The Dutch weather; ever-changing and highly unpredictable! If you have been spending some time in the Netherlands, you have probably noticed how the Dutch love to talk about the Dutch weather. It’s an everyday topic of conversation that never seems to get dull. And that makes sense, because the Dutch weather tends to be ever-changing […]
Every year on the third Tuesday of September, all members of Dutch parliament dress their best, and gather traditionally in the Ridderzaal (Knight’s Hall) in Den Haag (The Hague) to listen to the Troonrede, (Speech of the Throne) read out loud by the head of state, the monarch. This year it is not possible to keep all traditions alive. Because […]
Easter is around the corner, and in the Netherlands this festivity usually marks the beginning of spring time. The first rays of sunshine have broken through, flowers start to bloom and more and more time is spent outdoors. Easter is a widely celebrated family holiday in the Netherlands and it comes with some century old […]
Whoever’s lived in the Netherlands for a while, knows: the Dutch are not particularly lavish with giving compliments. That’s probably because traditionally in the Netherlands, being normal (and thus not standing out) is considered to be a virtue. This, however, doesn’t mean that the Dutch don’t love to receive compliments. After all, compliments make people […]
Did you know that the Netherlands are a real sports country? Although we are such a small country, our orange-clad sportsmen and women have set many world records and have won many medals over the years. From voetbal (football) to schaatsen (ice skating) to the typical Dutch korfbal, the Dutchies are of all trades. Have […]
New year, new me. Or as they would say in the Netherlands: ‘Nieuwe ronde, nieuwe kansen’ (new round, new opportunities). It is 2021, and with the start of a new year come the new year’s resolutions. In Dutch, we call them goede voornemens (good intentions). Curious about some of the most popular goede voornemens in […]
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar everyone! Yesterday, we said goodbye to 2020 and toasted to a new year to come. In the Netherlands there are few evenings that are more widely celebrated than Oud en Nieuw (Old and New, that’s how the Dutch refer to New Year’s eve). Of course, things looked slightly different than usual this year, […]
Sinterklaas has arrived in the Netherlands! Who? If you ever visited the Netherlands around the beginning of December, you might have noticed that store decorations, tv-commercials and advertisements are not necessarily Christmas-spirited yet. Not Santa Claus, but another white-bearded, old man in red clothes, accompanied by his colorfully dressed helping hands, the Pieten, is what […]
Pouring rain, a wind force of 8, grey, cloudy and dark days: this is probably what comes to mind when you’re thinking about autumn in the Netherlands. And you’re not entirely wrong: Autumn is indeed the wettest season here. But autumn days can also be beautiful, bright and mild in temperature, as proven last week. […]
