises for “the bad press conference” last Friday. After announcing the new restrictions, Rutte refused to answer journalists questions about his thoughts on the reinstitution of restrictions. Now, he realises that it was unfair not to answer.
Prior to the press conference itself, Rutte and Health Minister De Jonge were still finalising the new measures and because of this, they weren’t well-prepared for questions.
Lessons learned
With the chaotic bursts of outbreaks hopefully behind us once again, De Jonge says the government has learned an important lesson. Namely, that “in unfamiliar territory, we often have to err on the side of caution.”
De Jonge also addressed the issues with access tests. He says the system worked well in a controlled environment but once applied in an uncontrolled environment (such as a busy nightclub) they were less than ideal.
Going forward it seems the government will be more cautious in their approach to relaxations.
What do you think of Rutte’s apologies? Tell us in the comments below!
In the Netherlands, two and a half million tons of food is wasted every year. A large share of this comes from supermarkets that have to throw out perfectly good food every day.
But that’s something Arjan Konicks wants to do something about. Already at the head of two Albert Heijn stores, he has now opened the restaurant LEFT above the Albert Heijn on Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, reports RTL Nieuws.
Lunch habbits in the Netherlands
More and more Dutchies eat out during the day. Previously, people reserved eating out for dinner time but now people grab their lunch on the go or turn to fast food for a quick lunch.
Konicks says that because of this, supermarkets are “increasingly doing catering-related things.” But grabbing something from Albert Heijn to go is not very gezellig (and rarely healthy). As a solution, LEFT combines the fight against food waste with healthy meals and a place for people to sit.
Concept
The idea behind LEFT is simple. Located right above the Albert Heijn, the chefs use whatever produce can’t be sold in-store and create tasty and healthy meals. Mainly serving breakfast and lunch, the concept is perfect for people who’d otherwise grabbed something to-go from the supermarket, or sat down at a snack bar.
To cater to those with a short lunch break, LEFT uses a buffet concept where people can choose from various soups, salads, toasts, and sandwiches.
While LEFT has mostly had local customers until now, there’ll be no “I’ll have the usual.” The soup and sandwiches on offer change every day, depending on which ingredients came in from Albert Heijn. However, Konicks says that they will always be of a high standard because they work with the same trusted recipes (adapted to various ingredients).
Sustainability
Combating food waste isn’t the only way LEFT is committed to sustainability. All the chairs and tables in the restaurant are recycled from old furniture. For example, the tables are made from an old staircase factory. “That way we save more than just food,” says Konicks.
Work with InstockMarket
If the concept seems familiar to you then that’s because a similar franchise has existed in the Netherlands for some time. A chain of restaurants called Instock also uses “rescued” food in their kitchens but, during the pandemic, two out of their three restaurants shut down.
So if you were fond of Instock, you’ll most likely love LEFT as well! In fact, their concept manager and chef used to work for Instock.
However, the Albert Heijn on Amsterdamsestraatweg doesn’t have enough leftovers to sustain a whole restaurant. Therefore, Konicks works together with InstockMarket.nl. A wholesaler of rescued food, it collects food from producers, other wholesalers, and packaging companies. This way, almost everything served at LEFT aims to work with 70% saved food.
What do you think of the concept? Will you be visiting LEFT soon? Tell us in the comments below!
“Please pay me €0.60 for ‘birth control during our one night stand.'”
We’ve seen some pretty ridiculous Tikkie payment requests in our time, so luckily this one is fake. But, as Gerieke Prins (25) asks: if two consenting adults choose to have sex with one another, why is only one of them responsible for the cost of birth control?
Over 7,000 Dutch people agree that the current situation is unfair — so they’re taking it to court in an attempt to get free contraception in the Netherlands, reports RTL Nieuws.
Now you see it, now you don’t
Free contraception wouldn’t be a first for the Netherlands: in the early 1970s, it was already implemented. However, in 2011, it was snatched away again. The so-called progressive Netherlands removed the pill from being included under basic, mandatory health insurance.
Why? The government deemed it was not “medically necessary.” 🤨
An unwanted barrier
While the streets of Amsterdam’s city centre often give the impression that the whole of the Netherlands is liberal, the reality is far different. The Netherland plays host to its very own Bible Belt, stretching through Zeeland in the southwest and through to Overijssel in the northeast.
Co-plaintiff in the lawsuit, Gerieke, grew up in the Bible Belt and was never taught about contraception in school. “I first talked about it with my GP when I was nineteen,” she tells RTL Nieuws.
She still has friends from back home that don’t use it, some of whom have already had children — often earlier than they planned.
When she talks to her friends about contraception she can tell that they don’t know about what options are available. “That’s okay, but then the price doesn’t help,” explains Gerieke. “The whole process is already confusing for them. Then they think: never mind.”
A right for women
The attempt comes from several women’s organizations who argue that women won’t have a fair chance to fully participate in society until free contraception is possible. Around 7,300 co-plaintiffs have joined the suit.
It follows a 2019 petition that was signed by 55,000 people — but failed because the House of Representatives did not adopt the proposal.
Next, a summons was handed to then Minister of Health Bruno Bruins in February 2020. Finally, today comes the hearing of the lawsuit in the court of The Hague. A demonstration will take place beforehand.
Do you believe that contraception should be free? Tell us your opinion in the comments below!
Happy Monday morning all — or is it? We have good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad: on Friday, the Netherlands recorded 10,306 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours. The good news? This number dropped slightly to 9,398 between Saturday and Sunday morning.
Ok, let’s face it, when it comes to coronavirus in the Netherlands, there isn’t a lot of good news at the moment. In fact, the number of infections has increased eightfold in just one week. 😬
Even the slight (very slight) decline in numbers isn’t for certain. Typically fewer people are tested on the weekends and even the RIVM is warning that the dip is not explained by a drop in infections, but actually due to a backlog in the registration of cases.
Highest number of cases since Christmas
It may be feeling a bit balmy but we need to imagine we’re back in winter. On Friday, the Netherlands’ infection numbers reached a record high — the highest number of cases since December 25.
This is no surprise given that positive cases increased by 500% in the space of one week. The week before last, the country logged 5,846 coronavirus infections. After a week of Dancin’ with Janssen and botched or hacked entry test results, this number rose to a total of 39,410 infections.
While the RIVM has seen an increase in the number of people getting tested, they’ve also logged a significant increase in the percentage of positive tests. Last week, 3% of tests carried out by the GGD were positive — this week, it’s 14%.
Luckily, as of yet, the number of deaths from coronavirus in the Netherlands has not yet risen. In the past 24 hours, the RIVM has not logged any deaths due to the virus.
Amsterdam among the worst affected
Another thing to be thankful for is that under the latest restrictions, clubs have officially closed their doors once again. However, they have certainly left their mark — especially in Amsterdam.
Yesterday, the city broke its record for the highest number of coronavirus cases in one day with 1,328 new infections registered. Rotterdam and Groningen also logged a significant amount yesterday with 553 positive cases found in each city. This was followed by 480 in Utrecht and 302 in The Hague.
The Netherlands relaxed its restrictions drastically two weeks ago, reopening nightclubs opened and ditching mouth masks. Now, we’re in trouble. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge have returned to the podium once again to announce a new range of measures.
The prime minister began by saying “Over the past week everyone has been able to see that a cloud has been put in front of the sun.” Truer words have never been spoken, Rutte.
This morning, it was announced that restrictions would indeed be brought back in. Rutte has described the following measures as “not fun but necessary.” The changes will take effect from tomorrow, July 10 at 6 AM and will last until August 13.
Rutte explained that in order to control the spread of coronavirus, the Netherlands is going to have to change its behaviour when it comes to the catering, and cultural and entertainment sectors.
Catering industry to close from midnight until 6 AM
As of tomorrow, if you want to enjoy a meal out or a drink in a café you’re going to have to take a fixed seat. The seats must also allow for a 1.5-metre distance between guests.
No more clubbing
That boogie on the dancefloor has proven to be short-lived. There will be no more ‘Dancin’ with Janssen.’ Discos and nightclubs will shut their doors once again.
Access tests proved to be problematic when preventing coronavirus outbreaks in these situations and will be reconsidered on August 13.
Large cultural/sporting events
Large scale events will also have to ensure that visitors are seated and maintain a 1.5-metre distance from each other.
Access testing may be used in order to increase the capacity to a maximum of two-thirds. However, these tests must be no more than 24 hours old (previously 40.) An event may last a maximum of 24 hours — so forget those three-day festivals.
Transfer locations will see little change
Things will remain the same when it comes to transfer locations. There have been no new measures brought in for shops, restaurants or fairgrounds.
Are you surprised by the latest developments? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
With life slowly coming back to normal, it’s finally time to start planning your next ultimate Dutch road trip!
Before your mind jumps to canals and windmills, let us stop you right there, because this time, we’ll be exploring the streets of Tilburg with its epic murals.
Summer is the perfect time to explore your own country — especially if said country offers nothing but rain most other seasons. So what exactly is Tilburg all about?
A day trip to Tilburg
Tilburg is a place you don’t want to miss. Its combination of charming historic corners, edgy urban scene, and probably the loveliest people in all of the Netherlands makes the city stand apart from its big sisters such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Don’t you sometimes just feel tired of looking at old, dull, grey walls? Well, so did Tilburg.
That’s why the municipality decided to invite a number of graffiti artists to brighten up it’s streets and turn old buildings into colourful artworks — and boy, did they do a good job. Just see for yourself!
This awesome mural can be found at the Spoorzone — the hipster area of Tilburg. Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
Who wouldn’t want to have a beer in a place like this one? Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
This mural was our personal favourite! Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
You’ll find street art in the most unexpected places. Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
The sights of Tilburg all on one wall. Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
Gliding through Tilburg on an e-step
While you can easily see most of Tilburg’s magical murals on foot, we discovered a better, faster, and overall much more exciting way to enjoy them — by e-step.
What’s an e-step?
An e-step is an electric scooter with two giant wheels that will have you cruising through the streets of Tilburg at a speed of 25 kilometres per hour.
As confusing as the name is, this is what an e-step looks like — it’s basically an electrified kick scooter with big wheels. Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
It’s the only “special e-moped” approved by Dutch road authorities, as e-scooters are illegal throughout the Netherlands — talk about a bucket list experience!
TIP: The e-step is safe and easy to drive around, but while you may feel like the ruler of the road on this amazing vehicle, make sure you’re careful with the traffic. You’ll be sharing the path with cars and cyclists so watch out! — especially in the city centre.
Discover Tilburg: urban street art tour
The urban street art tour is the perfect way to get a glimpse of everything this multifaceted city has to offer, especially if you’re unsure of where to start your Tilburg explorations.
What’s included in the urban street art tour: 🗺️ Map with Tilburg’s 18 wonderful murals 🥪 Snack box for two people to keep your energy levels up during your explorations 🍷 Two free drinks at the Grand Café Puur in Mercure Hotel after your tour
You simply start the tour by picking up your e-step at the Mercure Hotel in Tilburg’s city centre (at the pretty square with the big church). Here, you’ll get a map of the murals and a big snack bag, and you’re ready to go!
Pick up your e-step at the Mercure Hotel and start your explorations. Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
TIP: If riding an e-step is not really your thing, Ticket to Tilburg also offers the option to do the tour by bike or on foot.
Many of the murals are located in and around the city centre, so they can be explored in a relatively short time. We did an e-step tour of three hours and managed to spot, admire, and snap some selfies with most of them.
Ticket to Tilbug provides you with a map of all the magical murals. Image: Jana Vondráčková/Supplied
Tilburg has so many murals that you’re guaranteed to keep your hands full as you tour the streets and admire the cultural hub that the city is!
Big thank you to Ticket to Tilburg for organizing a lovely day of exploring the city for us!
Will you be planning your trip to Tilburg? Let us know in the comments below!
Those damn Dutchies have done it again. Forget fish doorbells and artificial coronavirus-killing suns, the latest innovation to arise of the Netherlands is the solar powered car — and it’s proving to be very promising.
Yep, you read that right. The Dutch company, Lightyear, has designed and successfully test-driven a solar-powered car. Five years after its conception, the Lightyear One was tested for the first time last weekend.
If the Lightyear One was likened to a baby taking its first steps, you would have to picture a baby hoisting itself to its feet and walking a marathon with the elegance and grace of Bella Hadid. The Lightyear One managed to complete a whopping 710 kilometres on the test track — all while driving at a constant 85 kilometres per hour!
A tiny battery and some solar panels
What fueled this car to drive the equivalent kilometres that it would take to get to Paris without stopping you may ask? Well, it certainly wasn’t fossil fuel! The key to the Lightyear One’s successful pilot was the single charge of its 60 Kwh battery and some very sleek looking solar panels.
If that doesn’t impress you, perhaps a comparison to current electric car models will. In a press release, Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear explains that “even the most efficient electric cars in the market today consume around 50% more energy at this relatively low speed.”
This is achieved in part by the addition of solar panels to the car’s design. Hoefsloot explains that “adding solar cells to the car and gain about 45 miles (72 kilometres) of charge on a sunny day.”
Accessible to all
While the LightYear One still has many rounds of testing to go through before it hits the market, it’s looking very promising — and Lightyear wants it to be accessible to all.
How accessible you may ask? The battery is the most expensive part of the car’s design, meaning that it can be relatively affordable. Speaking to AD, head of marketing at Lightyear Tessie Hartjes explains that “the smaller the battery, the cheaper the car can be. We want to move towards an electric car that is as affordable as possible and that costs less than €40,000. And I don’t mean €39,000.”
Would you be eager to own one of these? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
The Olympic gymnastics team is scheduled to leave the Netherlands for Tokyo this Sunday. However, a positive coronavirus test within the team has complicated the departure.
All athletes and supervisors from both the male and female teams have gone into preventive isolation before their flight to Japan. This way they hope to keep everyone on the teams, as well as anyone they might come in contact with during the games, safe.
Repeated testing
In the course of the past six days, all members of TeamNL were tested three times and it was this adamant testing that revealed the positive result, AD reports. The team has not wished to announce who tested positive for coronavirus.
In the coming days, the athletes and staff of TeamNL will continue to be tested. NOC*NSF (The Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation) will carry out an investigation to determine the nature of the contamination before departing for Tokyo.
Luckily, time in isolation can also be well spent: here’s how Olympic gymnast Eythora Thorsdottir spend her time during the first lockdown.
Small media afternoon
Yesterday, the KNGU (Royal Dutch Gymnastics Union) held a media afternoon in Oranjewoud in Friesland. The national coach, Bram van Bokhoven, and 2012 Olympic champion, Epke Zonderland, were present.
Van Bokhoven addressed the Wevers twins’ decision not to attend saying that “they can make their own decision. If they want to focus, you have to respect that.” Sanne and Lieke Wevers are both part of the selection for the women’s team. By not attending the media afternoon, the twins indicated that they do not wish to comment on the misconduct or KNGU reprimand of their father and coach, Vincent Wevers. He will not be going to Tokyo with them.
Asides from the Wevers twins, Eythora Thorsdottir and Vera van Pol also form part of the women’s team selection. Elze Geurts and Naomi Visser will be reserves this year. The coach team consists of van Bokhoven along with Aimee Boorman and José van der Veen.
A press conference will take place this evening at 7 PM to address the rising number of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands. It has been announced that the cabinet will close the catering industry from midnight, this will be addressed during the press conference.
According to the NOS, the catering industry will once again have to close at midnight. Apparently, testing-for-entry will come to an end, meaning that the disco floors and late night cafés will likely have to shut their doors.
The cabinet are also looking into restricting the number of attendees at large-scale indoor events to a maximum of 500 people and 1000 for outdoor events.
Political reporter Fons Lambie tells RTL Nieuws that “emergency advice has been requested from the OMT and there will be ministerial consultations. An extra Security Council with the mayors is also expected, so everything is in place to make decisions.”
Whether and which additional measures are put in place depends on the OMT’s advice tonight, says Lambie.
What new restrictions might we see?
Possible new measures may include the cancellation of large, multi-day events, the closure of clubs and discos. On top of this, it is expected that the Testing for Access policy may be temporarily put on hold.
According to Lambie, these decisions will be based on the OMT’s advice and whether they think that this “peak in infections will lead to more pressure on healthcare.”
The EU is expected to release the latest risk status for people travelling from the Netherlands next week. However, De Jonge has already warned that the Netherlands may see its status bumped to red — meaning potential restrictions for hopeful travellers. Be right back, going to go cry for a minute.
It looks like we may have to dig out the sour dough and banana bread recipes again this summer.
What are your thoughts on these possible new restrictions? Tell us in the comments below!
