Archive for August, 2015
The Dutch Alternative for the Elfstedentocht Posted by Sten on Aug 28, 2015
The Dutch Tocht der Tochten (tour of tours), the 200 km (120 mi) long ice skating tour that runs through eleven cities in the province Friesland in the winter, has an unfortunate fate. Everybody is hopeful each year again that the Elfstedentocht (eleven cities tour) will happen, though sadly this is usually not the…
More Harry Mulisch Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 27, 2015
Harry Mulisch is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors of all time. His writing style is simply captivating without it being pompous or pretentious. In my opinion, Mulisch’s talent lies in his story-telling abilities: his plot is impeccably executed through his simple yet enrapturing writing. His books are the type you cannot put down…
Driving and All the Exams Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 26, 2015
I previously wrote about my latest integration project consisting of getting my Dutch driver’s license. Everyone I have spoken to seems pretty surprised that someone who already knows how to drive and has a driver’s license needs to take some classes and the exam all over again. While I share their surprise, I also think…
6 things you need to know about Schiphol airport Posted by Sten on Aug 23, 2015
It was travel time again for me – and I left from Schiphol, the largest luchthaven (airport) of the Netherlands. With almost 55 million passengers only last year, it is the fourth busiest luchthavens of Europe – quite impressive for a small country like the Netherlands! Here are 6 things you should definitely know the…
How to Sound Dutch in Dutch Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 19, 2015
Even after learning grammar and enough vocabulary to hold conversations, language learners can always be spotted in conversation. What separates us learners from the native speakers are expressions that we rarely learn in the classroom.These expressions we pick up slowly because sometimes they do not make sense when we translate them to our own language and…
Back to Basics: Using the Present Tense Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 12, 2015
I know most of you are thinking…why do we need to go back to the basics with the present tense? This is perhaps the first grammar lesson we get in Dutch classes, and, to be honest, one of the easiest rules. So why am I going to devote a post to the present tense? I’ve…
Showing Pride and Solidariteit at the Amsterdam Canal Parade Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Aug 6, 2015
This weekend was the climax of the famous Amsterdam Gay Pride, the festival in celebration of LGBT culture and equality in one of the most tolerant and gay-friendly countries in the world. As Karoly pointed out last month in her post ‘Love Wins!‘, the Netherlands has long been a forerunner in the LGBT rights movement, so…