Archive for January, 2010
Photos of Amsterdam Posted by sarah on Jan 21, 2010
Ok, first I would like to offer my sincere apologies that sometimes my posts are a little “Amsterdam-centric.” The thing is, I live in Amsterdam, so a lot of my information, photos, etc. are derived from my Amsterdam experience. Add to this the fact that the weather has been cold and snowy, which means I…
Miep Gies is overleden Posted by sarah on Jan 18, 2010
Miep Gies, the last survivor from a small group of people who helped the Frank family during World War II, passed away last week. She would have turned 101 years old next month. One of the more important icons in Dutch history is Anne Frank. I really won’t go into the greater details of the…
Strange Dutch Food Posted by noortje on Jan 16, 2010
Like every country, Holland has a cuisine of its own. We’ll introduce some snacks and candy you can get in the Netherlands that are particularly weird for people not familiar with Holland. Frikadel Speciaal: The frikadel is a kind of snack sausage. The ingredients are all sorts of left over meat, from intestines to brain…
How to Turn One Cookie into Two Cookies: Plurals in Dutch Posted by sarah on Jan 14, 2010
Making words plural in Dutch is usually straightforward. I’m a stickler for grammar rules and straightforward makes me a little happier. Here are some rules for turning one cookie into two cookies, or one euro into 100 euros. The rules for making a word plural are this simple: just add -en, -s, or -es to…
Snert. It is called Snert. Posted by sarah on Jan 12, 2010
It is called snert, or erwtensoep, and I have yet to actually try it myself. Two reasons. 1. The word “snert” sounds like something that comes out of my nose or should be scraped off my shoe. 2. Until now, I hadn’t found a vegetarian version of it. That is, until now. I’ve heard…
Dutch Music for Smiling Posted by sarah on Jan 11, 2010
Sometimes I come across things here that just make me smile. I heard this song a little while back and it actually made me laugh out loud. Yes, it’s a kid’s song. Nope, it’s not particularly “serious” music, but it is really cute and really fun. So here is a little song about a mouse…
Dagen, Maanden en Seizoenen: Days, Months and Seasons in Dutch Posted by sarah on Jan 9, 2010
Days, months and seasons are pretty important words to remember. If I call the de huisarts (the doctor) and need to make een afspraak (an appointment) I better be certain what day of the week I should be there. Plus I’d hate to miss a good party because I showed up a day late. In…