Last year, we had to surface with only the Will Ferrell film to fill the Eurovision hole. However, this year it’s a different story. We can finally have the Eurovision we deserve, the Dutch cabinet giving the song contest the go-ahead to have a live audience in May.
Everyone’s favourite hall of weird euro-pop is back! Powered by Fieldlabs, the song contest has been given the green light to welcome live audience, depending on how the rate of coronavirus infections pans out. It will take place at the Ahoy in Rotterdam and up to 3,500 people will be allowed to attend the final. This will make Eurovision one of the largest planned events in the Netherlands this year.
Safety precautions for Eurovision
As expected, the song contest can only go ahead with certain safety precautions taken into account. Attendees will have to provide a negative coronavirus test result from the last 24 hours. They will also have to remain seated and wear masks when finding their seats or going to the bathroom.
We hate to break it to you, but if you are a Eurovision fan in your autumn, you will have to enjoy the contest from the comfort of your own home. Those over the age of 70 or in a high-risk group won’t be able to attend in person, according to the NOS.
When can I buy my ticket?
Tickets go on sale at 12 PM on May 8. Priority will go to those who held ticket’s for last year’s cancelled Eurovision song contest.
Will you be scrambling for a ticket for Eurovision? Let us know in the comments!
Flatness of the Netherlands making you flat inside? Think you’re better suited to sunning on a riviera than shivering by a sloot? Want to trade in the gutteral g’s for lyrical languages?
Us too.
Luckily, there’s sun peeking through the clouds outside. The European Parliament has given the green light to the “EU COVID-19 certificate” allowing travel between EU member states without restrictions like quarantine, self-isolation or testing.
The document was previously known as a “corona passport” or the Digital Green Certificate. People armed with an EU COVID-19 certificate will be able to prove they have been vaccinated against coronavirus or, alternatively, that they have a recent negative test result or have recovered from the infection.
While it’s not full steam ahead just yet — the Parliament and the Council still need to negotiate the exact details — some nations have announced plans to reopen tourism already.
A French holiday
Dutchies rejoice! A summer relaxing on French campsites could still be in reach after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a plan to reopen the country to tourists from June 9.
An Italian summer
Mamma mia! While Italy doesn’t have a concrete date for when it will reopen to foreign tourists, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi suggested earlier this month that tourism businesses may be able to reopen from early June.
Italy already has its own form of a coronavirus passport in use, but only for residents.
A sun-soaked trip to Spain
Spain is ready and rearing to get its tourism industry back into gear. The country announced last week that vaccinated American travellers will be allowed inside, and shared the news yesterday that it wants to reopen to EU travellers in June using the EU COVID-19 certificate.
The country is preparing already, with plans to test the coronavirus certificate in May and beginning an experiment at 46 airports to test the flow of tourism into the country.
Naturally, the ability to holiday this summer is dependent on coronavirus. So here’s your daily reminder to wash your hands, keep your distance, mitigate your risks, and get tested if you have symptoms.
Yesterday, a woman became unwell while standing in line for a coronavirus test at Rotterdam’s Ahoy test location.GGD employees were quick to give her CPR but, unfortunately, she died on the spot.
The cause of death remains unknown at the time of publication. An ambulance crew was sent to the scene but it became clear that the woman could not be resuscitated.
Once it was determined that the woman had passed away, the test location was temporarily closed in order for the woman’s family to come and say their goodbyes in peace.
Directed to different test streets
Those in need of testing were directed to other test streets by GGD employees. According to a GGD spokesperson, it is unknown whether any tests were cancelled due to the incident.
The spokesperson tells AD that the employees of the test street are “very shocked” and the incident caused “great dismay” amongst both testers and security. On Twitter, the GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond extended their condolences to the woman’s family.
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Your workweek has taken its toll, you’re probably as tired as Sisyphus constantly rolling an immense boulder up a hill. But today, you have something to look forward to because it’s Friday. The usual cozy Friday night in that brown café on the corner.
“Een biertje doen,” is a well-known expression in the Netherlands and something many of us do weekly and there’s nothing better than enjoying those glasses of beer with your friends in a typical Dutch brown café.
But what exactly is a brown café?
Before the 16th century, bars did not exist as we know them today. There were inns, lodgings, and taverns that were focused on offering food and accommodation both to travelers and city dwellers.
Halfway through the 17th century, coffee made its entry into Europe and this resulted in the emergence of coffee houses, which varied by city. The term café, the French word for coffee, was born during this period.
The brown café originated at the beginning of the 19th century when people established small pubs or cafés in their living rooms as a source of extra income. In the Netherlands, almost everyone was allowed to own and run such a pub — until 1881 when the act to regulate the sale of alcohol required a permit in order to own a brown café.
In addition, a maximum of 500 permits was allowed to be issued in the largest cities. This was the start of the professionalisation of the catering (HORECA) industry.
What makes a brown café different?
The typical Dutch brown bar is the authentic café with a story, a traditional, old-fashioned pub with little lighting and lots of dark brown wood. There is always an intimate atmosphere, a sense of domestic coziness, and security. The brown pub owes its name to all that dark and smoky ambiance. Wallpapers and curtains brown from smoke.
It is often said that a real brown café has sand on the floor, which creates an authentic atmosphere with no clear theme or goal. The rougher (and browner) the inside, the better.
Most old brown cafés in cities like Amsterdam and Haarlem were known to be frequented by sailors and canal boat captains, where drinking and the chewing of tobacco were the order of the day.
The Amsterdam Krulletter
Until half a century ago, the name of many Dutch brown cafés, especially in Amsterdam, were painted on the windows with white paint in the “Amsterdamse Krulletter”; a font developed by Jan Willem Visser, who was also the typographer of Amstel Beer.
The name of a café written in that typical brown café font can still be seen in some of them today. Some of these establishments come with a lot of history and visiting one is like going for a glass of beer in a museum.
Retro or modern
Brown cafés have continued to endure despite the arrival of hipster bars, cafés, and other catering businesses, as well as trendy lounges and cocktail bars. While the typical brown pub may not be as popular as it used to be, many of them still exist — but mostly in small villages and townships.
Brown café’s offer a cosy interior. Image: Tom Ordelman/Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0
In big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague, brown bars and cafés are where football fans gather on Saturday and Sunday afternoons to watch and cheer for their favorite football teams. A typical Amsterdam brown café is the perfect venue for Ajax fans to gather and watch Ajax while drinking and cheering as folk songs play from the pub’s jukebox.
This is the same during European championships and World Cups. Most brown cafés are filled with Dutch folks garbed in orange costumes and singing André Hazes’ “Wij Houden van Oranje.” The atmosphere is always very surreal and it’s one you never want to miss.
What is there to do in a brown café?
In 2017, research published by Oxford University revealed that going for drinks with friends to the pub, or what we call “een biertje doen” in the Netherlands is good for your health. Like every other social connecting activity such as dances, singing, and storytelling, pubs act as a bubble or safe space within many communities, where drinking and chilling with friends is seen as a ritual associated with connecting to people.
A brown café can be a place to seek company. A place where people can talk to each other, drink a beer together, go on a date, watch a football game, kiss a stranger, laugh, dance, and just be merry. Some brown pubs organize events like Halloween and Sinterklaas parties, etc.
They can also be a place to go for some peace and quiet, where you can sit quietly at the bar, order a couple of drinks and just brood, reminisce, or watch TV. The installation of jukeboxes, dartboards, and sometimes pool tables offers extra entertainment so that people are not only dependent on the company of others. There are even brown cafes with an extensive collection of books and the latest (sports) magazines. If beer and a book are all you need, then, by all means, break a leg.
A dying breed
The main characteristic of a typical Dutch brown café is that it brings people from different walks of life together. Due to changing consumer behavior among new generations, it is particularly the older generation that still opts for a brown pub visit. And the older they get, the fewer of them visit these establishments.
Unfortunately, the number of historic brown cafés in the Netherlands has been decreasing drastically in the past couple of years, and very few of them are expected to survive the pandemic.
More and more (young) people are also choosing to settle in big cities, so the traditional brown bars and cafés in the smaller towns simply don’t have enough customers to stay open. However, there is some hope. There are currently crowdfunding initiatives to help as many of these brown cafés survive the pandemic.
Honestly, if you’ve ever been in a brown pub and experienced its ambiance, you’d come to realize that they have just too much history to be allowed to die out. It would be such a shame. So please donate to the crowdfunding initiative and help save these pubs.
Whether it’s a beautiful antique pub or a simple neighborhood café on the corner, brown bars or cafés play a major role in Dutch culture. There is so much history and each one has a different story to tell. Every pub-loving person in this country, whether a local, expat, or tourist, should definitely visit a brown café when the country is open again. You’ll be very glad you did.
Have you ever been to a brown café? Which one is your favorite? Tell us about your experiences in the comment below.
In typical Dutch fashion, the sun and warm weather will disappear just when it’s needed. If you were hoping to hit the terraces within the next few days you’ll be needing an umbrella and a nice fuzzy jumper.
With the relaxation of coronavirus measures, it seems the sun has taken its bow and will now exit stage left. From today, the Netherlands will see temperatures drop. A strong north-westerly wind will cool down the country with temperatures reaching no higher than 11 degrees, Buienradar reports.
Dust off your umbrella
Today will also see showers across the country — and they’re going to linger quite awkwardly. In fact, they may just get in the way of your weekend on the terraces.
Buienradar forecasts that this weekend will see “cool weather and a few showers.” The showers in question will be “regular” — but don’t cancel your seat on the terrace just yet.
Perhaps you’ll get lucky
The forecast also makes use of the word “changeable” saying there will be showers “as well as some sun.” Allow us to translate. This means, in typical Dutch fashion, that while it may rain for a few hours, there’s still a chance you could be lucky enough to soak up 30 minutes of sunshine!
So perhaps it’s best to keep your terrace appointments for now, bring an umbrella and cross your fingers.
A chilly start to May
Regardless of rain, it’s going to be nippy until at least Tuesday (which will see heavy, cool winds.) Temperatures are expected to reach no higher 12 degrees over the next five days — so don’t let what little sunshine there is fool you! Bring your jumpers and jackets people, you won’t regret it.
Were you planning to hit the terraces this weekend? Will the weather be stopping you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Dutch train workers will no longer go on strike after an agreement was reached between the FNV union and ProRail.
Train travel was threatened to be disrupted across the country after FNV union members planned to go on strike.
The strikes would be have been at different times in different locations, with a full-day, nationwide mega-strike planned for Saturday, May 1. One strike already occurred yesterday from 6:00 AM until 8:00 AM for trains between Utrecht, Amsterdam, Amersfoort, and Alkmaar.
But no need to stress! The trains will keep calm and carriage on after an agreement has been struck on a new collective labour agreement. Trains will now go full steam ahead — for the time being.
However, FNV union members still need to approve of the agreement. If it’s approved, all the planned strike actions will be completely cancelled.
Were you affected by the train strikes? Tell us in the comments below!
Do you see yourself sipping on sangria at the beach or strolling through the picturesque towns of Spain this summer?
While we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, basking in the Spanish sun may be a dream come true sooner than you think. Spain is planning to open its borders to tourists who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, have had the virus, or can present a negative test result.
The country is currently working on a system where travellers get a digital certificate that proves that they fall into one of the three categories — a kind of coronavirus passport, reports RTL Nieuws.
The system will be tested next month. If everything goes well, you could be lying on a Spanish beach as early as June.
Allowing tourists back in the country is supposed to help bring the Spanish tourism sector back on its feet. However, the Spanish State Secretary for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, adds that these digital certificates are not a magic wand with which we can make all the problems go away.
Craving some meatballs or some sweet Swedish furniture? Well, you’re not alone!Christmas has come early for eager shoppers in Rotterdam. As well as terraces opening and curfew ending, today is the first day you can shop without bookinga time slot in the Netherlands.
At least this was the case at IKEA in Barendrecht, and Primark in Rotterdam, reports the NOS. From today, a maximum of two people per 25m2 are allowed in a non-essential shop (no change from before) but now you don’t have to worry about those pesky reservations (wohoo!)
The restrictions on numbers are not putting off furniture fanatics. It seems people have been desperate for a Billy bookcase, as hundreds queue to ready to shop at IKEA. As you can see, people were equally eager to get to Primark.
The tweet roughly translates to: “If anyone still thought that our consumption behaviour would change permanently in the post-corona era, here’s a sneak peek. Soon again people will be going to Bali and New York three times a year, looking forward to it.”
Voor als iemand nog dacht dat ons consumptiegedrag blijvend zou veranderen in het post-coronale tijdperk, hier een voorproefje. Binnenkort weer heerlijk drie keer per jaar naar Bali en Niew Jorrek kachelen, zin in. https://t.co/0X5V6ZmJZa— Clemens van den Berg (@CGvandenBerg) April 28, 2021
Will you be rushing to the shop any time soon? Let us know in the comments!
In the glorious weather on King’s Day, crowds gathered in parks and outdoor spaces across the Netherlands. Fights broke out in Amsterdam, Breda, and Deventer leading to arrests and police being injured. Cafés, bars, and restaurants were also told to close by police.
Another day before terraces are due to open, Dutchies took to the streets to celebrate Koningsdag. In a number of Dutch cities, the police were called in to enforce coronavirus measures. But the police were not always met with a warm welcome.
Crowds in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark
By the early afternoon, the municipality of Amsterdam had to close Vondelpark. At this point, the public could leave the park but not enter, so people decided to climb the park’s fence.
Eventually, riot police were called in to disperse the crowds. Across Amsterdam there have been 50 arrests, nine of which were for violence, reports RTL Nieuws.
As crowds continued to gather across the Netherlands, municipalities told people to not come into cities’ centres.
Amsterdam made this call early on in the day, shortly followed by Utrecht and Delft. As the day went on, more cities pleaded for people not to crowd local parks.
Riots in Breda
Crowds caused a commotion in Breda, the city that was due to hold a King’s Day festival with 10,000 attendees. The Valkenberg Park in Breda had to be evacuated due to the sheer number of people.
Later, the mayor of the Dutch city issued an emergency ordinance for the city centre as well as riot police being called. Over 100 fines were issued in Breda, and one person has been arrested for violence against a police officer.
Catering closed before terraces open
Yesterday, a number of catering establishments were told to close by police in Breda and Haarlem. All cafés, bars, supermarkets, and liquor stores were ordered to shut in Breda, as well as supermarkets being told to stop selling alcohol before the usual 8 PM cut-off point in Amsterdam and Haarlem.
Despite the luscious spring weather drawing people outside, coronavirus infections continue to rise. With the curfew ending, and terraces begging to open, there are doubts about the Dutch government’s coronavirus strategy.
What do you think of the response to these crowds? Let us know in the comments!
The supermarket is banning free plastic bags from all its stores. On Monday, single-use plastic bags were removed in the first 20 Albert Heijn locations.
The largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands wants free plastic bags gone from all its (nearly a thousand) stores by the end of this year, reports NU.nl.
What comes instead?
Single-use plastic bags will be replaced with reusable nylon bags. Those will be given out at Albert Heijn stores for free this week. From next week onwards, customers can buy them for 30 cents.
ALDI — which has about 500 stores across the country — will be joining Albert Heijn in the endeavour to reduce the use of plastic. The supermarket is replacing free plastic bags with bio-based ones.
The change will be gradual. “We first use up the stock of the old plastic bags,” says a spokesperson for ALDI. After that, consumers will only be able to buy bags made from more sustainable materials. These will cost one cent per bag.
What are other stores doing?
The Dutch supermarket PLUS sees free plastic bags as a service to the customer. However, they do offer paper bags as an alternative.
Jumbo gives consumers the choice between free plastic bags, reusable nylon bags, or paper bags in some stores. Lidl already introduced its reusable nylon bag, called the Lidl Green Bag, back in 2018.
But don’t go thinking that these plans to gradually remove single-use plastic bags from Dutch supermarkets are going to save the world just yet. While they all sound nice, there’s so much more that supermarkets can do to reduce plastic consumption, food waste, and more.
Are you happy to see plastic bags gone from Albert Heijn and ALDI stores?Tell us in the comments below!
