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4 unique alcoholic drinks to try in the Netherlands (after finishing that biertje)

Ceren Spuyman
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4 unique alcoholic drinks to try in the Netherlands (after finishing that biertje)

Looking for a tasty Dutch drink?

Maybe you are happy that the sun is shining or a bit down because of the pouring rain; maybe it is a nice Friday evening by the iconic canals or just a boozy brunch the day after; or maybe it is someone’s birthday or you just feel like “having a cold one” without any motives at all…

Whatever your reason is, alcoholic drinks can be awesome. Especially if you are enjoying one in a new country (like the Netherlands!); maybe for a vacation or a study or just a visit.

For our fearless readers who feels a little bit more adventurous, why not try something more traditional next time at the bar? If you’re thinking “Sure!”, then great! Because we can help you out with finding those one-of-a-kind traditional Dutch drinks to try out. Now set aside your borrelnootjes and bottoms up!

 1. Jenever

Don’t you dare call it ‘a Dutch version of gin’

Jenever is the juniper flavoured traditional alcoholic beverage of the Netherlands which later on gave us poor mankind the gin. Due to being the father of gin, you might feel compelled to throw some tonic into the glass and then enjoy it but beware; tonic was only started to be added mostly in Great Britain because of the bitter taste of the gin, not jenever.

If you want to sip this drink like a true Dutchie. Pour it in a non-other than tulip-shaped glasses and fill it till the brim. Prima!

2. Advocaat

No, you won’t drink banana pudding in a bottle.

If you are one of those old souls and think that jenever is more for the kids nowadays, then Advocaat is your true calling. Made from eggs, sugar and brandy; this custard-like alcoholic drink is both creamy and versatile! You can enjoy it in a glass topped with some whipped cream or even on your poffertjes, if you are looking for some extra kick with your breakfast.

Also being drank around Christmas, sitting by the fire and sipping this drink around with your oma, how can you not get into the -drunken- holiday spirit?

3. Dropshot

For those who just can’t get enough of the drop candy

Now here is something truly worth a try. If you have ever been to the Netherlands, then you know about Dutchies and their love for drop. That salty, chewy black liquorish that pops everywhere from gums to mints. Now it’s here to get you tipsy too!

With its motto being “it’s Black Magic”, enjoy this drink as a shot in between your rounds of a local Dutch beer.

4. Kruidenbitter

Served in tiny but mighty glasses

This golden liquid is an alcoholic drink that is flavoured with herbs and often has a bitter taste (hence the name kruiden-bitter). Bitter was traditionally used as a medicine but these days it is drank as an aperatif on its own. If you prefer cocktails, then you can use it in your mixes too!

As an aperatif, you can drink it in your tulip-shaped glass (we wouldn’t have it any other way) or use it in your next Old Fashioned.

Drinking is fun, drinking at a borrel is even more fun and drinking one of these suggested drinks at a borrel with some hapjes (like some bitterballen) on the side is well… Typical Dutch! Congratulations, you’ve made it and Proost!

What’s your favourite Dutch drink? Tell us in the comments below!

Classy and tasty Restaurants in Leiden

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Classy and tasty Restaurants in Leiden

Ah Leiden, that little classic hub in between the big cities – not totally coincidentally our homebase. We already wrote about some relaxed hotspots for some casual eating, let’s take it up another notch and do it all with a bit more panache. Here are three tasty and classy restaurants in Leiden (and us being Dutch, still nice and affordable).

#1 Jeanpagne

On the most picturesque street of Leiden, home of the Saturday market, sits Jeanpagne. A bistro with a French twist, good views and even better food. The owners were very hospitable and open to all guests, in an actually a quite un-Dutch like style (a good thing in this case). It has a great terrace offering some of the best views of the canal and Koornbrug, a popular spot as well for watching the boats pass by or the market crowds. Anyways, food and drink time!

Sorry, not sorry

We kicked it off with some Champagne, because what are you going to do at a place with a name like that? And then the goodness began –

Starters – Foie gras! And even an affordable one (whoa!) – yet the taste was unbeatable.

Yes, that bottle was just as delicious as it looks

French cooking done right, a bit simplistic but oh so delicious. The guinea fowl especially was something that brought us back to one of those magic Parisian nights. And as for the drinking, the wines were simply incredible. They’ve got some new opener which will allow you to drink from every bottle – this way they can serve a greater variety of wines.

Sorry for this shifty picture, the wines got to us I presume

As for desert (yes there was some room left 😉 ) they used our favourite Dutch cookie, the stroopwafel, for one hell of a tasty bavarois. And of course you can never go wrong with a cheese selection.

All in all, the atmosphere is unbeatable at Jeanpagne – it’s sophisticated but still warm. Classy but still not uptight. Million dollar taste – but very affordable prices.

The owner told us how he still wanted to preserve the warm and hospitable feeling of a French bistro but serve high-quality restaurant dinner while at it – he succeeded in both! We didn’t have a chance to try it out, but their ‘croques’ are also supposed to be delicious and something special – someone please find out! (otherwise, I’ll just go there again, poor me)

We had a great night at Jeanpagne and are set to return whenever there is a cause for some proper – champagne needing – celebrations.

Jeanpagne, Address:

Nieuwe Rijn 27, 2312 JD Leiden

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Pro-tip, they’ve got a small menu going on there. It’s all good – but the staff was of a higher level than you usually encounter in the Netherlands – so let them advise you on what to eat and drink – you won’t regret it!

 

#2 Visbrasserie de Poort

Every time we share a photo-report of Leiden people go nuts for one particular place, the ‘Zijlpoort’ – it’s in this gorgeous setting where you can visit ‘Visbrasserie de Poort’!

The ‘Zijlpoort’ – Courtesy of Vincent Mullenders

As you can see it’s already an A+ when it comes to the setting: grand old building, possibility to dock your ‘sloep’ and next to the waterside. It comes as no surprise that the interior is also done in a very stylish way, but still pleasantly relaxed.

Anyways, as you might expect it’s fish that you want to consume at the ‘Visbrasserie’ and oh boy, they’re doing a good job of it as you can see.

Vitello tonato!

We sat outside the first 2 courses of diner, at the beautiful terrace – life sure is good at these moments.  They’re also into the ‘shared dining’ concept which works particularly well with fish, so many nice things to choose from. And for the love of god I can’t believe that there are still people out there who say they don’t like ‘fish’ – there are so many fish dishes to choose from!

Coquilles and fried calamari were A+

 

Also: me attacking myself with fish-eating-tools

 

For dessert, we moved inside (it’s Holland so weather got chilly) and we went for this chocolate bonanza and a lemon cake – as you can see there was plenty to enjoy!

Great terrace, location, delicious fish and yes there are some meat and veggie dishes for those fish-hating friends. Long story short: it’s a good choice to put the ‘Visbrasserie De Poort’ on your eating-in-Leiden-bucketlist!

Visbrasserie De Poort, Address:

Haven 100
2312 ML Leiden

Website | Facebook

Next up: Spanish!

#3 Casa Ramon

Let’s face it, 8 months of the year the weather in our country isn’t the stuff dreams are made of. What’s a better solution to these dreary days than some good Spanish atmossphere and food? Right! So we headed to Casa Ramon located at Leidens Noordeinde street (Northend).

The sympathetic owned vowed to bring some classic Spanish hospitality and good food to Leiden en he succeeded in that mission! The music, food and wine (and Sangria!) take you back to your classic and tasteful Spanish visits.

 

Just like these ‘Gamaba’s pil-y-pil’

It’s not a tapas-bar, so you get grown people portions when choosing a main course. What makes it all taste so good is their awesome grill, all meat and fish is done on that magic grill.

 

 

And the veggies too!

 

We went for a mixed grill and a paella, both were delicious and there was plenty to go around. Just look at my happy face behind that mixed grill.

Are you a Spaniard reading DutchReview right now and missing those warm nights with music and drinks?  Casa Ramon frequently hosts Spanish nights with passioned music and sangria everywhere, heck those nights are fun for everybody! Have a look at their facebook page for more info, usually they’re on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Casa Ramon, Address:

Oude Varkenmarkt 1A
2311 VN Leiden

Website | Instagram | Facebook

 

Some delicious restaurants worth checking out in Leiden

Yes! Some sunshine is coming our way this weekend

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Yeah! Finally a break from all that rain and greyness. Weather forecasters have stated there will be a nice and warm weekend coming to the Netherlands (stop cheering Spaniards, still only around 20 degrees).
 
Warm air will come in from the South, there will be no rain and there is some sunshine as well! What more could we wish for right? Here’s the weather for the upcoming days:
 

Dutch Infrastructure: Why We Should Be Thankful for It

Noah Bloem
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It’s now been about a month since I packed my bags and left Rotterdam, Holland’s ‘Manhattan on the Maas’, for New York City, the real Manhattan (Let’s be honest, Rotterdam has a very long way to go still if we’re comparing skylines). Being back in the U.S. is a strange feeling altogether. It always is when returning to an old, familiar place and finding everything and nothing has changed. More than anything else, however, being here causes me to be constantly reminded of the fact that people are spoiled when it comes to Dutch infrastructure.

The Americans have a long way to go

While I hope I don’t offend any Americans too much by stating this, I’ve always thought of the U.S. as the world’s most glorified developing nation. At least, that’s the case when it comes to their infrastructure. Wires are above the ground everywhere. Streets are littered with potholes and irregularly paved splotches of tarmac (It’s honestly almost worse than driving in Belgium). Tap water in most states must be filtered before it’s safe to drink. Little reminders are constant and just when I think I’ve seen it all, another hint pops up. It’s not quite as bad as Jakarta, for example, but it’s lightyears behind the Dutch infrastructure.

At least the bison don’t mind rough roads.

The Dutch will be Dutch

Nevertheless, I seem to find that the Dutch will always find another point to complain about, even if it’s their wonderful Dutch infrastructure. In Rotterdam, for example, there is always a street under construction. It’s not that strange, when one section is done, they move on and update the next part. It’s a constantly modernizing, growing city. I don’t think that Dutch residents don’t know the reason for the consistent roadworks, but for those two weeks that their commute to work is delayed by ten minutes, you’ll be sure to hear it.

And I know the feeling. Just a few weeks ago the train tracks between Rotterdam and The Hague were shut down for two weeks to allow for new tracks to be laid. People had to take the bus. The bus. Anybody who knows me knows just how much I hate riding buses (I’m not quite sure why, but it always just gets to me). So there I was, along with everyone else, annoyed and frustrated that I would have to stand in line only to be shoved into a bus along with thirty others.

Dutch Infrastructure is a national treasure

But despite all the interruptions to travel (and forcing people to ride buses instead of trains #trainmasterrace), it’s all worth it, I just feel those responsible for upholding our nation to such high standards could occasionally get a pat on the back instead of an annoyed glare and an angry muttering.

And look, I’m not saying it’s a perfect system, but it’s worth appreciating. Much like Mao Zedong, Dutch Infrastructure can be seen as 2/3 good and 1/3 bad, and isn’t that enough to be celebrating?

Dutch Infrastructure
And let’s be honest, all Dutch order would go right out of the window if we ever lost our precious network of bike roads.

There’s still plenty to do in Scheveningen in the fall!

Kees van Dooren
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There’s still plenty to do in Scheveningen in the fall!

So you’re sitting in your rented home in Amsterdam wondering what to do with yourself. It’s fall in the Netherlands which means going outside will likely leave you wetter than an otter’s pocket. Even when it’s not raining the wind may well blow you off your bike and into a canal. It’s been weeks of dreary grey clouds and you find yourself wondering whether you just imagined the sky being blue. Maybe it was never blue and the sun is just an image created by the sheer power of your mind, protecting you from the depression that comes with living here in autumn. You run outside only to realize you have no idea what to do now.

That’s where we come in to tell you about some killer events in Scheveningen coming in the next few months!

23-24/9 International Kite Festival

This weekend, the International Kite Festival will see the skies over Scheveningen beach fill with kites of every shape and colour! And yes, the sun is also making an appearance – what else is there to wish for?

30/9; NorthSea Watermen Challenge

Events in Scheveningen
source: buitengewoonscheveningen

This one is only for the bravest and most physically fit among you. The NorthSea Watermen Challenge is a yearly event where some insane people swim, paddle and run along the North Sea. There are sprint and long variants, as well as a team competition. Despite what the name may imply women are more than welcome to join and compete!

Prices for enrolling are pretty low, because let’s face it, few people would voluntarily put themselves through swimming in the North Sea in fall so the entry bar needs to be set pretty low. For those of you who do not feel the need to pointlessly put yourself in harms way, it may well be fun to watch other people do it. The event will take place on the 30th!

22/10; Dog’s at Sea

This could be the simplest and simultaneously best concept for an event in the history of events. During the summer in the Netherlands all dogs need to be leashed when on the beach to avoid them starting doggo gangs and mugging tourists. Don’t laugh, it used to be a massive problem. Now on October 1st this rule ends and your precious canine is allowed to roam the sand freely once more!

On the 22nd of October there is a festival to celebrate this, with doggy obstacle courses and stands where you can buy the prettiest dog accessories the Netherlands has to offer. Love dogs but don’t have one yourself? This may be the perfect event for you. Just try not to steal one of the dogs. The doggy community frowns on that sort of thing.

Events in Scheveningen

Every First Sunday of the Month; Hudson Jazz Sessions

If you enjoy Jazz Scheveningen has quite a bit to offer you. Every first Sunday of the month will see a live Jazz band perform at the Hudson Bar and Kitchen. The lineup is traditionally quite good and so is the food! They serve “honest American cuisine” so you may want to check it out if you’re feeling a bit homesick as well. I’m not entirely sure what “honest American cuisine” is, though I assume it means they deep fry everything and then don’t lie about it. Take a look at the lineup here!

6/10 – 8/10; VISSCH FESTIVAL

Source: Vissch.nl

VISSCH is a yearly festival held in Scheveningen which, surprisingly, is all about fish. You may have been able to guess as much from the title. During the festival top chefs give cooking demonstrations to teach you all about the proper way of cooking fish. You can have a beer, learn how to make sushi and even participate in the Dutch tradition of pealing shrimp. It takes place on the 6th, 7th and 8th of Oktober and, easily best of all, entry is completely free! VISSCH is perhaps the most worthwhile of the events in Scheveningen this fall.

22/10 WE closing party

One of the better places to spend your summer on the beach is in front of the beautiful beach pavilion WIJ. Unfortunately this year summer was only a single week long, but WIJ has decided to celebrate it’s end on the 22nd of October anyway. Enjoy an evening on the beach while getting absolutely plastered celebrating a summer that scientists say never even existed in the first place.

 

10-12/11; Glow in the Dark Beachvolleybal

Do you enjoy the beach, volleybal and things that glow in the dark? What terrific luck you have! The 10th, 11th and 12th of November will see a Glow in the Dark Beachvolleybal tournament. Why? No-one knows. There’ll be quite a few different divisions so you, your kids, your husband and his young gay businessmen lover can all participate without ever having to meet!Events in Scheveningen

18/11;  The Arrival of Sinterklaas (as well as the yearly discussion on his racist overtones)

Ah! the yearly arrival of Sinterklaas and his not-at-all-ethnically-inspired friends which are all called Black Pete. He’ll be arriving in the Scheveningen harbor on the 18th of November and this year will surely see more protests arriving with him. Have a fun time!

Events in Scheveningen

 

I’m not kidding – Goat Yoga really is a thing!  

Maria Smith
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I’m not kidding – Goat Yoga really is a thing!  

We are all into yoga now aren’t we? We take classes on a weekend and practice at home after stressful days behind a desk or the handlebars of our chariots. No? I didn’t think so either. In fact, I’m not sure if anyone genuinely frequents classes or if people just stand around in coffee shops wearing tight trousers talking about it. Undeniably yoga is the new craze that has gone from being only for hippies on a retreat up a mountain to millennials eating clean and actually enjoying kale smoothies. The fact is – what would sway you to practice those downward dogs and perfect that majestic eagle pose? The answer may be right under your crouching dragon or sphinx flex!

Goat Yoga

Ridammerhoeve Goat Farm in Amsterdamse Bos is offering yoga classes with goats, yes – goat yoga. Anyone with a cat or a dog who is even mildly affectionate will know that lying on the floor near them is never a good idea, you are the island on their lava floor, the comfy cushion that beats the laminate – you get the picture. It turns out that goats are equally as affectionate.

Do more of what makes you happy!

Nearly half in the Dutch population (according to CBS) indicate to suffer from at least one chronic disorder in the Netherlands. More common amongst older than younger people as would be expected.  Chronic disorders can be anything from high blood pressure to degenerative joint problems. Self help and self care are the strongest most talked about methods in terms of looking after the parts of your health that aren’t caused by unavoidable medical complaints and holistic therapies do have a proven record in being effective.   

Does goat yoga make us happy?

Perhaps yoga is the answer. In 2016, 88 percent of Dutch adults saw themselves as happy. We all remember those visits to the farm as a child right? I was stress free and loving life petting a llama. If we aren’t practicing the ascetic discipline maybe we should be as nearly 40% of work related illness are stress related, yoga has been pegged as one of the best stress bursting treatments. We may still see the day that our bosses will start insisting on animal yoga. Who knows! You heard it here first! 

This craze could take off. Students, young professional, midlife crisis folk, they say the benefits of yoga are astronomical put with that some cute four legged friends and that 88% happiness score could just sky rocket!

So you tell me, am I wrong and yoga really is the answer? Maybe if someone offered me a hour petting a little old Billy I might feel the benefits too! 

Mestreechs Immersion: But what exactly is Mestreechs?

Tiffany Leung
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Mestreechs Immersion: But what exactly is Mestreechs?

Dialect? Regional Language? Does it matter?

As I wrapped up my yet another session of immersive Dutch courses recently, I was feeling pretty proud as I began feeling more relaxed, less self-conscious and more ready to integrate Dutch into my daily social and work interactions. Nonetheless, I still find myself puzzled at times in the Limburg community, wondering whether something I hear that I don’t understand is truly because I just don’t know that part of the Dutch language yet — or if it’s a dialect.

Mestreechs (a.k.a. Maastrichts or the Mestreechter taol) is uniquely influenced, like its peer Limburgish languages by the history of the region, with elements of French, Dutch, and German influence. And yes, there are other Limburgish languages in very close proximity, varying as closely as the neighboring villages and towns — 61 more of them! To make matters more confusing to the non-native Dutch-speaker, there’s also a Limburg province in neighboring Belgium to the west of the Dutch Limburg province, where there’s also a version of Limburgish spoken. In Germany, a Limburgish variant is spoken as well.

Screenshot from https://maasgeluide.nl/en/about-us

In official terms, Mestreechs is actually a regional language spoken in Maastricht, which has a population of about 120,000. Other forms of Limburgish are also recognized as regional languages, which don’t have the same status as either a language or a dialect. Thus, all of these languages live in limbo: they are not separate languages from Dutch, but they are not dialects of Dutch either. In other words, they are spoken by a region of the country and sort of recognized, but not recognized at a higher level like, for example, West Frisian. West Frisian is spoken by about 453,000 Nederlanders and Limburgish as a whole is spoken by about 850,000. (For comparison, the population of Limburg is about 1.2 million, or 7% of the population of the Netherlands, which is 17 million; the number of Dutch-as-first-language speakers is about 23 million, with another 5 million as a second language.) The level of recognition matters in terms of provincial government’s responsibility to support the use of the language, and also inhabitants choose which is their official first language. 

Lost and Confused

So as a monolingual expat, confusion is inevitable due to the array of languages possible in and around Maastricht. But, appropriately, my focus is still traditional Dutch as learned through standard texts and courseworks. In the meantime, locals and transplanted locals (Nederlanders who have moved to the Limburg province from elsewhere in The Netherlands) have shared their thoughts about Mestreechs, although independent verification, refutation, or additional anecdotes by locals potentially reading this are readily welcome! 

  • Yeah, [Mestreechs] is weird, isn’t it?!
  • You start to hear Limburgish as you start traveling south of Eindhoven, and the language continues to change every 10-15 minutes of travel further southward.
  • With the new bus company Arriva providing public transportation services in Maastricht since December 2016, there had been complaints from locals that the buses didn’t make announcements in Mestreechs in addition to Dutch. (I haven’t taken the bus in a while — and when I did, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if I was hearing Dutch or Mestreechs anyway — so can’t confirm this.)
  • Most Nederlanders who relocate to Limburg from other parts of the country eventually learn to comprehend the dialect, especially in service jobs where they encounter Mastrichtenaars regularly (e.g. in the hospital), but typically speak in Dutch in response.
  • In social groups, Maastrichtenaars may tend to speak Mestreechs with one another in the group and switch to Dutch only when interacting with non-Mestreechs speakers in the group (or English, in my case so far). (Fairly, this one seems pretty normal with another other languages known by social subgroups…)

Lost and confused in Limburg.

Want to learn Mestreechs?

Are you interested in learning more about Mestreechs? Lucky you! While there are not (yet?) formal curricula or lessons to learn it, there are several online resources to get started.

  • For the casual learner, follow the official Facebook page of the Tourist Center of Maastricht to learn Mestreechs in context with their “Dialect op Dinsdag” audio/video. You can learn such useful tibits every week like: Geiste mèt eine pitse? (Dutch: Ga je me een biertje drinken? English: Like to join me for a beer?)
  • One step up is mijnwoordenboek.nl, which has about 250 Dutch to Mestreech phrases or words, and also samplings from the other 61 Limburgish languages! Unfortunately, no audio here though.
  • Want to get a bit more serious about learning Mestreechs? Of course there’s an app for that! Check out the Mestreechter Taol app, also available for Android OS, which is the official city-funded Mestreechs dictionary. Plus, the website provides more info on etymology, phonology, grammar, and of course general information about the service (in both Mestreechs and Dutch). Again, a drawback here is no audio. On the other hand, as a local you can join the taolpanel.nl to join the team and help them improve the resources they offer!
  • Another way to contribute to research on Mestreechs (and Eèsjdes — a Limburgish language from the town less than 11 km south of Maastricht)? Check out MaasGeluide.nl (in English and Dutch) which was launched on September 1, 2017 by professor dr. Leonie Cornips, endowed professor of Language Culture in Limburg at Maastricht University and the Meertens Institute in Amsterdam. The web app has some basic phrases and words, and if you’re a local of Maastricht or Eijsden, contribute to the platform by recording your pronunciation of them!

Hoge Brug, Maastricht by night (taken from Sint Servaasbrug) Photo by Tiffany Leung

What do you think?

What do you think about learning Mestreechs? Share your comments!

Wat denken jullie van het leren van Mestreechs? Delen jullie opmerkingen!

…and however that’s said in Mestreechs!

New Breakthrough in Breast Cancer Treatment announced in Amsterdam

Lachlan Campbell
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New Breakthrough in Breast Cancer Treatment announced in Amsterdam

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women throughout both the developed and less developed world. Estimates from WHO says that over 508, 000 women worldwide died in 2011 due to breast cancer. And although it is thought to be a disease of the developed world, almost 50% of breast cancer cases and 58% of deaths occur in less developed countries.

Metastasizing Cancer Cells
Metastasizing cancer cells

At times, it seems like conquering all forms of cancer is a Sisyphean task. Made even more pronounced by the fact that since the refinement of modern medicine, we’ve successfully controlled smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, polio and other potentially fatal diseases. Cancer however, seems to always rear its ugly head like some kind of unassailable whack-a-mole.

The role of breast cancer awareness and treatment of breast cancer in the Netherlands is especially significant, given the fact that in 2012, it ranked fourth from the top out of 20 countries on a chart that recorded the age-standardised rate of breast cancer per 100,000.

Perhaps, the prevalence of breast cancer in the Netherlands and in fact, the world, is about to take a hit. If you’ve planned on moving to Amsterdam you now have another great reason to live in this great city. You will get world-class medical attention if you’re ever in a battle with breast-cancer.

Research recently presented by Professor Nigel Bundred at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Amsterdam revealed that the effectiveness of two types of drugs known as Herceptin and Lapatinib had been tested, and results looked promising.

Breast cancer awareness. An ongoing battle for the greater good.

This pair of drugs is commonly used in breast cancer treatment at the moment, but this is the first time they had been combined and used both before surgery and chemotherapy. Some types of breast cancer were eliminated in just 11 days.

Cancer Research UK funded the study and testing. They aimed to use these drugs to combat a protein called HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), which affects the growth and division of cancer cells. It’s also more likely to return than other cancer types.

An artist’s depiction of a breast cancer cell.

This treatment is also being deemed a success due to that fact that it may render chemotherapy unnecessary. 257 women with HER2 positive breast cancer were chosen for the study. Half of the 257 women were put on the drug combo while the other half was the control group. What they found was that of those on the drug:

  • 11% had no cancer cells remaining within two weeks, and;
  • 17% of cases featured dramatically shrunken tumors.

Compared to the control group who were only given Herceptin, they were found to have:

  • 0% with no trace of cancer cells, and;
  • Only 3% showed a drop in tumor size.

Clearly, the two drugs combined have a major effect on breast cancer cells as opposed to being used on their own.

Following this, they will need to run clinical trials to see if these women really can avoid chemotherapy treatment and if the current standard of care for some HER2 positive breast cancer patients can and should be changed.

It’s certainly one to keep an eye on, although there’s still a lot of work to be done by the scientific community.

 

 

A farewell by Mayor Van Der Laan of Amsterdam

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Mayor Van der Laan has resigned all his duties effective immediately, he did so by means of a farewell letter. He was diagnosed with severe lung cancer a little while back but decided to stay on for as long as possible. Just recently he and our King conquered the hearts of our readers with this picture:

 

Here’s the translation of this letter. I did my best, but it will never be as impactful as the original. That ‘little while’ is poosje in Dutch.

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Dear Amsterdammers,

In January, I wrote to you that I had received bad news from my doctors, but that for a ‘little while’, I hoped to stay on as your mayor. For the past eight months, I have done so with a lot of fun. Your support has helped me greatly.
This ‘little while’ has come to an end as today I received from my doctors the message that they can not treat me any longer. I have reported myself sick to Remkes; the Commissioner of the King. For the time being my duties will be taken over by deputy-Mayor Kajsa Ollongren.

It was a great privilege to be the mayor of the most beautiful and dearest city in the world. Thank you for your trust, for your involvement and for all the support and contradiction I received from you over the past seven years.

Take care of our city and of each other.

Farewell,

Eberhard van der Laan

 

 

No words, the ending has many of us cutting onions – what a mayor…

 

Source: Flickr

Woman still needs to pay fine for peeing in public in Amsterdam

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Aaaaah this is a jolly headliner right?

The fine that a 23-year-old woman received in 2015 because she was caught for public urination on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam, is maintained. The woman went to court because she found it unfair that there were more public restrooms for men than for women. However, the amount will be reduced by 50 euros to 90 euros, as it took a long time before the case came to court as it turned out after the court meeting in Amsterdam on Monday.

The Case

The woman, Geerte Piening, could not hold it up anymore after a night of drinking and according to her, everything at Leidseplein was already closed and the nearest public toilet was two kilometers away (seems do-able?). She then decided to make a move for it. She was caught and received a 140 euros fine. She fought this decision last Monday because she found it discriminatory that there were 45 urinoirs for men and only a few public restrooms for women.

The judge agreed with her that there aren’t that many public restrooms for women, but that if she wanted to then the urinoir for men was also a way to go…

So we ask you proud women (but also sometimes drunken women) at DutchReview. Really? Is that an option?

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