The openly gay priest, Pierre Valkering, has been fired by the Haarlem District. The 57-year-old came out of the closet just before April during a Mass ceremony in the ‘Vredeskerk’ of Amsterdam, he was ‘suspended’ since then.
Valkering says the decision does not surprise him and although saddened by it, he is currently undecided whether he will oppose it:
“I will leave it to rest until after my vacation. My life has been turned upside down enough and it is nice to be able to take some distance.”
The parishioners of the “Vredeskerk” heard the news about the dismissal yesterday from the district board.
The Catholic Bavo Church in Haarlem. Source: Wikipedia (user: Zairon)
The “pink” elephant in the church
In his jubilee mass speech that led to his dismissal, Valkering referenced “the big pink elephant” that exists in the Catholic Church. The idiom intended to draw attention to the silent culture about homosexuality.
Valkering also presented his biography during the service, in which he describes his life as homosexual and reveals he has not led a celibate life. The church ordered Valkering to be removed from his position at the end of the service. We’re unsure if this is because he was openly gay/not living in celibacy, or because he tried to pitch his book (with some negative stories about the church) during the service. NOS also reports that Valkering has also visited dark rooms in the past and was ‘addicted’ to watching porn.
Probably a combination of it all, but wasn’t the church there to help ‘sinners’ and such? Ah well…
A shortage of teachers in the Netherlands? What’s going on with Dutch schools?
They say teachers have the second biggest impact on young people after parents. I can recall my favourite teachers as clearly as I remember my disdain for the teachers I didn’t like. Unfortunately, Dutch primary schools have revealed there are 1400 open vacancies before school year starts.
Shortage of teachers in the Netherlands: Disastrous for education
A quarter of school boards in the Netherlands have said they will be forced to put unqualified people to teach a class in the coming year. An undesirable move but perhaps inevitable out of sheer desperation.
There are currently 3500 open vacancies for teachers in primary education and it is expected that half of these spots will not be filled by the start of the next school year. That is a 5 percent increase in teacher shortage compared to last year.
Teaching assistants, educational support staff and principals are also in need. Around 1 in 20 schools risk starting the new year with no headmaster or headmistress.
Reasons behind the teacher shortage in the Netherlands
The PO-Raad, the organization for primary education, noted that the number of schools facing a teacher shortage is declining but the number of open vacancies are increasing. This shows it is an issue of supply and demand.
Schools which have a higher proportion of non-Western migration pupils have a higher shortage of teachers, as specialised skills are necessary to cater to different student needs but said skills are not reflected through the pay.
Many capable teachers are leaving their expertise in special education and moving towards mainstream education because the salary is better there.
Photo: Flickr/ U.S. Department of Agriculture
What we can learn from Finland? (is there anything we can’t learn from Finland?!)
When I first visited Finland, I stayed with a family from Helsinki. In our sauna one night (what a cliché) I mentioned I might want to become a teacher. They explained to me how teachers in Finland are valued to the same level as doctors or engineers.
The rationale behind the successful Finnish education system is that passion for the job should be kept alive by cultivating trust in the profession and granting flexibility and autonomy; and hard work acknowledged through adequate pay. Each pupil is assessed on their own merits and teachers are not saddled with paperwork showing what they have chosen to teach and why.
This forward-thinking philosophy is acknowledged in the Netherlands but is yet to be implemented. Den Besten, chairman to the PO-raad, commented to NOS:
“The profession must become more attractive…the government has taken a small step by raising salaries. But now the next step is really needed.”
What the future holds
The shortage is anticipated to increase to over 10 thousand full-time jobs by 2027. Schools in the Randstad area are feeling the brunt of the effects, but other provinces are also mentioning the difficulty of filling teaching jobs.
— Ronald Buitelaar (@RonaldBuitelaar) July 8, 2019
No word on a teacher shortage in the Netherlands when it comes to international schools, so feel welcome to fill us in at the comment section if you know more about that situation.
So what do you think of the shortage of teachers in the Netherlands? Any thoughts? Join us in the comments or go to the DutchReview group
The new government plane, a Boeing 737, was unveiled at Woensdrecht Air Base over the weekend. It is sleek, economical and decked out with the latest technology.
Always interesting to see what kind of image a government wants to project to the outside world. Will there be golden tables? Or massive Dutch flags? And since the King is actually a professional pilot as well, what will the cockpit look like?
Don’t worry that the Netherlands has just gone full nepotism and just bought the King a plane for private fun. It’s for all governmental stuff and will carry the PM and ministers as well, so not just our flying royals…
Royal upgrades
Ruud van Brandwijk, the leader of the project, said to RTL the focus of the plane is completely different from its predecessor.
Here’s an interesting walk-through of the plane:
The craft maintains a businesslike appearance but comprises typical Dutch flares. The blue colour of the government is the feature colour but an orange accent is painted on the wing. Cushions boasting typical Dutch symbols like tulips, windmills and canal houses add texture to the luxurious internal seats. The in-flight entertainment consists of an automatic audio and video system with camouflaged speakers integrated into the interior.
An additional water tank added in the plane affords the possibility of taking an inflight shower too.
Daar is ie dan: het nieuwe regeringsvliegtuig. Het is een Boeing 737 BBJ en hij heet PH-GOV (van government). Straks mag iedereen hem komen bekijken. Ook koning Willem-Alexander zou ‘m mogen vliegen, hij haalde z’n brevet voor dit type een paar jaar geleden. pic.twitter.com/5r8fRA0GUQ
The Dutch king could technically fly the plane, given he held a job as a part-time pilot and worked for KLM as a hobby.
He comments “You can’t take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying.”
How much did it cost?
What we all really want to know..
The Boeing 737 (not to be confused with the Boeing 737 MAX which was grounded world-wide after two fatal crashes) first entered airline service in 1968. This particular version of the plane cost around 90 million euros.
The plane will start being used next month, just in-time for the summer holidays!
Feat image: Disclaimer – not actual plane. Source: Flickr
Can you feel that final fever for our OranjeLeeuwinnen? We do and it has a color too!
The women’s football WC final is happening tonight, and The Netherlands is going to be playing against the US.
Slowly but surely orange-fever is catching on in the Netherlands. There are watching parties in all the big cities and people are realizing that the ‘Oranjeleeuwinnen’ have an unique opportunity to pull off something historic.
The Netherlands are going to need all the support they can get as well. The US side are the outright favorites for the win and it wasn’t so that the Dutch had an easy day against Sweden. If you missed it, the semi-final was against Sweden and they won 1-0. If you need to know the match highlights, we’ve got you covered:
First time World Cup final for the Dutch
This is the first time that they have reached the finals in the world cup, to play against the US, the defending champions. The semi-final was watched by 5 million people! Were you one of them?
Meanwhile on social media, people are flocking to their channels to support our OranjeLeeuwinnen:
CONGRATULATIONS to the OranjeLeeuwinnen ("Orange Lionesses"), who will play in the World Cup Final after beating Sweden in the semi-final last night!
(If it looked like the team had extra stamina during extra time, may we present this compelling photographic evidence from @NOS). pic.twitter.com/Mlpq9URbwe
— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) July 4, 2019
It took #NED 24 years to play their first @FIFAWWC match.
We might just jinx it a bit here, but there will be a huge celebration in Amsterdam on Tuesday if the team brings home the cup! So tune in at 5 pm to support them, get your orange clothes out, and join the celebrations! If you need to know how to blend in with the crazy Dutchies, you got some things to keep in mind, so check this out.
Of course, everyone has been trolling Donald Trump ahead of the games, because who wouldn’t? Remember the guy who made the “America first, The Netherlands second video”? He has another one out for this match!
Even VVD got on the same bandwagon to troll Trump too! Who doesn’t want to make the Netherlands great again, right? 😉
Innovating instead of waiting at Schiphol: No need to remove liquids and laptops from the bag at security
Travelling through Schiphol to get to your holiday destination? Schiphol says it’s well prepared to receive you! You will no longer have to remove sunglasses, liquids under 100 ml, tablets or laptops from your cabin baggage at security if you’re going out of the Schengen area, reports NOS. This is to reduce the long queues and waiting time at Schiphol so that you can quickly move through security.
Innovative measures to reduce waiting time at Schiphol
They will check the bags with new 3D scanners, and have employed technicians who will be available 24 hours a day to solve any technical difficulties. They also have 15% more number of people working as compared to the winter season.
They also have more room for travellers coming by car as they have added 3000 more parking spaces. More good news for people flying with KLM, TUI or Transavia – you can even check in your bags at the parking lot on P3!
Drop off your luggage for hands-free travel! Image: tookapic from Pixabay
When are the busiest days at Schiphol?
The airport is expecting 12.8 million people to pass through from July 6 to September 1. They have capped the maximum number of flights in a year to 500,000 flights per year. Airport Operations Director Miriam Hoekstra-Van der Deen told NOS that they have days with more than 200,000 people trying to catch a flight, with the busiest days (sometime at the beginning of August) having around 230,000 people.
How early do you need to be at Schiphol?
They haven’t provided any general advice regarding this, but they have designed a special webpage to see how much the waiting time will be, and the expected crowds for the day. NOS says that travellers should arrive according to the advice given by their airline. So add checking the app to your checklist to make it in time!
Be sure to check the validity of your passport, and relevant visas (if tourist, entry or residence permit) to make sure you can get to your destination hassle free! Apparently, they had to issue 11,000 emergency passports in the last year because the validity was not sufficient. Some countries allow for travel if your passport is valid for the journey, while others need it to be valid six months after arrival. So make sure to read the fine print!
Make sure your passport is valid and you have the relevant visas. Image: Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay
The summer is upon us and with it free roaming children to entertain. Maybe you are staying in the Netherlands for the holidays or perhaps you have family visiting? Or you’re on the lookout for a fun place to celebrate your little one’s birthday! Here are a couple of nice places to visit with your kids.
If your little ones are under 7 years of age, you shouldn’t miss the chance to bring them to Linnaeushof, the largest playground in Europe. Yeah, you read that right! It is located in Heemstede, so very close to Haarlem.
It is a giant park and it has been designed with small children in mind which means everything is at their height. As you enter, you will find the kids will not even know where to go first! It’s a great place to visit with your kids in the Netherlands.
There is a lake with pedal boats, a Tirolese, a secret island that you can only access through a bridge, boats, and a bouncing castle. A police station, a mini supermarket, and restaurant for pretend-play, a giant slide, merry-go-rounds, the actual house of a bunny, and a whole area dedicated to playing with water. When we went, we just did not stop. The kids were like: “let’s go there, now there, then there, and there” – the whole day long.
Needless to say, our kids had the best day ever and they are already asking when we will be going again. What is nice is that there are so many things to do and it is so spread out that there were no queues. No waiting! You can just go and play at your own leisure. It was also quite magical to access the park through a forest path, making it special to finally find the entrance.
If you are raising small children, you must be familiar with Dick Bruna’s iconic character Nijntje (or Miffy as it is known in English). Nijntje is the sweet white bunny with simple lines and forms that makes it perfect for toddlers to relate to.
Well, there is a Nijntje museum right in the center of the country, in Utrecht of course. They can ride a bus, play in a house, look at the books, sleep in Nijntje’s bed, play with her kitchen or -a classic Dutch one: “klussen”- working with tools.
There is an area for making art, another one explaining the creative process of Dick Bruna and of course also an area for having a very – gezellig – lunch break with a slide in the middle. The place is amazing but for this one, I would advise trying to go on a weekday because it does get very very full. Clearly, it’s a very popular place to visit with your kids in the Netherlands.
This is the Aquarium at the old pier in The Hague, just a few steps away from the iconic Kurhaus hotel. You can not compare it with large, world-famous aquariums like Atlanta, Lisbon or Osaka. But I think, in a way, that’s what makes it great for kids: it is small enough for them to roam around without getting too tired.
They can touch starfish and anemones, they can learn about world issues regarding the ocean like reducing plastics; avoiding eating certain species of fish; the effect of counterfeit of corals or turtles, etc. They have a tank illuminated in such a way that it seems that the jellyfish change colors as they swim and a seahorse nurseries.
They can play paleontologist, as well as watch penguins and sea otters. The little ones can also watch piranhas and other tropical fish and learn about how we are all related to each other. If you are lucky, they sometimes have free face-painting! There is also an area to paint and color, and a blue screen in which their own drawing comes to life. Plus, it is right at the beach, so you can combine it with a fun day near the sand and the water.
Have you been to any of these places? Did your children have a blast? We can guarantee that these are places that should be on your list! Do you have more to add? Let us know in the comments below!
Any football fans out there? The Dutch women’s football team will be playing against the United States on Sunday for the world cup finals. We’re excited, and you should be too! The team beat Sweden in the semi-finals with 1-0 on July 3rd, qualifying them for the finals.
If they end up beating the US on Sunday, they will bring the party from Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon, France to the Netherlands as champions. There will be a party in Amsterdam to commemorate the victory, so take note!
We might actually see some of that Orange Fever now that our "Oranjeleeuwinnen' will play in the final of the World Cup! ???? Here's how to blend in with those crazy Dutchies 😉https://t.co/JhULzacDGt
A floating parade through the canals will begin at 4:30 pm in Amsterdam, followed by a rally at Museumplein at 6 pm. But if they lose, there will be no celebration taking place, as requested by the players and team staff. So go out there and support the girls! They are favoured to win, so you know you don’t want to miss out. The finals are set to take place at 5 pm on Sunday.
Where will you be watching the game from? Will you be breaking out your best orange clothes for Sunday? Let us know in the comments below!
Feat Image source: Richard Matthews on Flickr. CC 2.0.
One million pages, over a thousand files, 300 witnesses, 40 investigators and one man. Willem Holleeder, the notorious Dutch criminal, was sentenced to life imprisonment this morning by the judge.
The Sentencing of Willem Holleeder
Ten years since his release from jail “The Nose” is on trial for the murder of five people. The punishment for this crime is life imprisonment but Holleeder’s lawyers argued for an acquittal. The accused denied any involvement whatsoever.
No hard evidence such as DNA or fingerprints was found so the case against him was built predominantly through witness testimonies.
-VIDEO- Willem #Holleeder is om stipt 9.00 met scheurende banden binnen gebracht door extra beveiligd transport. De Neus wacht nu in 'n cel in de kelder van de Bunker op het moment dat hij naar de zittingszaal wordt gebracht. Volg hier vanaf 10.00 LIVE de uitspraak @EenVandaagpic.twitter.com/t6ShMeGdqP
A large portion of the trial relies on the testimonies of his own two sisters who have hours of secretly recorded conversation with their brother. Their experience has been turned into a book.
Astrid comments “He is sick. You also have to kill a dog that bites children. The only medicine for Wim is those four walls. ”
Amsterdam court sentences Willem #Holleeder to life for 6 killings and membership of a criminal organization that dealt with liquidations ?? (NL’s most notorious gangster, brought down by sisters) https://t.co/Q4snV5jTMShttps://t.co/YRNu230f3h
Holleender asserts his sisters are lying in order to profit from his situation.
Holleeder’s Claim to fame
Holleeder’s notoriety began when he abducted Freddy Heineken and his driver, Ab Doderer, outside of the Heineken business headquarters in 1983. The kidnappers received a ransom of 15million euros through coded messages being released in the newspaper. An anonymous tip to the police led to the hostages safe recovery.
The crime was made into a movie with Anthony Hopkins as the protagonist.
Over 20 people were arrested for their purported affiliations with the abduction. Willem Holleeder, became a local celebrity in Holland after being convicted of the crime.
Holleeder at the Heineken trial, with Cor van Hout next to him
Holleeder his fan base
Holleedeer’s cult following hail him as a “cuddle criminal” and protest his innocence. There is so much public interest for the case, that a second courtroom was opened up with a livestream video to the case.
Holleeder: The verdict
The verdict reads “A murder is, without exception, shocking. The wish of society is to take strong action against this. It is harrowing to see the persistence of the grief of the bereaved. You have remained out of reach for a long time. The motive seems to be monetary gain and we condemn you to life imprisonment. ”
It’s summertime and that means that DutchReview is tripping over the border again. Not that we need an excuse to travel, because, like most other Dutchies and internationals, we love any good trip.
Staying close to home this time as we’re visiting Antwerp, just a wee hour away from Rotterdam (!), making it a perfect day trip or weekend trip from Rotterdam. We present you 7 tips for a weekend trip to Antwerp, taking you a bit off the beaten path (well, I hope).
Disclaimer: Given the current coronavirus situation, take all necessary safety precautions and plan ahead in order to anticipate any potential problems.
Here’s what you need to know about visiting Antwerp for a great weekend!
Image: Supplied
“Tell me more about Antwerp DutchReview!”
Compared to Mechelen, Leuven or Brugge – Antwerpen is a massive city which doesn’t go for that ‘village-charm’ that these other Belgian towns have. With over 500K inhabitants, Antwerp has a port which is one of the biggest in the world and it’s diamond and chocolate qualities enjoy international fame (more about that chocolate later).
I keep writing Antwerpen, which is the Dutch name for Antwerp. It’s in Flanders so they predominantly speak Dutch there (well, Flemish, which is a bit softer). I was wondering where Antwerpen (pardon me) got its name from as it translates into something weird, more or less, ‘pre-hurling’. Sometimes the name ‘Antigoon’ popped up, and the name-origin story from Wikipedia was too good not to share here:
“According to folklore, notably celebrated by a statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend about a giant called Antigoon who lived near the Scheldt river. He extracted a toll from passing boatmen, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands and threw it into the river. Eventually, the giant was killed by a young hero named Silvius Brabo, who cut off the giant’s own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen, akin to Old English hand and wearpan (to throw), which has evolved to today’s warp”
The statue of Brabo throwing away the hand of Antigoon at the ‘Grote Markt’ in Antwerp. Image: Supplied
Anyways, now that we’ve equipped you with this fun-dinner-fact, let’s hop to the first tip for visiting Antwerp so that your trip is well worthwhile.
Visit Antwerp and take the train
It’s just an hour away from Rotterdam by car. But you might be better off with taking the train, as the ‘ring’ around Antwerp is notorious for its traffic and the train takes you there in an hour from Rotterdam Central and under 2 hours for Amsterdam to Antwerp Central. But 2 hours is not that long, making it the perfect day trip or weekend trip from Rotterdam.
This is the NS international train, which directly takes you to Antwerp without any transits. The Thalys is quicker, but also more expensive. A big plus is that you actually arrive in Antwerp’s heart, it’s the central station, conveniently located for a city trip.
Image: Supplied
Also, take the time to gaze at its magnificent architecture. The station is massive and the old details are truly stunning with the central hall and clock being its absolute centrepiece.
Enjoy the many museums Antwerp offers
If you’re looking for culture and museum to enjoy then you took the train to the right city. Antwerp can boast a rich offering of museums, it was sunny and we only had a day and a half to enjoy the city so we missed out on really interesting looking museums such as Plantin-Moretus, the Rubens house or the Museum of Fine Arts – which is closed for renovations until 2020. We did visit these 3 fine museums though:
FoMu
The photography museum of Antwerp, FoMu, is located near the Scheldt river and it’s a slick and minimal experience. It has 4 floors, each with a particular exhibition going on, it’s best to check at their website (that Moon expo starting from the 28th of June is looking amazing) if all 4 floors are having something on before visiting.
Image: Supplied
It’s a tranquil experience, and we really digged the permanent expo on Belgium’s history and photography.
Museum of Modern Art (M HKA)
Just a few meters from FoMu you’ll find this post-modernistic highlight. For some reason, Flanders appreciates the gift of the Dutch language more than us Dutchies. So they proudly carry the name ‘Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst’ which is Dutch for ‘museum for modern art’.
It’s an interesting building, with some thought-provoking stuff on display, and in this case, it’s better to let the pictures do most of the description.
Also, don’t expect a massive museum, kind of expected it to be bigger – but it was still a good visit.
Museum aan de Stroom
This one is the absolute cultural and architectural highlight of any visit to Antwerp since it’s opening in 2011. It’s big, diverse and an absolute must-visit of the Belgian port-town.
Image: Supplied
You can enter and visit for free, but most of the interesting exhibitions on it’s 12 (!) massive floors require you to buy a ticket (which is relatively cheap, highly recommend it). Topics of the expos are diverse, any culture and any field of art could be featured, so there’s always something there to your liking.
Image: Supplied
The building itself is also the star of any visit, with tons of interesting and surprising corners and twists.
Image: SuppliedImage: SuppliedImage: Supplied
The absolute high-point (pun intended) of it was it’s awesome panorama rooftop, offering sweeping views of Antwerp, making it a worthwhile visit.
Image: SuppliedImage: SuppliedImage: Supplied
Pro-tip: Get the Antwerp city card
If you’re there for say, 48 hours, you might want to get the Antwerp City Card. It will allow you to visit all these nice museums for free. It’s worth it because you don’t have any stress on if you should visit a museum or not and we well got our money’s worth (just 35 euro’s for a 48-hour pass, that’s good value)
Discover Antwerp on bicycle: Velo Antwerpen
So Antwerp is not Brugge or Gent, it’s a big city, more comparable to Amsterdam and Rotterdam. So you can walk everywhere, but it will take time and get you tired feet. You can take public transport, but you’ll have to wait for it and figure out the routes and all. So as Dutchies, we started looking for their public biking option.
Tip to visit Antwerp: Get yourself a bike! Image: Supplied
And boy was it good, just a few minutes through their website was enough to get a 24-hour pass (four euros for 24 hours, first half-hour for free, need a credit card though). Stations with bikes were available throughout the city and at every hotspot. The bikes worked like a charm and we didn’t have any problems unlocking it.
It truly made the trip for us and we’re just left wondering why this isn’t working in the Netherlands, to get you in the mood – this is what Velo Antwerpen brought us instead of dark buses and tube traffic:
Chocolate and a visit to Chocolate Nation
You can’t miss out on all that chocolate when you’re Belgium. So while this may sound a bit cliche, there’s actually a brand new chocolate attraction/museum/experience to enjoy in Antwerpen: Chocolate Nation! And yes to your question of ‘ OMG – Can I stuff my face there with chocolate?!’
Image: Supplied
Just a few meters north of the Central Station of Antwerp is Chocolate Nation. Pay 16 euro something and you can enjoy an hour + of walking through their chocolate museum/experience. Interactive displays and art will tell you everything about how the nation of Belgium makes its famed chocolate. It’s fun for all and it was genuinely interesting at times.
Image: SuppliedImage: Supplied
And yassssss people, you do get a taste of it all. At the beginning it’s wise to stuff your face with their chocolate pearls and at the end of it all you’ll get a little spoon and you can take unlimited sips of their various chocolate fountains.
Enjoy Antwerpen’s fine food and nightlife
A trip or visit to Antwerpen wouldn’t be complete without some good food and a little fun. Antwerpen is a bit more cosmopolitan than other Belgian cities, so you’re getting 3 area’s from us which are guaranteed to get you some good food and fun:
The square around Monument Schelde Vrij
This round square is easy-going and different than any other Dutch squares. Enjoy a drink and watch the people cycle, walk or drive past. We loved the atmosphere here and all spots and terraces looked appealing.
Image: Supplied
We dined at Fiskebar that night, a chilled out place renowned for it’s creative and high-class takes on seafood. As you can see we enjoyed it very much:
Image: SuppliedImage: Supplied
Bocadero – it’s at the beach (but not really)
The Scheld river is the lifeline of Antwerp, and Bocadero is where everything is at fun&drinks wise. All the young and pretty flock to this area with tons of restaurants and bars all sporting a beach theme. Sit down, enjoy a cocktail – enjoy two cocktails and go dancing.
Image: SuppliedImage: Supplied
The area around the MAS museum
If you’re going to ‘Museum aan de Stroom’ in Antwerp then be sure to hit up the surrounding area. With a marina and tons of different bars and restaurants, there’s always something to your liking there. We had lunch at ‘Roest’, which you really need to check out if you’re into hip garden-esque interiors:
Enjoy the multiculturalism of Antwerp
I loved Brugge, Gent, and Mechelen. They’re really nice classic Belgian towns to visit. But Antwerp is a port city, bigger and a multicultural city at its heart. Multicultural could have a negative connotation as well and I’m sure that somewhere in the politics of Flanders this phrase has different meanings, but when we were there – a hot Summer weekend – we thoroughly enjoyed all the cultures present!
Image: Supplied
There’s a big Jewish community, something you don’t see that much for sad reasons in Europe, which was interesting. There were Latin-like street bars playing Latin-music, making life better. Many museums and cultural projects paid attention to Belgium’s colonial past, again really interesting. There were restaurants and bars present from every corner of the world, and different cuisines are always something to celebrate. And then there’s the big street market of Antwerp, the ‘vogeltjesmarkt‘, which had people from all over the planet visiting it and hosting their wares:
Image: Supplied
All in all, we really dug the international vibe and it truly makes a trip to Antwerp a cosmopolitan experience!
De Grote Markt, the picturesque center, Belgian beers!
But in the end, one can still taste the good Belgian life in Antwerp. Head into the cosy streets of the city centre and enjoy some Belgian beers. Marvel at their classic buildings. Go to the ‘Grote Markt’ and wonder why they’re doing that centre-square thing so much better than many Dutch cities. In the end, there’s something to everyone’s taste in Antwerp!
Hope you enjoyed this episode of ‘DutchReview tripping’! Catch you the next time!
Oh, and if you’re planning a trip to Antwerp, make sure to head over to visit Antwerp. The city has an excellent website with tons of helpful tips for a visit to Antwerp!
I’ve lost and later found my transport cards so many times I could build a deck of cards from them. If you’re like me, then there is good news coming – the public transport chip card may be gone by 2023!
I know, we’ve just got used to the ‘OV-chipcard’, right?
Van Veldhoven, the State Secretary, thinks it is time a more contemporary system was invoked. She believes having a more centralized system for the balance, such as a bank, is preferable to having to constantly load money onto the chip card.
Tests and trials
Replacement methods are still being suggested and tests and trials are currently being carried out. Once a system is decided upon, Van Veldhoven hopes that the new payment method can be rolled out within two years. It could be a banking card, your phone or who knows – Chinese face scanning or that zipcode tattooed in your neck. The minister did say that it would continue to be possible to check-in and travel anonymous.
If the new system performs well, the public transport chip card could then be abolished two years later, in 2023.
London success story
In London, contactless payments are already in place. Since early 2016, the proportion of pay-as-you-go journeys made through London’s contactless systems has risen from 25 to more than 50 per cent.
