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Eating in Rotterdam: 5 New and Hot Restaurants in Rotterdam

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Eating in Rotterdam: 5 New and Hot Restaurants in Rotterdam

Besides having the best modern architecture, some fab’ burger places and some great Smart City projects, Rotterdam also has some delicious new and trendy places opening up every month. But what’s the best place to go? So many spots to choose from! What’s on the menu? How’s the vibe? To help you in your choice, DutchReview went out to Rotterdam on a ‘fact-finding’ mission (aka tour de eating)  to show you 5 creative and great restaurants that have opened in the past year!

AYLA

If you’ve been keeping track of the city’s new spots, you’d know Ayla would make the list. It’s been written about many times and rightly so: Ayla is not only a treat to the taste buds but the venue’s amazing interior is a gift in and of itself.

Ayla/Facebook
Still in cold March, by April they should have a booming terrace

It’s a eclectic mix of Mediterranean, urban and orientalist chique that just totally works. And in that sense it’s also a welcome break from the hipster ‘airspace’ design that so many places now (try to) rock when it comes to interior design.

Good vibes there as well

On the intersection of the West-Kruiskade and Kruisplein (just 100m away from Central Station), Ayla is the new project from the people that gave you The Suicide Club and Biergarten Rotterdam. They also set up the pop-up ‘Ontbijtbar’ in the same location before Ayla came to fruition. If you visited any of these places then you know that this guarantees a hip and creative approach, (which was certainly true for their cocktails) but how was the food?

Best looking cocktails ever

Creative and crazy delicious, that’s the food in a nutshell. Weird combinations of ingredients are often hit or miss, but Ayla’s execution consistently hit the mark. It’s worthy following the staff’s recommendations since they hit the bulls eye with their first round. You might expect the Iberian ham and the scallops to shine, but it was the cauliflower that unexpectedly stole the show (the nice Dutch word for it is ‘Bloemkool’).

The cauliflower is the one in the middle that looks nuggets, but tastes like angels
Pies for dessert

Normally I would post a picture of their menu, but they change it up every week so it wouldn’t help much. They’ve got a terrace during the warmer seasons and I’ve heard that breakfast is also a must-have, so Ayla has your back pretty much every moment of the year (or the week, they’re open 7 days).

Address: Kruisplein 153

Website | Instagram | Facebook

 

DERTIEN

Not into shared dining that much? Perhaps even better food can be had at ‘Dertien’. Normally when visiting a hot spot I’m always busy shooting pics of my food (ahem, for work) and the interior. This time was no exception and no picture was more justified than the one of the giant old-school menu sign right above the bar.

So once again there’s no physical paper menu, but there is some delicious food. The menu also changes frequently, but I’m hoping that they still have the pork belly and mussels (with cream and almonds, so good).

 

That big bitterball was a no-brainer for us at DutchReview: instant hit. And look at the size of that bavette, no Dutch thriftiness there!

Big plus, in my book, is that Dertien works with a lot ingredients from the region. Always a nice touch when you know it’s locally farmed.

Nice interior and plenty of space as well

I also have to say that their service was at a higher standard than the other places and pro-tip, ask them to pair the wines with your courses – they know their stuff and we got to taste some really original wines!

Address: Schiedamse Vest 30

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

THE FISH MARKET

Looking for something fishy? Try The Fish Market!

In one of the most exciting neighborhoods in the city there’s a seafood restaurant that’s definitely worth a visit. The Fish Market is located in the city-center between one of the most luxurious fashion streets of Rotterdam, De Meent, and near one of Rotterdam’s architectural highlights the Markthal. The menu offers you an exciting choice between all the high quality seafood classics like lobster, king crab, scampi’s and more.

Both the owners have worked in several Michelin star awarded kitchens and this can easily be found in the taste of every dish. And it certainly showed in the plating as well.

The huge outside terrace is perfect for some oysters in the sun on a Friday afternoon or a nice evening dinner with the energy of the Dutch city of cool all around you. The inside interior fits the theme of the sea nicely as well. The open kitchen is separated from the cozy and warm interior of the restaurant by a bar of fresh products that are displayed for you to choose from. And the tanks containing the fresh lobsters and king crabs give the whole place a finger-licking finishing touch.

All together this is a perfect place with high quality seafood for a good price.

Address: Binnenrotte 105-111

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LOLA

In literally the same street as Dertien, the Schiedamse Vest, is Lola. Although with a focus on tapas and pinchos (with a twist),  Lola is on a very different culinary road. We visited Lola when it was still breezy and dark outside, but Lola’s fresh interior, summer spirited bites and the friendly staff (thanks Casper!) make for a wonderful summer feeling.

 

Lola’s interior is best described as vintage retro funky Latin (totally made that up myself) and it’s a mix between a bar and a restaurant. The open kitchen adds to the already buzzing atmosphere inside. Absolute eye catcher for your nostalgic inner-nerd was their Donkey Kong Arcade machine!

Winning

So you won’t find most of those classic (and sometimes tiring) tapas here like the albongidas. Instead, the absolute winner was the ‘Lola plank’: plenty of delicious bites are served on a wooden board (the Dutch word is ‘plank’) and for a good price you get a great deal of varying bites. And could there be anything better than chorizo croquettes?

Another one that made my day was the Iberian ham, for the love of god order that one when visiting Lola. Drinking was also done with a twist. Besides good Spanish wines and beers, their Sangria also really shined and they even mixed some affordable and tasty cocktails.

Good times were enjoyed 🙂

 

Can’t wait to taste them again on a nice summer night!

Address: Schiedamse Vest 56

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MEAT ROTTERDAM

To tell you the truth, the ‘Oude Haven’ was always one of my favorite spots in Rotterdam because of the nice terraces and views and such – but never because of the establishments of there. Old, campy and certainly not that creative. Luckily that has changed with arrival of Meat Rotterdam, and lucky for us, we just happened to visit it when the sun showed its happy yellow face.

As you can see, Meat Rotterdam wins the prize for the best view to be had:

Their name is kind of a giveaway; they call it a ‘Vleeschcafé’ themselves, and we came ready to taste some serious meat classiness. As the appetizer we went for the ‘Proeverij’ (which means appetizer in Dutch, how convenient) and the truffleballs (because obviously you need to go for truffles whenever available).

Brooklyn Lager always +1

After a while it got chilly and we moved this meat eating inside. Their decor has a lot of manly wood going on, quite suitable – all in all it’s a welcome addition to the Oude Haven.

Of course the main menu was, how surprising, meat! We had the ‘kogelbiefstuk’ and the picanha. Both were done perfectly – here you can see me having a great moment:

So if you’re ever in the mood for some good meat and views to go with it, Meat Rotterdam has your back. It has one of largest terraces in Rotterdam, so this one is always a good choice if you want to sit outside.

Address: Haringvliet 637

Website | Instagram | Facebook

 

That’s it! Next stop: ‘great places to have lunch in Rotterdam’. If you have any suggestions or comments feel free to share!

Keukenhof: The perfect spot for a selfie

Emily Hine
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Keukenhof: The perfect spot for a selfie

Picture perfect

Are you in need of a new Facebook profile picture? Are your recent Instagram posts lacking in colour? Maybe you’re worried that your constant Snapchaps of drunken nights out are getting dull. If any of the above applies to you, we’ve got the answer.

A pop of colour brightens up any newsfeed

What you need is a trip to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. Seriously, hear me out. Not only will you enjoy a great day out and enjoy the spectacular variations of tulips that Holland is so famous for, but you’ll also be in the perfect setting to take stunning photos to wow all your social media fans. And why just stop at taking photos of the flowers? Why not exploit the stunning surroundings to enhance your natural beauty this tulip season?

Is there a more perfect setting for a photo?

Find your focus among the crocus

And don’t worry about feeling self-conscious about taking pictures with every single one of the parks different flower varieties (of which there must be thousands) as you certainly won’t be the only one. People of all ages and nationalities will also be there posing up a storm trying to find the perfect angle and lighting that will make them look even more beautiful than the flowers they’ve paid good money to see. In this case, it’s not those pesky tourists clogging up the paths and hogging the best spots, oh no, the selfie epidemic seems to have spread to the national population as well.

Even this Dutch reviewer’s Mum couldn’t resist taking a gazillion pictures to show everyone on Facebook

Find your angle

You too could be elbowing a granny out of the way of that beautiful display of red and yellow tulips with a border of purple hyacinths to get that perfect picture that’s sure to get at least 10 likes. And don’t forget to lie down next to the flowers or use a selfie stick for that totally unique perspective that no one will be expecting. That’ll surely boost you up to at least 12 likes. Also, the whole park boasts free wifi access for that instant upload so you can always delete and post a fresh picture if your first try isn’t getting the love it deserves.

All about those angles

A rose by any other name

Don’t let the irony of snapping away hundreds of photos yourself surrounded by narcissi hold you back, what’s in a name anyway! Turns out quite a bit in this case as the unmistakable yellow flowers name can be traced back to the Greek myth of Narcissus. The beautiful youth was said to have become so obsessed with looking at his own reflection beaming up at him from the water that he eventually drowned and narcissi sprung up in the spot where he died. Perhaps we could all do with heeding the moral of this tale and spend more time admiring the flowers with our own eyes rather than through a camera lens. Or not. Don’t let me stop you from using the parks beauty to capture that flawless picture. Happy snapping!

If I was that beautiful I’d spend all day looking at my reflection too
Good lighting is crucial
It’s not all tulips,. You can also take selfies with orchids, crocus, narcissi, hyacinths… Well worth a visit!

Pandamonium: 21st century diplomacy

Ross McQueen
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Pandamonium: 21st century diplomacy

After months of anticipation, today is the day that many people in the Netherlands have been waiting for: the arrival of two giant pandas from Chengdu in China.

‘Panda fever’ has struck the small town of Rhenen, where the pandas will eventually live, and local bakers and butchers have fed the frenzy by selling ‘panda bread’, ‘panda burgers’ and ‘panda sausages’. The butcher quickly confirmed that the sausages were not actually made from panda.

In Chengdu the mood was equally excitable. The pandas left their former home in a colourful lorry, showered in confetti, accompanied by traditional dances and songs.

Why is China sending pandas to a Dutch zoo?

The pandas, known as Xing Ya and Wu Wen, have supposedly been the subject of 16 years of quiet negotiations by millionaire animal enthusiast Marcel Boekhoorn, owner of Ouwehands Zoo. Pandas are loaned from the Chinese government as a sign that a country has made it into China’s ‘inner circle’ of special friends, and as such are often regarded as a form of diplomatic currency. How the pandas feel about this is uncertain.

Marcel Boekhoorn hopes that Xing Ya and Wu Wen will be persuaded to breed. This is no easy feat, since pandas are notoriously reluctant lovers.

Panda Diplomacy

It will not all be candlelight dinners and aphrodisiacs for Xing Ya and Wu Wen, however. They have hard work ahead of them. With their cute and fluffy appearance, the two pandas are tasked with improving China’s international reputation.

Again, this will be no easy feat. A report this week by Amnesty International identifies China as the most frequent and least transparent practitioner of the death penalty. It is thought that China executes more people annually than the rest of the world put together. That is well over 1000 executions a year. But never mind, look at the pandas!

The pandas will arrive at Schiphol Airport on Wednesday evening.

Why the Museum Prinsenhof in Delft should be on everybody’s must-visit list

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Why the Museum Prinsenhof in Delft should be on everybody’s must-visit list

Why you don’t want to miss the Museum Prinsenhof in Delft

Somewhere hidden in the picturesque alleys of Delft is a museum that combines great art with an illustrious history and some beautiful scenery to make the combination a succes. It’s also one of those museums in the Netherlands that makes you understand the country a bit better. Let’s have a look at what’s going on in Delft and why the Prinsenhof Museum is a must-visit!

1. It’s an epic place for Dutch History

I honestly can’t think of a more important place for Dutch history than the Prinsenhof in Delft. It all started in the 16th century when William of Orange (aka William the Silent) lived at the Prinsenhof and led the rebellion against the Spanish occupation of the time. Before that ‘The Court of the Prince’ was originally built as a monastery.

You can still see its original roots and character

It’s because of William of Orange that we are 50% more orange minded than the rest of the world and celebrate stuff such as the ‘Leidsch Ontzet’. What makes the Prinsenhof an even bigger epicenter of Dutch history is that William was also assassinated here. In 1584 Balthasar Gérard, who was after a bounty set by the Spanish king, shot William at close range – giving William the dubious honour of being the first head of state ever to be assassinated by a hand gun. You can still see the bullet holes where it went down:


It’s no surprise that there’s a lot to learn at the Prinsenhof about this particular time of Dutch history. This is when we actually started being this country and also the pre-lude to the Golden Age. The Prinsenhof does a great job of telling this fascinating story by combining great art from that era with innovative movies projected onto the walls (all nicely available in English as well btw!).

The aforementioned handgun

2. Go to Delft, seriously!

It’s one of those towns most of you either know from a short visit to it’s renowned university or just by passing when taking the train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. But trust me, make it a day trip once and combine it with the Prinsenhof. Delft is in the process of reinventing itself, the new trainstation is a welcome improvement and the neighborhood surrounding the Prinsenhof sees more and more hip and delicious places opening up. But what was always winning was the historical scenery, and nowhere is this done better than around the Prinsenhof.

Prinsenhof

The Entrance, and a ‘Royal’ one I might add 😉

A personal favorite of mine every time I see it, is the leaning church tower. It’s also really impressive when you see it in the paintings from 400 years ago, not much has changed with that church tower since then.

 

We are all just waiting for the snowflakes to fall… #winter #netherlands #delft #winterscene #canal

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Speaking about those paintings, lets have a look at the:

3. Impressive art collection of the Prinsenhof

Besides history and scenery, art is (of course) one of the main attractive points of the Prinsenhof. Their permanent collection consists of great pieces from the Golden Age era, a really impressive display of ‘Delfts Blauw’ (you could have seen this one coming) and work of art from a time when the Dutch where at the forefront of inventing stuff.

Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Willem van der Meer. Famous piece by Mierevelt and Mierevelt

Personally I enjoyed the paintings more than I expected. Some of them really take you back to a different time, the immersion only gets better when you see these paintings of Delft which share quite some resemblance of the Delft of today. And of course there are the numerous paintings that just show of the wealth of the Dutch in that era.

Many paintings of the ‘schutterijen’, basically crew pics for the guys
They also loved kitty pics 400 years ago

Besides paintings the Prinsenhof can also boast an impressive collection of royal portraits (our royal predecessors are buried in the church next to the Prinsenhof) and an interesting collection of memorabilia related to Dutch inventors of the Golden Age, back when Delft was the silicon valley of the time.

And there’s also (supposedly) the book case in which Hugo de Groot escaped Loevestein Castle in 1621

And there’s plenty of interactive display’s in case you’ve got your kids along with you. Here’s the most impressive one in my opinion, which shows the origins of Delft’s porcelain:

 

Or this one which allows you to create your own Golden Age painting:

So impressive history, gorgeous scenery and a compelling permanent collection. Isn’t that enough to warrant a visit to the Prinsenhof in Delft?

 

4. Excellent temporary exhibitions: ‘Porcelain for the Forbidden City’

The central hall of the Prinsenhof can house some of the best temporary exhibitions of the Netherlands. For this spring and summer of 2017 it’s the exhibition ‘Porcelain for the Forbidden City’, which started at the 9th of April and is running until the 9th of July.

Queen Maxima performed the opening 🙂

 

During the early 1980s, enormous quantities of ceramic were found at imperial sites in China. This archaeological discovery stunned the ceramic world: it was the earliest Ming-porcelain manufactured especially for the Chinese emperors. Fast forward 500 years later, in Porcelain for the Forbidden City, these delicately decorated objects finally can be seen outside of Asia for the first time at the Prinsenhof in Delft.

 

More than 120 objects from the Archaeological Institute in Jingdezhen and a number of outstanding pieces (on loan) from Dutch museums show how important porcelain was in the religious rituals at the Chinese court and in the expression of political and artistic messages by the (Chinese) emperors.

So plan that trip to Delft and the Prinsenhof! More info to be found here, and feel free to share your experience with us in the comments!

 

 

Small energy startup sparks off brilliant idea: buy and close coal power plant

Nellie Werner
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Vandebron, a small Dutch company that sells peer-to-peer renewable energy, has come up with a luminous pr stunt. In fact their idea is so brilliant that five other parties have jumped on the bandwagon and a crowd funding action has spontaneously been launched in support of the initiative.

The plan is to buy the coal-fired power plant at Hemweg near Amsterdam from utility company Nuon – and close it down.

1 million

It all began just over two weeks ago, with Vandebron offering one million euro’s for the plant. This bid was promptly doubled by the municipality of Amsterdam. A few days later Triodos, one of Europe’s leading ethical banks, and the DOEN Foundation (owned by the Dutch Postcode Lottery) also offered 1 million euro’s each in soft loans. Tony Chocolonely of fair trade chocolate fame said they too would cough up a million, but only if the plant is converted to a chocolate factory. The latest to join is Greenpeace, who together with the Hete Kolen (Hot Coals) citizens’ initiative, has launched a crowd funding campaign, after a great number of Dutch citizens announced they were prepared to help buy the coal plant.

Frustrated with government procrastination, people are taking matters into their own hands. Environmental organisations have been campaigning for years to close down coal-fired power plants in the Netherlands. Since the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change, the urgency of these issues is finally filtering into mainstream awareness.

I Must Go Little Mermaid GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Under pressure

The government is under great pressure to meet its legally binding commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Yet so far climate change has barely been a topic of discussion in the formation talks. As Arjen Lubach points out in his satirical Sunday evening TV show, short term thinking seems to prevail. For those of you who understand Dutch, it’s definitely worth watching.

Will Nuon sell?

So how serious are these bids and is there a chance that Nuon will sell? Well apart from the Willy Wonka one possibly, these bids are dead serious. And as it turns out, Nuon may not have much choice.

Nuon has calculated the cost of closing the Hemweg power plant at 55 million euros. This is based on the estimated cost of closing down the plant and dismantling the equipment, plus severance pay for its 230 employees. Yet experts believe the job can be done for well under 10 million. At least half the employees could be transferred to other Nuon locations.  The plant was built in 1995 and the structure is still sound. The equipment, once dismantled, could be sold for re-use.

Hemweg power plant – worthless?

According to energy expert Arnoud Kamerbeek, former chairman of energy company Delta, which closed down its own coal plant in 2015, the Nuon plant at Hemweg has zero value. Even though it is currently being run at a small profit, as soon as it needs a maintenance overhaul (and these are necessary every few years, apparently, and cost millions of euros) the plant will become worthless. Without intervention, Nuon will have to close it anyway. So they may as well cut their losses and sell now.

Check out Vandebron’s artist’s impression of how a dirty coal power plant on the outskirts of Amsterdam could be converted into a beautiful green public space with facilities for children, sports, entertainment and cultural activities.

So which do you prefer? Come on peeps, let’s pull this one off together and get rid of #Hemweg

 

Comic fans Assemble! Comic fans from all over arrive in Utrecht for Dutch Comic Con 2017

James Field
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The costumed masses at the Dutch Comic Con

Last month saw 30,000 self proclaimed geeks and misfits descend on Utrecht. A hundred spider-men; a thousand Harley Quinns; enough Mario and Luigis to fix the plumbing of the Titanic; and one person who apparently forgot and just threw a sheet with a couple of eye holes over his head last minute.

Crowds swarm at Dutch Comic Con 2017. Photo by James Field

Dutch Comic Con is now in it’s third year, and much like the sub-cultures it represents, it continues to grow in popularity.

‘There are other con’s in Rotterdam and Amsterdam but this is the main big event of the year’ says the little Mermaid, reclining by a fountain in the Jaarbeurs convention centre entrance. Staying in character is a point of pride for many of the costumed visitors, or cosplayers at Comic Con. The Little mermaid—sometimes known as Susanna—was particularly impressed with the scale of this year’s event, ‘It’s bigger and there’s more to do more stands, everything’s more’.

Cosplayer dropping character for a quick lunch break. Photo by James Field

 

Anyone for a samurai sword?

These stands The Little Mermaid speaks of are indeed numerous. Stands representing Sci-fi and fantasy fan societies, from Doctor Who to The Walking Dead, and of course Star Wars and Trek; stands of 3D printers showing off their ability to make tiny cathedrals; and amongst the myriad comic book and merchandise stands you might even find a hobbit treating himself to a samurai sword or two Disney princesses thinking about investing in an authentic Harry Potter wand.

‘This year we’ve also got speed dating and a whole gaming hall that’s been very popular’ said Thijs van Teinen one of the event co-ordinators. He explains that the popularity of this ever expanding Comic Con has even spawned a winter edition, although disappointingly he stopped short of saying ‘winter is coming’.

Harry Potter wands on sale at this years Dutch Comic Con. Photo by James Field

 

The highlights

Apart from the simple joys of seeing Khaleesi from Games of Thrones dancing with a giant egg on at the Saturday night fever silent disco, the event had celebrity appearances—notably Lennie James who plays Morgan in The Walking Dead—as well as lectures, performances and a cosplay competition. To mention some of the highlight.

Dutch Comic Con
Visitors get their sci-fi dance on at the silent disco. Photo by James Field

However, what gives events like Dutch Comic Con their bizarrely brilliant soul, is the sea of costumed fans, proudly geeking out in the uniquely judgement free bubble that exists within this community. A Spiderman—first time cosplayer Jurgen—explains it best, ‘when you’re going from home to here it’s a little bit strange because everyone is looking at you like ‘he’s crazy’ but when you’re here it’s normal’.

Web slingers enjoying getting in the spirit of the event. Photo by James Field

Crash Course: How to Speak Dutch in 7 Words

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Crash Course: How to Speak Dutch in 7 Words

DutchReview presents the movie:

How to Speak Dutch in 7 Words 

 

So you might have seen all the short ‘Dutch word of the day’ movies at the DutchReview facebook page the last couple of weeks. Heck, some of you even went to the lonely corners of Youtube and subscribed to our channel.

These movies were short and sweet, but the plan was always to make it into a big one to get it all to work together and serve it to you (for those to lazy to read this one).

So here is our Crash Course on how to speak Dutch in just 7 words, enjoy!

 

Can’t get enough of that Dutch stuff?

We neither, so it isn’t over yet! Expect 7 more Dutch words to be featured in a not-so-distant future on DutchReview, just because ‘Dutch has all the best words, we’re YUGE, it’s the best’. (but let’s do Kingsday first btw)

Oh and any suggestions for us on what words to cover? Feel free to share them with us. Looking for more articles on ‘How to Speak Dutch’? DutchReview has you covered:

DutchReview and fans

 

And a ‘Dankjewel’ goes to

These movies don’t make themselves, so a massive thanks goes out to Elisanne van der Tuuk for presenting it, Lennart Houba for shooting the whole thing and making it come together and of course Henry Stokes for writing the whole thing to begin with (feel like you can do better? Here’s how to start with that).

Oh, liked this movie? Be sure to follow DutchReview on Facebook in order to not miss out on any other good stuff!

Or follow us on Instagram!

 

Meanwhile in #Holland: this morning on the #wilhelminabrug in #Deventer this #flock of #sheep passed #dutchscene #schapen

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Dutch All-Stars in USA Sports

Kenneth Hull
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Dutch All-Stars in USA sports?  The Netherlands is just a small country, how so?  But Dutch heritage does run big in USA sports.  They bring nicknames from “The Flying Dutchman” to “The Frying Dutchman”.  There are 4.5 million people in the USA with Dutch heritage.  Some come to play sports, from the Netherlands Motherland and the Dutch Caribbean.  Dutch All-Stars in USA sports?  Absolutely!

For sure, they bring their Dutch traits with them to share.  Here are seven USA sports with Dutchie All-Star heritage on display.

Arie Luyendyk – (Arie Luijendijk)  “The Flying Dutchman”,  Born:  Sommelsdijk, NL – Race Car Driver.

Arie Luyendyk, Photo
Arie’s Lola Chevy – Photo credit

Arie, a top notch race car driver, won the Indianapolis 500 in 1990 and 1997.  In the 1970’s, Luyendyk won Dutch and European titles, apparently perfecting left turns.  He sped to Formula 3 moving to USA in 1984.  He was “Rookie of the Year” at Indianapolis in 1985,  winning in 1990 and 1997, when his average speed set a record holding for 23 years.  Arie also won the “24 Hour Daytona Race”, and the “12 Hour Sebring Race”.  Retiring in 1999 he was inducted into the “Motorsports Hall of Fame” in 2014, and is an ABC Sports commentator.

Dianne de Leeuw  – Born in (ironically) Orange County, California, with dual citizenship – Figure Skater.

Dianne de Leeuw, Figure Skater – Photo credit

As a figure skater, she won the 1975 World Championship and silver in the 1976 Olympics.  She skated for The Netherlands, not USA where she placed first 1971 to 1976 in Dutch Championships.

With limited international opportunities her Mother made the move from Orange, CA to The Big Orange, The Netherlands.  She won the National title there in 1971.
In 1974 she won Silver and Gold at European Championships (Zagreb and Geneva) and Bronze at the World Championships.  Gracefully gliding through 1975 Championships with Dutch determination, Dianne took Silver in Europe and Gold in World, out-skating Hammill and Errath, and into the 1975 Dutch Female Athlete of the Year. De Leeuw won Silver in the 1976 Olympics behind Hamill of USA.  She retired and skated for “Holiday on Ice” and the “Ice Follies”, and coached in Orange, California.  Dutch just can’t get away from Orange.


Rik Smits – “The Dunking Dutchman”, Born:  Eindhoven, NL – Basketball.

The Dunking Dutchman, Rik Smits – Photo Credit

He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 12 years, making playoffs for 10 of those as the most successful Dutch basketball player ever.  Stuffing an orange ball in an orange hoop being 2.24m tall came easy for the Dutchie.  He was an All-Star in 1998.

Rik played basketball in Eindhoven at age 14, due to a good old Dutch growth spurt making a coach very happy.  Rik grew to 7 ft 4 in tall.  He moved to USA in 1984 to play in college, and was drafted second overall in 1988 into NBA by Indiana Pacers.  Rik never left the Pacers, retiring in 2000 after reaching the NBA finals.

He was a big man among giants as the 10th tallest NBA player ever. Of the tallest players he is #1 on the scoring list, and had outstanding playoff performances.  After retiring from NBA, Rik raced motorcycles.  I am not sure how tall a bike he needed.

Mike Vanderjagt – Born:  Ontario, Canada –  American Football.

A pro American Football place kicker retiring as the most accurate placekicker in NFL history.  His streak of 42 consecutive field goals is second all-time.  He was Rookie of The Year in 1998.  Vanderjagt had one of the most accurate legs and in true Dutch fashion had one of the most candid mouths.  After his team (the Colts 1998 – 2005) lost in the 2002 playoffs, he told it like he saw it, criticizing star quarterback Peyton Manning’s leadership and Coach Dungee’s temperament.  This led to Manning calling Vanderjagt their “idiot kicker”.  Vanderjagt was an all-pro in 2003 and first in history to make all field goals and extra points that season.  In 2004, Mike’s Dutch traits reared up by publicly berating their opponent, the Patriots, and was labeled “Vanderjerk”.  The pissed off Patriots crushed the Colts.  In 2005 after missing a long field goal in playoffs causing a loss and smashing his helmet to turf, Vanderjagt re-enacted the kick on TV with a night show host, and made it.  He was let go from the team shortly after.  Despite being candid, he was an All-Star kicker who also received awards in Canadian Football and raised funds for kids with life altering diseases.

Amy Van Dyken – Born:  Colorado, USA – Olympic Swimmer.

Six time Gold Medalist, Amy Van Dyken  –  Photo credit

she won six Olympic golds swimming for USA from 1996 to 2000, USA Female Swimmer of the Year 1995 and 1996, and was NCAA’s 1994 Female Swimmer of the Year.  All her Olympic medals are gold.  Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame, she has many honors and accomplishments.

Van Dyken had severe asthma and swam on doctor’s orders to help her lungs. She mastered swimming like the Dutch master the seas.  In 1996, she was named “Swimmer of the Year” by four national groups, and on the cover of Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and USA Today, and also on a Wheaties cereal box.

In 2014, a tragic accident paralyzed Van Dyken from the waist down.  In true Dutch spirit, she now walks again.  She started a foundation for those with spinal cord injuries.

Earnest Earnie “Big Ern” Stewart – Born:  Veghel, NL – Soccer.

Stewart is a retired soccer midfielder for the US National team and in MLS. He has one Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup, was US Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2001, and the highest scoring American in international club play.

With a Dutch Mother and a U.S. Father, “Big Earn”, at an un-Dutch-like 5-ft 9-in tall grew up in The Netherlands.  He played with VVV, then Eridivisie Side Willem II in 1990.  That year, he played for the US National team.  In 1994, he scored the winning goal for US against Columbia, first US FIFA win since 1950.  He played in all US team matches in 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups, one of five US men to play in three World Cups.

In 2003 he left The Netherlands to play in MLS for DC United, winning the Cup in 2004.  Big Ern retired in 2005, returned to The Netherlands to work as a technical director, and then Director of Football Affairs for AZ.

To be of importance to US Soccer, he now works as Philadelphia Union’s Sporting Director.

Bert Blyleven    (Rik Aalbert Blijleven), “The Frying Dutchman” –  Born: Zeist, NL – Baseball.

The Frying Dutchman, Bert Blyleven – Hall of Fame –  Photo  credits

Blyleven was an American Baseball pitcher for twenty two years. Accolades:  Rookie Pitcher of the Year 1970; Twice an All-Star; World Series Champion twice; fifth all time in strikeouts; nine shutouts in 1973; a no hitter in 1977. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Dutch are straight shooters, but Blyleven had a great curve ball.  A true Dutchie, he flipped a middle finger to a live TV camera. He had pitched a no hitter his prior game, but was traded after being so “candid”.  Bert was “in Dutch” as a rascally prankster in the dugout, often giving a “hot foot” to players by lighting their shoelaces on fire.  The dugout fire extinguisher read “in case of Blyleven, pull handle”, and his nickname became “The Frying Dutchman”.  Bert was a pitching coach for The Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

So keep playing sports over here, Dutchies.  We need you!  Especially for your entertainment value, like baseball player Randall Simon from Curacao who hit a racing Italian sausage Mascot with his bat.  Before that he had been hitless for the month.  Watch here.

Someone else comes to mind?  Please comment.

Hand in Hand against Homophobia in Holland

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This morning D66 leader Alexander Pechtold broke the Dutch internet with a picture of him and negotiating partner Wouter Koolmees walking hand in hand to the new coalition negotiations. No, they’re not gay – it was a statement against the dirty, stupid, and ridiculous homophobia that still lingers in the Netherlands. (Check the #allemannenhandinhand at twitter for more on this issue.)

From Alexander Pechtold’s Facebook

So what happened?

In Arnhem, at the goddamned Nelson Mandela Bridge, two men were brutally assaulted by six Moroccan youths (and yes, unfortunately, culture matters this time) because they were walking hand in hand together. One of the victims lost half his teeth because he was attacked with a fricking bolt cutter!

Two of the scumbag assailants were arrested. And this is just in, but four other young men between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, have just turned themselves in to the Arnhem police for their involvement.

The couple weren’t even openly kissing (not that that’s a reason for violence) or displaying affection other than simply holding hands when they thought and hoped no-one would see them. As one of the victims said to the NOS:

‘We don’t usually do that, holding hands in public, because we don’t want to provoke people. But we’d had a nice evening, it was late and we thought we were alone.’

 

Homophobia in Holland: These are the people causing it

Even in this country today, gay people are afraid to hold hands and it’s time to point some fingers now as well; because although only an extremely tiny mindless fraction of men in the Netherlands is practicing violent homophobia, there are still scores of people that incite this behavior with their intolerant attitudes.

Obviously there are the criminal Moroccan street youths, where homophobia is frequently rooted in the culture and this has to be changed. But they’re not the only ones: There are fundamentalist priests and imams who continue to promote homophobia; DENK, who are always quick to cry ‘racism’ but do nothing here; the fundamentalist Christians of the SGP who want to follow Jesus in every aspect – except when it comes to accepting a different sexual preference, and that’s just to name a few. And let’s not forget about all the companies and governmental institutions that still fire people when they find out that they’re gay. To atheist hell with them!

Not everyone has to be friends, but can’t we goddamn live and work together?

Oh and props to the Volkskrant for this coverpage of today, very fitting and well thought out:

 

 

Anyways, this story is developing today and as you can see my train of thought was a bit angry. What do you think of all this? Feel free to share in the comments.

This Sunday: De Klassieker Feyenoord – Ajax

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Every country has one of these always classic duels and this Sunday will bring you the Dutch version of the Old firm or El Classico namely De Klassieker: Ajax-Feyenoord.

Vintage Classic:

 

Background of De Klassieker

The two Dutch traditional giants aren’t the illustrious teams from the sixties and seventies anymore, when they regularly competed for the Europa Cup I. Gone as well are the days of Louis van Gaal and Bert van Marwijk winning European Cups, there simply isn’t enough money nowadays in Dutch football to even allow for a serious Dutch effort to reach the latter stadiums of European Football (Although Feyenoord did beat Mourinho’s Manchester United this season in the UEFA Cup).

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Both Feyenoord and Ajax have their Icons from the seventies with: Willen van Hanegem (pictured left) and the late Johan Cruijff.

But they are still the biggest supported clubs in Holland by far, and De Klassieker is always a match on its own. The classic match lost its relevancy a bit over the past few years since Feyenoord fell into a deep financial and sportive hole, and Ajax didn’t managed to win the league for quite some years. However this year the teams are pitched at the top 2 spots and the match is always worth watching even if it is just for all the heated moments.

 

Dutch Hooliganism

As idiotic and carnavalesque the Dutch supporters seem when supporting the National team, as freighting and idiotic the supporters of the Dutch clubs can be. Of course, well over 95% of the supporters of all clubs stay far away from violence and such. But it’s that small minority that ruins it for the rest from time to time.

In February 2009, the mayors of Amsterdam and Rotterdam made an agreement with the KNVB (Dutch FA) to ban visiting fans from the away games in an effort to curb the violence. So at De Klassieker it’s now relatively peaceful, and both firms seem to abstain more and more from making nasty references about the second world war. Although hooligans from both teams seem to be active still, with Feyenoorders storming their own (corporate) building a few years back, and with Ajax hoolies randomly disturbing games and festivities.

Wait what? Nazi jokes at a football game? Yeah, it’s just as moronic as it sounds. The Ajax supporters (or better said, just the hooligan kind) call themselves the Jews and continued to make ’jokes’ about the German bombardment on Rotterdam in may 1940. (Because the Jews weren’t harmed by the Germans in those years or something?)

The Feyenoord harde kern desperately tried to match this stupidity by making references about gassing Jews and shouting ‘Hamas Hamas’ slogans. Luckily the last few years this stupidity has somewhat subdued.


In 2011 at Ajax-AZ, a crazy hooligan stormed the field in an attempt to kick the AZ-goalie Esteban in the back. Esteban, being from Costa Rica, evaded this and proceeded to kick the shit out of Wesley the hooligan while the whole nation watched.

This Sunday: realistic expectation

Back to the game of today. Feyenoord is magically in command of the league and look to set Ajax 9 points behind, in which case championship fever would reach galactical levels in Rotterdam-South. Ajax showed to be in a decent form the last couple of games, but is missing their talented striket Dolberg. 

But what I’m actually hoping for:

Yours truly is a dreamer and a big Feyenoord fan. So here’s hoping for a hattrick by Feyenoord’s hero Dirk Kuyt!

 

Graziano Pelle's goal against Ajax this year. Not only did he steal the hearts of all the Feyenoord fans with this goal, taking off his shirt also meant the birth of a new sex symbol and stealing the hearts of all Dutch women simultaneously.
Graziano Pelle’s goal against Ajax 4 years back, we miss him…

 

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