Drought in the Netherlands Posted by Karoly Molina on May 11, 2016
A few weeks ago, as I was traveling from Maastricht to Amsterdam by train, I kept looking out enjoying the view full of farms, green areas and streams. The groenheid of the Netherlands has always amazed me (perhaps because I grew up in Texas…not so much green there!). After some contemplation, I began wondering if it…
Remembrance and Liberation Day 2016 Posted by Karoly Molina on May 4, 2016
May 4th and 5th mark a very important time in Dutch history. May 4th is Dodenherdenking or remembrance of the dead when the thousands who died during World War II and the Nazi invasion in the Netherlands are remembered. Since 1961, the day also commemorates those who died in other military conflicts. There are several ceremonies throughout…
What do you think? The Stiltecoupé Posted by Sten on May 2, 2016
In most Intercity’s (intercity train – high speed trains) of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) (Dutch Railways – NS, the main railway company), you will find a stiltecoupé (silence train compartment), in which you are not allowed to talk. Intended for people that want to travel in silence, because they read a book, need to focus on some work, want to do a…
April (weather) does what it wants Posted by Karoly Molina on Apr 27, 2016
This month there has been a Dutch saying that I have heard almost on a daily basis: April doet wat het wil. It is very true that April does what it wants, at least this April. The weather in the Netherlands has been nothing short of gek with temperatures reaching the 20 degrees Celsius and then…
Odd Grammatical Terms – The Test! Posted by Sten on Apr 26, 2016
Two weeks ago, we discussed grammatical terms that are related to nouns, such as the onderwerp, lijdend voorwerp, meewerkend voorwerp, and others. Last week, we discussed terms that are related to verbs, such as the werkwoord, gezegde, naamwoordelijk deel van het gezegde, and others. This week, you will have the chance to see whether you got it right! The results of the…
Garde Robe: An Amazing Discovery From The Golden Age Posted by Sten on Apr 21, 2016
Last Thursday, a most verbazingwekkend (astonishing) discovery was published: a lading (cargo) of 17th century noble items, most importantly a vorstelijk gewaad (royal gown) were found! In the waters off the island Texel, many scheepswrakken (ship wrecks) from that time, the Gouden Eeuw (Golden Age – see below in the Sideline) were lying out there, waiting for cargo. Because of wind and weather, many of them zonken (sank) and…
Back to Basics: Comparing Posted by Karoly Molina on Apr 20, 2016
On a previous post, I wrote about the incorrect uses of als and how dan is the correct word to use when pointing out differences in a comparison. On this post, I would like to expand on comparisons and the correct words to use. dan The following song by Tim Immers is a good point to begin…