The way that we interact with each other has changed. The rise and popularity of social media profiles helps us to maintain connections with our friends and family, especially those who live in different countries and cities. But keeping in touch online can never replace spending quality time with the people you love. Bingo has been a popular pastime in the Netherlands for decades. There are still active bingo halls in use but over the past ten years the game... More >

The Dutch have very distinctive ideas about sexual health, as Molly Quell found out. A few weeks ago, I got a letter telling me I was old. Well, not in so many words. I got a letter, from the government, saying that because I am turning 30 this year, it’s time for a pap smear. In the Netherlands, women only start getting pap smears done when they turn 30 and then every five years. In the US, you typically start... More >

From food markets and the new Woody Allen to Miffy’s birthday celebrations and music under the trees, here’s our pick of the week’s best things to do. Watch Woody’s new film For his 45th feature film Woody Allen has put together an existential thriller which takes various themes from some of his earlier films. Like the wonderful Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and the stodgy Match Point (2005), the film’s central conceit is a murder and the effect it has on... More >

Ask anyone if they know of a big nature reserve in the Netherlands, and they are sure to come up with De Hoge Veluwe National Park. However, National Park Maasduinen in the northern part of Limburg is definitely worth a visit as well. Maasduinen National Park only officially opened in 1998 and is still an oasis of calm. Even in the sunniest of weather, you cab pass an entire day enjoying the peace and quiet of this area relatively undisturbed.... More >

Commander Gavin Dawe is in charge of the Young Endeavour, a tall ship from Australia that’s currently sailing towards the Netherlands for SAIL Amsterdam. It’s also in the middle of an historic year-long journey around the world. In this interview, Dawe tells Brandon Hartley about everyday life on the high seas, the dangers his crews have encountered so far, and whether or not there’s good coffee on board the ship. What’s life like on board the ship while you’re out... More >

From welcoming tall ships and saving the bassoon to celebrating Amy and enjoying opera in a beautiful garden, here’s our pick of the week’s best things to do. Welcome the tall ships Sail Amsterdam is the huge maritime manifestation when tall ships from all over the world visit the city to moor in its eastern harbour, and people can then visit the ships. There are also hundreds of other historical ships moored in the harbour. There is a programme of... More >

SAIL is one of the city’s biggest and most unique festivals but it only happens once every five years. Brandon Hartley checks out what is on offer for the 2015 edition. Amsterdam and boats have gone hand in hand since it consisted of little more than a few cottages and a bridge over the Amstel. Needless to say, the city has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the Middle Ages. During the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam’s ports... More >

From bursts of colour at the seaside and the music of George Gershwin to tall men and self-mockery, here’s our pick of the week’s best things to do. Ooh and aah with delight The coastline at Scheveningen is lit up by thousands of fireworks during the annual International Firework Festival which takes place over two weekends, starting this Friday. This weekend there are displays by firework experts from Poland, Germany, Japan and Korea. Next weekend it’s the turn of Italy,... More >

For all its innovative work in tech, engineering and the sciences, the Netherlands lags behind in encouraging women into these fields. Esther O’Toole talks to some of the women working to right the balance. Last month there was uproar in the international science community when Nobel Prize winning biochemist Tim Hunt stood up in front of a conference of science journalists in Seoul, South Korea and said: ‘Let me tell you about my trouble with girls … three things happen... More >

From watching films outdoors and checking out a huge market of hand-crafted items to admiring Matisse cutouts and steaming through the countryside, here’s our pick of the week’s best things to do. Catch Matisse while you still can Photo: Stedelijk Collection Don’t miss the biggest collection ever exhibited in the Netherlands of the work of the French painter Henri Matisse (1869-1954), which has two weeks to run. In his paintings and cut-outs Matisse sought the most perfect possible union between... More >

Amsterdam is known the world over for its bikes and its cycling population. Esther O’Toole visits a unique summer course at the University of Amsterdam that seeks to give students insight into the world of Dutch cycling. The University of Amsterdam has been running summer courses for nearly 20 years. However, this is the first time that they have run a Planning the Cycling City course, which looks at the history, policy, infrastructure, planning, and culture of urban cycling in the Netherlands.... More >

On July 29, it is 125 years since master painter Vincent van Gogh shot himself in France. Here’s a list of facts about Van Gogh which you can drop into the conversation and become an instant expert. 1 Van Gogh was a post impressionist Van Gogh is ranked among the post impressionists. Typical of the period, roughly between 1885 and 1905, were a bold use of colour and dark contour lines, both of which are evident in his work, especially... More >

From a tiny superhero and iron men to floating flowers and vintage cars, here’s our pick of the week’s best things to do. Check out the competitions Sneek Week is a week of races on the lake of the Frisian town of Sneek. There are competitions for boats and catamarans in all classes, including Falcons, Rainbows and Ynglings. Among the races is the final of the championship for the typical Frisian sailing boats known as skütjes. Elsewhere in the town... More >