Dutch Language Blog

It is a very sunny day in the Netherlands today. All this sunshine has people talking about trips to the beach, walks in the park and yes, of course, going on holiday!

Whether you are planning an exotic holiday abroad or something a little more local, knowing some travel related words and phrases can always come in handy.

Here are some in Dutch:

• buitenland (abroad)
• het vliegtuig (airplane)
• het vliegveld / de luchthaven (airport)
• de brug (bridge)
• de bus (bus)
• de bushalte (bus stop)
• de auto (car)
• de stad (city / town)
• het land (country)
• de douane (customs)
• hier is mijn paspoort (here is my passport)

Goed of fout?

1. fout

2. goed

3. goed

4. goed

5. fout

Vul de goede vorm van het werkwoord ‘hebben’ in:

1. Ik heb veel hoofdpijn.

2. Hij heeft altijd gelijk.

U hebt / heeft een mooie fiets!

4. Jullie hebben vakantie.

5. Wij hebben een nieuw huis.

The Dam in 1544, as an actual dam in the river Amstel. View faces roughly southwest. On the right hand side are the old town hall and the Nieuwe Kerk.

As you exit Amsterdam Centraal station and are smacked in the face with the sights, sounds and smells of busyness you will probably find yourself following the natural flow of people heading off into the city of Amsterdam.  If you manage to navigate the bikes, tram tracks and traffic intersection successfully, then you will quite likely find yourself heading down Damrak.  What once was the city’s busiest canal has since been filled in and developed into a hectic and touristy shopping street.

If you continue down this street, you will find yourself in a big square (perhaps even standing next to a street performer or at least a pigeon or two) with Madame Tussauds and the Royal Palace on two sides.  This is Dam Square.

The history behind Dam Square is quite interesting and here are some things you might not have known about it:

• Dam Square is the original location of a dam built in the 13^th century to protect nearby buildings from the Amstel river.
• The Amstel flowed in the area where the National Monument now stands.
• The square has been the site of political and military events – parades, processions, protests.
• There once was a Weigh House here but it was torn down by order of Louis Bonaparte in 1808 because he felt it blocked his view from the palace.
• You can still see that Weigh House in some paintings.
• The obelisk on the East side of the square is the National Monument and was built in 1956 to honour the Dutch
  

  The National Monument in 2003

  victims of WWII.  It is 22 metres (70 feet) high and embedded behind the walls are urns containing soil from the Dutch provinces and colonies.

• The square is popular with pigeons and therefore popular with birdfeeding.
• The current Dam Square grew out of what was two squares – Middeldam and Plaetse.
• There was once a fish market here.
• Several tram lines have stops here and at one point the Dam was an important horse tram hub in Amsterdam.

The Square also has some negative history, perhaps the most well known is the Dam Square Shooting.  On May 7th 1945, large numbers of people were in the Square waiting for the Canadian liberators to arrive in the city.  Germany had surrendered two days prior but the city was still filled with many German soldiers.  In the Grote Club, members of the Kriegsmarine were watching the crowd.  They started shooting into the crowds, killing just over 20 people and injuring around 120 more.  You can view some footage of the incident in Amsterdam’s online city archive.

Photo Credit: gimbok

This weekend my parents will arrive from the States for a short visit in the Netherlands.  My dad has been to the Netherlands before but this will be my mum’s first visit to the country.  We will also be in the United Kingdom for a few days so the amount of time we have for sightseeing and exploring is minimal.

Below are some of the places I am thinking of putting on the agenda.  Have you been to any of them?  Any locations/attractions that you would add to the list if you had guests coming to visit?

• Amsterdam – I know it is filled with tourists but what would a trip to the Netherlands be without a trip to Amsterdam?  We will actually combine a trip to the city with picking my dad up at Schiphol airport.  I’m thinking most of the day will be taken up with walking around the city, eating and maybe taking in one or two museums like the Van Gogh Museum and/or the Rijksmuseum.

• Windmills – We could hit Zaanse Schans but since Kinderdijk is much closer to where I live, I think it is the one we will visit.

• Rotterdam – Since this is the city that I live in, it would be pretty odd to not have this one on the list.  My mum is keen to see the Cube Houses and the Erasmusbrug.  I think a stop at the Euromast (providing it is not chucking it down with rain), a general walk around the city and perhaps a trip to the zoo, Blijdorp as well.

• Pancakes – We have a really lovely pancake house nearby, so I think this will be a great dinner opportunity.  If you haven’t seen the wide variety of pancake options available, then just take a look at this menu.  I did also consider the pannenkoekenboot but the timings didn’t quite work out.

• Den Haag – Another daytrip, I was thinking we could spend some time in The Hague and the surrounding areas.  I haven’t spent much time in the city but I do love Mauritshuis and Fotomuseum Den Haag.  I am also keen to see Panorama Mesdag and to spend some time at the beach, provided the weather is nice.

So as you can see there are already loads of things that I would like to do and I am sure all of you will have many more great suggestions.  Of course, we will also have to fit in time for a stroopwafel or two!