Tag Archives: coronavirus
Binnenhof: De Ridderzaal Posted by Sten on May 11, 2020
The Binnenhof (Inner Court) is the center of the Dutch overheid (government). Located in the heart of Den Haag (The Hague), it oozes Dutch geschiedenis (history) and verhalen (stories). In this series, we’ll go building by building and explore what each is all about. Today, let’s check out the Ridderzaal! For more posts in the Binnenhof series, click here. What…
Dutch King’s Day – In Quarantine?! Posted by Sten on Apr 27, 2020
Today is Koningsdag (King’s Day), on which our koning (king) Willem-Alexander celebrates his 53rd verjaardag (birthday). An exciting day, where the entire country is on its feet, clothed in orange and ready to celebrate. The koning visits a town where he is welcomed and invited to join in with all kinds of activities. But… That’s not possible today, with quarantainemaatregelen (quarantine measures) in…
The End Of A Dutch TV Era: DWDD Stops Posted by Sten on Apr 3, 2020
De Wereld Draait Door, or short DWDD had its last uitzending (broadcast, episode) last Friday. It was one of the hoekstenen (cornerstones) of Dutch television for 15 years. Here’s a little look at this programma (program), and what made it so popular. What’s in a name? First, let’s just talk about the name for a minute. De Wereld…
How Dutch Kids Fight Coronavirus Boredom By Hunting Bears Posted by Sten on Apr 1, 2020
In times of thuisquarantaine (home quarantine) and gesloten scholen (closed schools), kinderen (children) are bound to get extremely bored. How can you deal with such verveling (boredom)? Well, some people found a way, and because of social media, the idea is spreading all over the country. What is this berenjacht (bear hunt), and why does it become so successful in the Netherlands? Let’s have a…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 14 – Thuiswerken Posted by Sten on Mar 23, 2020
With the coronavirus being a worldwide pandemic, many landen (countries) are implementing quarantaines (quarantines), telling people: blijf thuis! (Stay at home!) A real #thuiswerken movement has begun, and of course, that comes with its own linguistic quirks! Here are a spreekwoord (saying) and an uitdrukking (expression) to make thuiswerken a little sweeter! For other sayings and expressions in this series, click here. Oost…
Why Dutch PM Rutte’s Address Was Historical Posted by Sten on Mar 17, 2020
The coronavirus is spreading across the world fast. Maandagavond (Monday evening) at 7 pm, minister-president (prime minister) Mark Rutte addressed the Dutch people from the Torentje (little tower), which is the office of the Dutch premier (prime minister). He addressed zorgen (concerns) about the virus and what the Dutch overheid (government) is considering. Here’s what he said and why it was…
Dutch Songs to Wash Your Hands Posted by Karoly Molina on Mar 12, 2020
Last week, Sten wrote a very interesting post about the coronavirus developments in the Netherlands. Like Sten mentioned, the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezonheid en Milieu (RIVM) has made a few key recommendations. In this post, I would like to explore some of these recommendations. Handen Wassen According to information from RIVM and the World Health Organization…