Wilders and Russia – after Russia’s shameful cover-up on their part in the MH17 tragedy you would expect them not to be the biggest friends with Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders.
Think again…
Wilders wants to visit Russia
PVV leader Wilders wants to visit Russia next year to make it clear that not everyone in the Netherlands has an aversion against the Russians. He has already consulted the Russian embassy in The Hague for a travel program as he says in an interview with Elsevier. “Russia is not an enemy and we should not make one of it.” He sees the country of President/Dictator Putin mainly as an ally in the fight against terrorism and mass-immigration.
Wilders and Russia: ‘we’re all patriots’
Wilders wants to travel to Moscow early next year, for a visit to the Duma, the Russian parliament. “To show that there are also patriots here.” According to him, we can still learn a lot from the Russians when it comes to patriotism.
Elsevier writes that Wilders himself contacted the Russian ambassador to talk about a trip to Russia. A previously planned visit during the elections did not take place, because the law prescribes that weapons are forbidden in Russian polling stations. That meant that Wilders’ security guards could not come in.
Wilders surrounded by police and security guards
Wilders and Russia: fake news?
Minister Ollongren of Home Affairs warned last week for attempts by Russia to influence public opinion in the Netherlands through internet trolling and fake news.
He understands the feeling among the Russians that they feel surrounded by the advancing NATO. “I am a big fan of NATO and the Americans, but here Russia has a point”, says Wilders.
He says he remains critical about Russia. And he will never accept loans from the Russians, as his French ally Le Pen of the Front National does. “No rubles roll through the corridors of the PVV.”
Airbnb in Amsterdam, it’s weird to think that it wasn’t even there 10 years ago. And now the local Amsterdam-branch of the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) has made a controversial move in its election program: No more Airbnb! Well, a lot of it at least lets read into the details.
Airbnb in Amsterdam: The Tourist Boom and the Consequences.
A few years ago Amsterdam started becoming ‘hot’ with tourists, sure it always was popular with tourists but there was a good mix between locals and visitors. It wasn’t until online booking, such Airbnb, however that Amsterdam suddenly found itself between the top destinations globally. For tourists who are bold enough to say they’re moving to Amsterdam, proper planning is essential and learning the Dutch language is a must.
Though the mass amount of tourists have also brought the city a lot of fame and fortune, it has also caused overcrowded streets – and more importantly an overcrowded housing market and a lack of accommodations to house all its visitors. Soon the city was full of ‘semi-legal’ tourist accommodations, usually people renting out their houses, much of which was unknown and unregulated by the local government.
While coming at discount prices for tourists, allowing almost everyone to make a trip to the country’s capital, it also kept increasing the tourist flow and the problems associated. Now the PvdA Labour Party wants to step in and stop Airbnb in Amsterdam.
Airbnb in Amsterdam: Costs & Taxes – “A House Isn’t a Business Plan”
The Party’s chairman, Marjolein Moorman, said: “For years we have seen an increase in nuisance and enforcement costs. Social costs too are high, because social cohesion is disappearing from the city, there are more and more roller cases over bicycle bells. It’s no longer manageable, and if so we have to put a stop to it.”
The Labour Party states that all Amsterdammers are paying for the costs of these rentals, while only a small part of its benefits. “Only homeowners may offer their property for rental, for tenants this is forbidden, and because Airbnb is a foreign company, we don’t even receive any profit taxes,” says Moorman.
The PvdA also believes Airbnb in Amsterdam to be a major cause for the skyrocketing housing prices in the capital: “Some homeowners leave every weekend to pay home expenses with the proceeds from Airbnb.” Homes are not meant to be revenue models.”
Is This It? No More Amsterdam for the Tourist with a Budget?
Don’t worry – there’s still some hope left! The Labour Party isn’t looking for a total ban of all property on Airbnb, rather it’s looking to anchor down new rules in the city’s Housing Regulations. The party wants to prohibit the rental of complete houses and apartments, which essentially serve as a business and no longer housing, but bed and breakfasts in which the ‘landlord’ also sleeps and resides will remain permitted in the plan. Of course plans still have to pass through the local government, after local elections to be held in March 2018.
For good measure, Amsterdam isn’t the only city that has struggled with Airbnb – New York City and Berlin have also taken measures. Berlin banned the rental of complete houses and NYC threatened a ban, causing Airbnb to quickly take measures of its own to meet the city’s demands.
In Amsterdam feelings are mixed, though most Amsterdammers are happy to see people discover their formerly hidden gem and enjoying themselves there, there’s also a lot of frustration. It’s not easy to see your neighbors move away and having ‘Airbnb Landlords’ taking their place, housing noisy young tourists – often drunk and under the influence of drugs.
Likewise, housing has become borderline unaffordable, forcing many of the ‘true’ Amsterdammers – who built and shaped the city and carry on its traditions – to move away from their beloved town.
On the other side, the city’s economy is booming like no other – largely thanks to people discovering the city, often migrating there after visiting and falling in love with it. Neighborhoods are being upgraded, the city is becoming more international and businesses are no longer solely reliant on locals, but can now stay afloat a little easier thanks to foreign customers.
What do you think? Should Amsterdam regulate less or more regarding its tourists? What is tourism like in your town? Let us know in the Facebook comments!
Relocating to the Netherlands: Moving between education systems, and indeed between countries is always tricky. It isn’t so much a matter of skill as preparedness.
Before we get to the topic of relocating to the Netherlands we need to talk about this. While the underlying techniques for success involve the same old trifecta of hard work, regularity and focus; knowing what the system asks of you makes the process more efficient. I’m not suggesting that the system can be gamed (it perhaps can, but I haven’t figured it out), but instead that the small differences can add up in the long run.
Netherlands, here I come!
Some key points that I had to figure out for myself about relocating to the Netherlands
1- Relocating to the Netherlands: Enormous flexibility
I’m struggling to describe the numerous options as anything other than staggering. The TU allows you to take courses from any faculty on campus, and aside from the core curriculum requirement, you choose which of those courses are counted on your transcript. Further, you do not actually register for courses – you only register for exams. This means you have the option to attend any number of lectures from any course without having to inform anyone (while you are free to participate in labs also according to your whims, it wouldn’t be very useful to do so). You may then choose to register for the exams that take place every quarter (we follow a quarter and not a semester-based system), and the exams for a course are usually offered in more than one quarter.
The most incredible part – only your best grades are counted. There are no limits on the number of attempts you give, and no indication will be provided in your final transcript of which attempt was counted. Note: this is ideally done within the recommended duration of your programme, which is 2 years for the Masters. You are allowed to extend it, but at some financial and opportunity cost.
2- Relocating to the Netherlands: Assessment style
There is considerable variance between courses and faculties in how you are assessed, with some choosing to count only one final exam, others two, and some others a mixture of regular assignments/coursework and exam, or no exams at all. What stands out is a general tendency to use application-based problems instead of purely theoretical ones. Some may contend that this makes the exams considerably more difficult, but I would prefer to say it merely makes them more interesting, and that the level of the questions will not be very different from what you’ve seen in class. Within engineering, the process of transforming a physical system to a mathematical model is the key step to solving most problems. The exercise sessions during the course should help you get better at that.
3- Relocating to the Netherlands: Dutch work culture
There are endless articles and comics that attempt to grasp the adjustments many internationals may need to make when working with the Dutch. I would regard them largely as positive ones, without launching into a critique of work cultures around the world. In essence, it is characterized by a Zen-like focus on efficiency and ensuring that there is life beyond work. Meetings will almost always start and end on time, have a fixed agenda that is followed unless there is a significant cause of an exception, and will then be followed by gathering in a more social environment such as a pub, restaurant or someone’s home. There is also the famed Dutch directness to deal with, which I have found to be rather less offensive than some claim. Be prepared however for a few (mostly genial) moments of speechlessness.
Prepare yourself for all the ‘Dunglish’
4- Relocating to the Netherlands- Dutch Food
It’s all fun and games until you need something more to eat than ‘stroopwafels’
Yes this isn’t quite academic but almost as important in my opinion. Bottom line – the Dutch are not, errrm, the most gastronomically inclined.
Disclaimer: fresh stroopwafels are delightful and poffertjes can brighten up the dull, dark winter (more on that soon).
The other options leave a lot to be desired, though. I have hopped excitedly to a lecture with free lunch but found to my dismay that it consisted of a piece of bread and a slice of cheese (and ham, but I’m unfortunately vegetarian). The most ubiquitous fast food is the Turkish inspired Döner, and the most classic of Turko-Dutch concoctions, the Kapsalon (literally translated as ‘hairdresser’; you’ll be at a loss for words when you’ve had your first). However, the quality of produce such as vegetables and dairy at supermarkets is generally very high, and if you’re willing to open your wallets a little wider, a range of different cuisines at multiple price points awaits you. Yet you will never make the mistake of thinking you’re in France or even Belgium.
5- Relocating to the Netherlands- Weather
Moving to a new country such as the Netherlands. Will you be singing in the rain?
No it is not as bad as Sweden. There is sunlight between 8 AM and 5 PM on all the but very worst winter days, and the temperature doesn’t dip much beyond – 5 degrees Celsius and when it drops below zero it is often accompanied by a delightful spectacle of snow. But the rain is almost incessant and the wind always seems to work against you, which added to the need to cycle nearly everywhere you go can make the going difficult.
Talking about cycling and the Dutch, they’re really the country of the future when it comes to that:
In fact, a running joke in the TU is that we have two wind tunnels – one in the Aerospace Engineering faculty, and the other in the street to the side of the Electrical Engineering faculty, which due to its height (it was one of the tallest buildings in the Netherlands) causes strong gusts capable of throwing you off your bike. However, to the Dutch, there is no bad weather – only weather that you’re not prepared for. The latest buzzword around the world is the Danish concept of ‘huygge‘, literally translating to ‘fun’ or ‘coziness’.
Next to many untranslatable words, the Dutch have their own version – ‘gezellig‘ (if you pronounce it right, the government offers you citizenship). Warm social gatherings accompanied by Glühwein and steaming cocoa can offset the worst winter blues, and the Christmas break offers the opportunity to see Europe at its most delightful. Also, there is always access to superb mental health facilities at the TU. These range from student counsellors to full-fledged psychiatrists and psychologists. As ever, you don’t need to wait for things to take a turn for the worse – the counsellors will be happy for you drop in and say hi just to make sure you’re getting along okay.
So…
Think you’re ready for Nederland yet? Maybe it’s time to finish that application!
Good luck with relocating to the Netherlands! 🙂
Liked this article? Then check out rest of Karan’s blog!
As someone who has lived the past 26 years in the UK, returning to Holland meant a crazy year of learning how to adapt to all the “Dutch-nesses” as a family…
Make sure to pack your rainboots with you for the Netherlands!
It was about 6am on the day after (AR- After Referendum). I sat in bed holding my phone in total disbelief. Brexit was about to become reality; the line had been drawn, the island of the UK would truly become an island once more. And what a landslide it wasn’t! The attempt to make Great Britain great again could now start in earnest. There was just the small matter of getting the foreigners out and the UK would be on their way.
I hadn’t been allowed to vote being a Dutch national. I had lived in the UK for over 26 years and now found myself in the “no longer welcome” zone. I know that since the political negotiations started this has all been softened up with lovely words and good intentions, but essentially the undertones of Brexshit have always been that foreigners are to blame. For everything.
By a bizarre coincidence or a ridiculous twist of fate, I had found myself in a court room on the day of the dreaded Referendum. I needed to get permission from the Courts to be able to pursue my plans to move back to the Netherlands with my children. Just as we were given the green light, Brexshit happened. If you are married to an Englishman and have therefore Dutch/English children, what to do? Get out whilst the light was green, was the answer.
Returning to Holland, a.k.a ‘The Mainland’
So, we returned to Holland in the summer of 2016. There was a sense of relief, even though we were overwhelmed with the initial impressions of Dutch life. We laughed (nervously) every time we saw another bike (in my memory there weren’t that many when I left the country), were worried at the number of small children playing outside unsupervised (unheard of in England) and got dizzy with the amount of roundabouts we had to take. There isn’t one shop to get most of your groceries, so I had to re-learn what to get where, helped by the endless flyers that came through the door enticing you with the special offers. The Dutch love a special offer. My husband wondered why most people “throw their duvets out of the window in the morning” and my older children were initially worried by strangers politely saying hello in the street. “What do they want from you mum?”, they would say in a concerned way. But then again, the freedom of being able to cycle off without a helmet and no school uniform made up for this in a big way. And eventually they would wave back at everyone. My own mother did comment however on the fact that my husband “wasn’t a good waver”. If he was to settle here, this was something he had to address.
Our very Dutch family, in 5 years time.
So, what comes next?
For me reintegrating and returning to Holland, being Dutch, was a peculiar journey after 26 years abroad. You are supposed to fit right in, but that isn’t the case. It’s been a crazy year of learning how to adapt once more and coming up against all sorts of hilarious obstacles and “Dutch-nesses” along the way.
All this time, Brexshit hasn’t left the front pages of the news. Even though we are reasonably safe on the mainland, my family crosses borders. With an English father/husband we could face a situation that if we go on holiday to Germany, he has to get a Visa. It’s uncertain at this point, so we just carry on embracing Dutch life and reporting here how we got on.
Moving to a new country is tough for everyone. Let us help! Here are some articles to get you started!
Dinner in Motion – A new dinner experience in Utrecht for all you foodies who also want a proper show
Been to a bazillion burgerbars? Is ceviche old news for you? Done with Nordic cuisine? Then Dinner in Motion might be the latest culinary experience you have been waiting for. Not only will your taste buds be tickled, but your ears, eyes and skin are not forgotten here either… Enchanted by all the pretty pictures and hungry for the 7 courses (!) we set out to Utrecht and discover this 360 degrees restaurant.
However conveniently located Dinner in Motion is in ‘The Wall’ alongside the A2 in Utrecht, it is not the most expected location for a restaurant. But don’t worry, you’ll see none of the scenery once you’re inside.
All aboard for the 360 degrees Dinner in Motion journey!
The journey of ‘Dinner in Motion’ starts after you have been handed your boarding pass and you are escorted to one of the two dining rooms. All the guests (about 30 to 40) are seated at the same, large table in the center of the room. So don’t come here if you want to take your date to an intimate romantic dinner 😉
Boarding passes ready!We had loads of ‘gezelligheid’ with the other guests at the table 🙂
From your very own seat at the table you are taken all over the world and through several ages. The decor changes around you, the wind is rising and the wine in your glass is gently shaking.
First Stop: USA
We first arrived in deserted, warm and windy Arizona (or New Mexico or Nevada) picking up a delicious gourmet mini-burger with duck-breast paté, truffle mayo, compote of red onion and some parmigiana.
Then off to Las Vegas! Place your bets with a glittering gold ball made of carpaccio. Always good to eat some glitter!
Into nature: Plants and Fish
Next stop was a stroll in a quiet garden with a very very tasty soup of edible plants that was poured into our plates by a gardener. Then a plunge into the deep blue sea, finding some fish in our dish! A cute bowl filled with a tartare of gamba’s, accompanied by pearls of couscous and foam of Granny Smith’s apples.
Country manor dining: the main course!
A visit to a fine country manor was next. We were served a classic main course ‘chateau tournedos’ with a mousseline of celeriac, green asparagus and a surprisingly tasty ‘kroepoek’ made of truffle.
Meanwhile the paintings in the house seemed to be secretly whispering to us.
Dutch dessert time
Back to the Netherlands for dessert! A chocolate mousse with a crumble of ‘Stroopwafels’, ‘advocaat’ cream and Haagse hopjes.
If you needed to catch up on your Dutch sweets, now is the time! To conclude our culinary voyage we visited the Dutch masters and actually ate the pearl out of the famous painting ‘The girl the pearl earring’ by Johannes Vermeer.
Dinner in Motion, it’s an experience for all the senses
Travelling the world and different times but not leaving your seat, tasting a wide range of excellent dishes: Dinner in Motion really is where you need to go if you think you’ve seen it all. We had a chat with the manager after the show and he showed us the intricate projector set-up and the awesome amount of timing and attention that’s involved with bringing you a proper show and an excellent 7 (!) course dinner. The shows in between the courses are really impressive and come with all kinds of other effects (shakey tables and such), during the course the show is somewhat in a more ‘chill’ mode – allowing for some proper table conversation with your company which in turn is mostly about the food and show because it’s so gosh darn impressive. It’s really rare for such technical and culinary prowess to come together in such a nice way!
Oh, and did we recommend the accompanying wine arrangement already? No? Go for that, you won’t regret it!
All in all we left the place quite satisfied, crossing a new dinner experience off our list.
Before seeing a dentist in Amsterdam because your friends ‘suggested’ this move, here are five things to know when bad breath is your problem and before you go seeking dental care in Amsterdam.
Just arrived in Amsterdam? Going to all kinds of get-togethers, shindigs and got a new job? Nothing can be more bothering for your confidence than bad breath issues (and you know, it can also really mess up any conversation literally). So before you seek out a dentist in Amsterdam, here are 5 things to know or try.
#1 Don’t eat all that herring with ‘uitjes’ (and various other Dutch treats)
Number one is a no-brainer, but oh so important, because although we at DutchReview love our little national fishie a lot – nothing will make you smell more than a raw herring with onions.
Dateless Dutch men
Think about it, it’s raw greasy fish and chopped onions – you’re totally going to reek after eating that one. Other typical Dutch products that can mess with your breath (and are also to be avoided before going to some dentist in Amsterdam) are:
Black licorice – this ‘drop’ might be delicious for some, it can also mess with your breath (especially salmiak) and make your teeth black for a moment. Especially when you just eat something all day long (like a bag of ‘dropjes) it can seriously mess with your mouth health because you don’t give ‘it’ any rest all day long.
Jenever – a hardcore clear spirit which kind of smells like a cleaning product, but does the total opposite to your breath.
Want some jenever to go with your herring and onions?
Leverworst – it’s got that typical smell, and that ain’t good
‘Broodje Kaas and koffie’ – The Dutch drink tons of coffee and eat loads of cheese sandwiches. This often tried combination (50% of your real Dutch co-workers I reckon) isn’t the way to go for that much wanted fresh breath.
And not typical Dutch, but also really tasty, garlic! The oils from stinky foods like onions and garlic can be detected on the breath up to 3 days after consumption. So best to eat that kind of food in moderation as well.
No worries, as far as I know stroopwafels, hagelslag and bitterballen are in the clear.
Is there anything you can eat to improve your breath? Well, yeah there is – eating some fresh parsley is what your grandmother would preach. And by chewing sugarless gum you can increase saliva flow, which in turn reduces plaque acid, strengthens your teeth and reduces tooth decay.
#2 DIY mouth hygiene: toothpicking, mouthwash, flossing and tongue scraping
So you would expect a dentist in Amsterdam to advise you to floss mostly right? Well, kind of – but the advice I got was actually toothpicking – yes with one of those little wooden sticks. But do make sure to get the proper ones at the drugstore, the plastic ones or those much-loved cocktail picks aren’t the best for picking your teeth.
Works for foodhogging purposes – not for your breath
Flossing also works for cleaning your teeth, but it’s still better to do tooth picking, it removes more of that stuff that shouldn’t be here and massages your gums, which in turn is better for the overall health of your gums (and breath!). If you’re traveling and can’t find the right toothpicks then you can always resort to flossing.
And then there’s mouthwash – which looks like it could help with your bad breath but really has some negative side-effects, mainly because the alcohol-based mouthwash actually upsets the bacterial balance in your mouth. It’s best to use nature’s mouthwash brand, good old water! By drinking loads of water it will stimulate your saliva to regulate the bacteria in your mouth (awesome nature!). So all in all mouthwash wouldn’t be the way to go.
When visiting Tandarts Jordaan, the dentist also told me that new studies say that enjoying 7 moments of eating and drinking could also help your mouth hygiene, so that might be something to aim for. And don’t forget to drink a glass of water after a meal, that will help too!
Last but not least, If all DIY fails, checking in at a decent dental hygienist can really help!
#3 Dental care in Amsterdam: don’t do all that drugs and drinking on Sunday before going to work on Monday
Have you gotten the idea that your breath has gotten worse since you came to Amsterdam? Well Sherlock, it might be that hanging around in a coffeeshop isn’t the best way to catch a fresh breath.
“How was your trip to Amsterdam honey?”
Furthermore, going to a rave or hanging in a ‘café’ drinking Heineken (‘plakje leverworst’ on the side) also aren’t helping. So don’t be that new international guy/girl/person that starts on Monday but has a terrible hang-over and equally terrible breath from their ‘tour through Amsterdam’ of the weekend – and no dentist in Amsterdam is going to solve that image-problem for you.
Also a pretty obvious one, but smoking can also cause bad breath, so it’s always a good one to stop with that bad habit.
#4 Bad gums are probably the root (HAHAHA) of your problem
Alright enough with the jokes, bad breath can be a serious condition (the sciencey name for it is halitosis) and the cause for it can also lie in the condition of your gums (instead of overdosing on herring and smokes). Gum disease or infection and the bad breath symptoms that come with it is something that creeps up on you. You don’t notice it because it’s developing slowly, but your friends and co-workers will know and this will cause extremely awkward situations where someone will have a chronic case of bad breath and nobody is willing to point this out. Think about it, we all knew at least. Think about it, we all knew at least one of these people at a workplace – or maybe it was just that one guy doing the ‘broodje kaas met koffie’ routine all day.
Anyways, besides brushing and toothpicking – what also helps is cleaning your tongue. An often forgotten routine when it comes to dental care, but that little weird pointy thingy on the other end of your toothbrush can do wonders for the quality of your breath in the long run.
# 5 If you need to go to a dentist in Amsterdam, look up Tandarts Jordaan!
Tongue completely cleaned and still need to go and visit a dentist in Amsterdam because of that bad breath? Well, might as well go for the best one around (since prices are the same). Tandarts Jordaan, in yes you guessed it – the Jordaan neighborhood – comes highly recommended.
This dentist in Amsterdam combines a state-of-the-art dental practice with great opening hours and special attention for you expat folk. They’ve also got a mouth hygienist in their practice, handy for you chronic bad-breathers, and they’ve got special attention and skills when it comes to halitosis and gum diseases.
And not that it matters that much if you’re seeking dental care in Amsterdam, but it looks the part as well:
We’ve worked together on this article with Tandarts Jordaan, because although we’re experts in bad breath puns we trust them a tad bit more when it comes to oral knowledge
“Mooie dag!” Lotte said, stretching in front of a window bathed with sunshine. She ate her breakfast of brood met hagelslag, and hopped effortlessly on her bike. By the time she arrived at work, she was drenched.
“Niets zo veranderlijk als het weer,” she said, followed by a particularly unladylike word we’re not allowed to publish.
“Nothing changes as fast as the weather,” Lotte had sworn. That’s right Lotte, the Dutch climate is famous for changing quickly, often showing off all four seasons in one day!
But don’t worry — with this guide learning these words will be as easy as riding your bike with the wind in your back — in fact, that’s something they like to say! Met de wind in de rug!
Words to put away for a rainy day
If you haven’t ridden your bike while the sky unleashes gallons of water directly down your back collar it’s hard to believe you’ve ever lived here. While the Netherlands is not statistically the wettest place on Earth, it’s a worthy setting of a teen vampire novel filled with angst — and a great conversation starter.
But did you know the Dutch distinguish between every type of rain?
Here’s seven of the most popular Dutch words for rain — now you’ll have no excuse but to use them all correctly!
Miezeren
Sounding a lot like “miserable” (which is really quite accurate), miezeren is a light rain, making you feel sad because it’s wet, but not stay-inside-with-a-hot-chocolate-while-you-read-a-good-book-wet.
Motregen
Moth-rain. Why? Regen = rain, mot = moth. This is a light rain that tickles you like a moth’s wings. (WTF Dutch?)
Buien
Remember that time you thought the rain had stopped so you hopped on your bike, but then in a cruel twist of the universe (that was perhaps intentional?), it started again solely for the duration of your bike ride, and then stopped again when you were safely inside? Meet buien.
Plensen
Previously mentioned, you can remember this one by the big raindrops that splash on top of your head making the sound “PLENS, PLENS, PLENS.” If this kind of rain appears you can even say “het regent pijpenstelen”, literally: it’s raining smoking pipes.
Hozen
When the rain is hozen you better get go-zen because it is raining hard.
Stortbuien
You’ve met buien, now meet stort-buien — it is translatable to BIG SHOWERS. Like if a giant took a shower above you and the rest of the water was DUMPED ON YOUR HEAD.
Stormen
Straight out of a horror movie, those grey clouds that hover menacingly in the distance can spell impending doom for your bike ride home. Watch out for wind when crossing canals, and pray your bike isn’t an easy target for lightning. But it’s okay, just remember no matter how hard the rain is je ben niet van suiker (you’re not made out of sugar!)
Our top tip: the proper Dutch etiquette before heading outdoors is to check the rain app Buienalarm — perhaps the most useful app in the Netherlands, and will help you from melting in case you ARE made out of sugar.
Dutch sayings about the weather in the Netherlands
(The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow)
But, of course, the Dutch weather is famous for going hollen of stilstaan — from one extreme to the other. On the rare occasion the sun does shine, make your coworkers smile with a sneaky “lekker weertje, he,” (“good weather, right?”)
Or, for nights when the wind is softly rocking the canal houses to sleep (seriously, some look pretty unsteady), “Hoor de wind waait door de bomen” (“hear the wind blowing through the trees.”)
And finally, you know the Netherlands is coming into warmer weather when you see girls wearing skirts — the Dutch even have a name for it: rokjesdag, literally, “skirt day.” There’s no official date, but when the bare legs are out you know spring has arrived!
Well, people don’t move to the Netherlands for sunshine. Read more to find out why the Dutch are so happy (regardless of the Netherlands weather.)
What’s your favourite Dutch expression for the weather? Tell us in the comments below!
Dutch Police not Allowed to Ban Headscarf for Officers
A bit of a setback for the Dutch National Police, Holland’s recently unified police corps, who have been put in their place by the “Netherlands Institute for Human Rights”. A female officer recently opened a case in which see demanded to wear her scarf, in the office, in combination with the regular police uniform. Her employer disagreed, but the Institute does not.
Private companies are a different matter:
Discrimination or Uniform Appearance?
The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights is harsh in its wording to the National Police – they have discriminated said officer and their defense ‘ill-constructed’. Ouch!
According to the National Police any officer should have a uniform, neutral look and facial expression – any kind of “lifestyle expressions” are therefore out of the question. On top of that, the police also believes that such expressions can also put an officer’s safety at risk. It appears however that the Institute doesn’t quite agree with that outlook, or in the very least not in this case.
The officer works on the “Service Department” of the National Police, where she handles police reports via phone and video connection with citizens who have contacted police through the 0900-number.
Civil Clothing while “Skyping”.
Currently the officer is forced to wear her regular civil clothing, as opposed to all her colleagues that wear the regular service uniform.
According to the Institute for Human Rights, the officer’s safety is never a concern as she is not directly in contact with ‘regular citizens’ but only ‘Skyping’ through a video chat. The same counts for her uniform look – as she is not patrolling the streets but a ‘desk officer’, her slightly altered appearance should have no further consequences for the National Police-image.
Altogether, this is probably not what the National Police was hoping to hear, but they’re not out of luck yet. The Institute, founded in 2011, merely has an ‘advisory’ role – however should the National Police refuse and the officer take her case to court, there’s a very good chance the court will take the Institution’s conclusions to heart.
What do you think of officers wearing a headscarf?
Sure, here at DutchReview we also love Sinterklaas – especially if it’s inclusive for everyone (as it should be), but maybe people are taking things just a little too far when they deliberately block traffic and cause accidents? We wonder if they’ll get a spanking from Piet…
“We the People” (Who Like Zwarte Piet)
This past Saturday Sinterklaas was set to arrive in Dokkum, a small town in rural Friesland, together with his Pieten-helpers. Sinterklaas’ traditional arrival is a greatly anticipated event every year, for kids at least, and he appears to be arriving simultaneously at a number of places – but only one “officially”.
Thankfully though the arrival itself went fine, no incidents, just happy kids – the same can not be said about the surrounding events…
https://youtu.be/2GK0_H-2FZk
A group of protesters, dubbed ‘Anti-Piet Activists’, also made their way from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to small Dokkum to protest from a specially appointed piece of ground so they could let their arguments be heard against “Black Piet”. In previous years there were at least some issues with the “Kick Out Black Piet”-demonstrators who were a little too noisy and intimidating for some kids to handle.
As a result a group of local Frisians, who got together on Facebook after catching wind of the protesters coming their way, jumped into their car and raced towards the access points of Friesland. Organizer Martin says: “We are ordinary people who have used non-violent means to stop them from demonstrating right between our kids.”
The part Martin left out though is that they also caused a number of traffic accidents in the process.
Martin & Crew: Protecting Zwarte Piet Near You!
The group of ‘Pro Zwarte Piet’ counter-protesters almost missed the three buses of activists because they had driven to the Afsluitdijk, which runs from Noord-Holland to Frisia, to intercept them. But soon the group of “Sinterklaas Vigilantes” caught word that they were coming in through the A7 freeway instead, and then raced to catch them there.
All in all, ten ‘vigilante’ cars overtook the buses and then came to a halt, blocking all traffic for twenty minutes. As expected, abruptly shutting down a freeway without any assistance or oversight is not a great idea.
Needless to say, police is not happy with the situation: “Everything suddenly came to a halt. A couple of people didn’t see that coming and it’s caused several small rear-end collisions, which was almost unavoidable.”
Currently the District Attorney is looking into legal action together with the police against the ‘Sinterklaas Vigilantes’ who blocked traffic. Martin said police took all their license plate numbers and information and they will hear back from law enforcement soon enough. The mayor of Dokkum too expressed her dislike of the situation, as the Anti-Zwarte Piet demonstrators were using their legal rights, and she was forced to ban all protests – whether pro or anti to avoid further escalation.
To be fair, the group did succeed in stopping the demonstrators, so they got what they want. The question is whether or not they bit off more than they could handle?
Scenic views, city of Leiden, drone photography and a good amount of sunset shots. Prepare to feast your eyes on some awesome shots by Vincent Mullenders!
As you all know by now, as Dutchreview, we love good photos. Especially if they are photos of the Netherlands. That’s why it is no surprise that when we saw another batch of Vincent’s photos of Leiden taken with his drone, we just had to share it! Drone photography fans, Leiden lovers, gather around for another Dutchreview photo report!
If you follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts, then you probably already came across some of the great photos taken by Vincent. Pretty much like this one:
Liked it? We thought so! So without dragging the subject, take a look at Vincent’s drone photography featuring Leiden from above!
Vincent Mullenders’ drone photos of Leiden
Sunsets over Leiden never disappointsnot a bad scene for an autumn day
The Leiden Observatory, one of the places you should put on your list!Pieterskerk under the evening sun
And Last but Not Least,
Wait there’s more! If you love seeing Leiden, or if you are just into drone photography; you can now get your hands on Vincent’s book ‘Leiden van Boven (Leiden from above)‘. It won’t just look awesome in your bookcase but also makes a great gift as well!
Don’t want to wait till your book arrives? Then you can find Vincent on Instagram or Facebook.
Into nature: Plants and Fish
