Wednesday 19 February 2020

Rotterdam in house buyers' spotlight

Rotterdam in house buyers' spotlight

Rotterdam will be in the global spotlights when some 180 million viewers turn on next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. But according to housing experts, Rotterdam isn’t only attracting lovers of this spectacle of vocal rivalry between far-flung countries. Europe’s largest port city is a magnet to 635,000 inhabitants from 174 countries, including savvy modern house buyers. ‘It is a huge city with huge potential,’ says Richardo Cruz Fortes, a mortgage adviser from Expat Mortgages. ‘I strongly believe that if you purchase and... More >

Rain in the Netherlands has texture

Rain in the Netherlands has texture

What do you do if you are the Netherlands as a trailing husband while your wife works in a high powered job? Visiting columnist Joe Weeg, who spent time here in 2018, is back in The Hague again. Part 1: Rain Rain in the Netherlands has a certain texture that doesn’t exist back home in Iowa. Here in the Netherlands the rain rarely rages with such thunder and lightning that you decide maybe it would be a good idea to... More >

Podcast: The Make Hay Not War Edition

Podcast: The Make Hay Not War Edition

As 8,000 tractors roll into The Hague, the DutchNews podcast asks if the farmers will reap a bitter harvest from their rolling protests against anti-nitrogen regulations. We also try to unravel the mystery surrounding a family of cultists found living on a remote farmhouse in Drenthe, find out how undercover flower investigators blew the lid on the black tulip scam, explain why Delft engineers’ hopes of winning a solar race Down Under went up in smoke and tell you why... More >

Dutch democracy is not under threat

Dutch democracy is not under threat

Ethiopian national and human rights lawyer Tarikua Woldetsadick takes issue with Syp Wynia’s recent claims about specific threats to Dutch democracy, and says his arguments digress into an attack on those very democratic values. To give credit where it is due, Mr Wynia attempts to address a relevant and perhaps timely issue. Is Dutch or indeed global democracy and individual freedom being slowly chipped away at by non-traditional, non-state entities? It is a question that merits serious study and appropriate... More >

Here's how to decipher your pay slip

Here's how to decipher your pay slip

So you’ve been told your salary will be €4,500 a month but when you look at your bank account, you see an amount that is way, way lower than that. Here’s how to decipher your salarisstrook or pay slip. Every employee in the Netherlands receives a pay slip each month – nowadays usually by email. Most of us only check the net amount, but the document contains a lot of other figures, percentages and weird acronyms as well. Here’s a... More >

Has your English evolved into Expat Speak?

Has your English evolved into Expat Speak?

Have you found yourself talking in ‘expat speak’? Linguistic theory suggests that there is an important place for it. A few years ago, via a mutual friend, I was reunited with a fellow English expat also living in the Netherlands. After a series of underwhelming exchanges, I became impatient with his slow, over-enunciated speech, now tinged with a North-American twang that was at odds with his British upbringing. A rising inflection with every sentence, apparently seeking confirmation, made me wonder... More >

I thought I would hate the Efteling...

I thought I would hate the Efteling...

With the autumn half term upon us, your thoughts may be turning to taking the kids to an amusement park. Deborah Nicholls-Lee was dreading her visit to the Efteling, but it turned out to be the ‘best family day ever’. Our children told us that they were the only ones at school who had not been to the Efteling theme park. Apparently, we had not parented them correctly and this was a deprivation of sorts. My husband and I had... More >

28 Days at Africa’s most luxurious rehab

28 Days at Africa’s most luxurious rehab

If you are burned-out or battling with addictions, you can find help at one of the most beautiful places on the planet. White River Manor is an exclusive addiction treatment centre in South Africa, located in the picturesque town of White River in Mpumalanga Province offering modern luxury addiction and wellness treatment at a fraction of the international cost. Founded in 2015, White River Manor has established itself as a leading facility for those seeking discreet intervention for addiction and... More >

Podcast: The Talented Mr Stikstof Edition

Podcast: The Talented Mr Stikstof Edition

The city of peace and justice resembles a Wild West frontier town this week after a corruption scandal and an inferno on the beach brought down The Hague’s entire government. But the new sheriff, Johan Remkes, arrives with some heavy baggage as his report on the nitrogen ruling is cited as one reason why the renovation of parliament will be delayed by a year. We also update you on a scientific breakthrough for premature babies in Eindhoven, the ban on... More >

Keukenhof theme is ‘Colours of the World’

Keukenhof theme is ‘Colours of the World’

The Keukenhof bulb park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands and work is now beginning on getting ready for next year’s flowering season. If you have any tulip bulbs that need planting, now is the time to do it. With summer officially over, the planting season has begun. This means the gardeners of the Keukenhof Botanical Garden have been hard at work setting up the flower display for next spring. The centre piece of the... More >

'Amsterdam has a buzz and stillness'

'Amsterdam has a buzz and stillness'

English national Linda Naghieh Whitaker (60) from Diemen is the longest-serving member of staff at the British School of Amsterdam, where she is head of the nursery department. Her 34 years in the Netherlands has deepened her love of football and flowers but she’s dreaming of sunnier climes come retirement. How did you end up in the Netherlands? I had worked as a nursery teacher in the east end of London for four years after finishing college and then decided... More >

Blogwatching: Dutch Drop Ice Cream

Blogwatching: Dutch Drop Ice Cream

Invading Holland documents the adventures of an accident-prone Englishman as he continues to explore life in Holland. ‘I’m not sure ice cream is supposed to be this colour,’ I commented to my wife as I held the completely matte black ice cream by its little wooden stick. ‘Yeah. It is a bit odd,’ she replied while looking at her own ice cream with equal suspicion. She had promised to join me in this self-destructive course of frozen confectionary based action.... More >

Podcast: Everything Happened In The Hague

Podcast: Everything Happened In The Hague

This week, Paul and Molly update you on endless things going on in the Hague, from the government falling to improper building permits. They also talk sports, protests and the Marianne Thieme leaving her post as the leader of the animal rights party. In the discussion, it’s tractors, stikstof and a PSA for eating less meat. News Marianne Thieme Climate March The Hague De Mos Bonfires Updates Derk Wiersum The Ocean Clean Up Marijuana Trials Sports Doha Ajax Discussion Traffic... More >

A packed I am not a Tourist programme

A packed I am not a Tourist programme

There are dozens of presentations and engaging workshops at the I am not a tourist Expat Fair 2019 in Amsterdam on Sunday. Check out some of the events on offer. This year the I am not a tourist Expat Fair in Amsterdam includes a wide variety of workshops and presentations, all geared towards making your transition to life in the Netherlands easier. More than 40 professionals will introduce you to everything you need to know about their area of expertise:... More >

How to get divorced in the Netherlands

How to get divorced in the Netherlands

The world is global, and so are today’s marriages. When it comes to getting divorced this can make it complicated. But even if you are not Dutch and if you got married in another country, you may be able to divorce here. Here’s what you need to know. If you want to get divorced, and you live in the Netherlands, you need to: 1 – Confirm if you can get divorced in the Netherlands 2 – Get a lawyer. You... More >

Jan Lul, Jan Modaal - just who are they?

Jan Lul, Jan Modaal - just who are they?

The English language has a Hooray Henry and a Johnny come lately but Dutch also hitches – usually pejorative – epithets to otherwise innocuous first names. Some suffer more than others. Here’s a few samples. Jan Hen: a henpecked man. Jan Lul: Literally, Jan Dick, also known as Jan met de korte achternaam (Jan with the short last name) for the euphemistically inclined. You are usually made to look like one, i.e. ridiculous. Jan Doedel: a clumsy person. Jan Modaal:... More >

Wynia's Week: Identifying 19 risks to (Dutch) democracy

Wynia's Week: Identifying 19 risks to (Dutch) democracy

Democracy is on the wane in many countries, and it is not just populism that is to blame. The traditional parties, both on the left and the right of the spectrum must take responsibility, says Syp Wynia. Our rights and freedom are slowly being eroded. A newspaper article containing comments sceptical about climate change is removed from Facebook,  on the recommendation of the editorial team of NU.nl, the country’s largest news site. Nu.nl  has now apparently been given the job... More >

Brexit and Me: 'Going Dutch makes sense'

Matty Mitford in her new home town of The Hague

Brexit and Me: 'Going Dutch makes sense'

How are British nationals in the Netherlands coping with Brexit? In the run-up to October 31 and beyond, we are talking to Brits about how Brexit is affecting them personally, what they are planning to do to regulate their stay, and how they view the UK. Matty Mitford, 42, moved to Amsterdam in 2013 as a campaigns organiser and is currently studying graphic design in The Hague. She plans to take Dutch nationality so she can remain an EU citizen... More >

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