Tag Archives: culture
How Women Fought For Suffrage in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Mar 8, 2021
It’s Internationale Vrouwendag (International Women’s Day) today! With the theme #ChooseToChallenge, this year’s Day emphasizes individual thinking and actions. And so I want to look at women’s suffrage in the Netherlands in this post, with at the helm Aletta Jacobs, one of the most famous political figures in the country. However, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine……
Binnenhof: Trêveszaal Posted by Sten on Jun 15, 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 Trêveszaal! For more posts in the Binnenhof series, click here. What…
Dutch Money: Talking About Money Posted by Sten on Mar 2, 2020
Geld (money). It is the lifeblood of our economieën (economies) and we need it in our dagelijks leven (daily life) for everything from boodschappen (groceries, household items) to treinkaartjes (train tickets) to buying a rijbewijs (driver’s license) once you get tired of all the vertragingen (delays) of the Dutch trains. In the previous posts about Dutch money, we talked about where the Dutch gulden came from…
Why The Dutch Are Obsessed With Koffie Posted by Sten on Aug 5, 2019
The British have their thee (tea), the Germans have their bier (beer) and the French have their wijn (wine). And the Dutch? The Dutch, they have their koffie (coffee). With an average of about 4 cups a day, the Dutch are one of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world. 4 Cups a day? Yes, an average of 4 cups a day. At…
Changing The Time We Live In Posted by Sten on Oct 29, 2018
A debate is going on in Europe right now that shows the importance of language very nicely. The European Union (EU) is going to abandon Daylight Savings Time. The question now is – what time will become the standard? The zomertijd (summertime) or the wintertijd (wintertime)? Welke tijd? In the segment above, Arjen Lubach in his show Zondag met Lubach…
When Do You Go To School in the Netherlands? Posted by Sten on Sep 4, 2018
It is the beginning of september: The summer is nearing its end, temperatures fall, days get shorter… And it is time to go back to school! But for everyone? No. Or, not yet… How does it work in the Netherlands, when do kids start going to school? Let’s find out. We have written about the…
How to navigate a Dutch supermarket Posted by Sten on Aug 31, 2018
Even though you are in a country with a different language, you still need to eat. And preferably have good food. One of the most frustrating experiences can be to walk around in a supermarkt (grocery store; supermarket). Different produkten (products) than you are used to, different merken (brands), ketens (brands) and – of course – a different taal (language). Also in the…