Archive for the year 2011
Verbs Used When Giving Directions Posted by heather on Jun 16, 2011
How are you getting on with the vocabulary I introduced in my last post? Hopefully you have been trying out some of the techniques that I suggested (and some of your own) and are making some steady progress. Stick with it, I promise it will be worth it in the end. Today we are going…
Asking for Directions in Dutch: Vocabulary Posted by heather on Jun 14, 2011
One of the most handy things to be able to understand and talk about in a foreign language is how to get somewhere. It’s practical (you aren’t learning how to say your job is a rocket scientist/ballerina/astronaut when you clearly aren’t), concrete (there is a clear sequence to the conversation) and useful (hey, we all…
The White Bicycles of De Hoge Veluwe Posted by heather on Jun 7, 2011
If you have ever visited the national park, De Hoge Veluwe, you may have noticed a plethora of white bikes around. Bicycles in the Netherlands are of course not an unusual sight but the white bikes of De Hoge Veluwe are a bit special. In total, there are 1,700 white bikes in the park…
De Hoge Veluwe National Park Posted by heather on May 31, 2011
If you have done any research on the Netherlands or visited here, then you are probably quite familiar with the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag. You may even know about Eindhoven, Arnhem and Maastricht. But you may not be aware of the 5,400 hectares of woodland, heathland, peat bogs and drift sand located…
Open Tuinen Dagen – Step Into a Garden Posted by heather on May 24, 2011
Have you ever walked down one of the tree lined streets in Amsterdam and wondered what exists behind the 16th and 17th century canal houses? Well, if you are free on the third weekend of June and happen to be in Amsterdam, then you might just have the chance to find out. On the 17th…
Stroopwafel + Cake = Stroopwafelcake!! Posted by heather on May 21, 2011
Last week I wrote about a very popular food item here in the Netherlands – the stroopwafel. Judging by the amount of comments and likes that post received, it seems that the stroopwafel is also very popular outside of the Netherlands! Seeing how delicious so many of you found stroopwafels, I knew I had to…
Tourism for iedereen at the Keukenhof Posted by Elena on May 20, 2011
Last week I went to a place in the Netherlands where most Dutch people have never set foot: the Keukenhof, a huge, heavily landscaped flower park outside of Amsterdam. At the entrance, a Dutch flag hangs alongside a German one, and inside the last thing you are likely to hear is the sing-songy tones of…