Hi all, welcome to everything Dutch! We're Dutch, coming from The Netherlands and have an area called Holland in our country which consists of two provinces, which explains the title.
So you are either here if you are...
- ...Dutch
- ...interested in the Netherlands, the language, the culture
- ...bored
I will edit and update this OT as we go along, have fun!
Here's a good (general!) video about the Dutch attitude.
Netherlands in bulletpoints:
The good:
- We got bike lanes
- Our country is so small that no city is far away from each other
- You can buy weed here
- We love foreigners. As a foreigner you'll notice it immediately since Dutch people start talking in your language, often with big accents and Nederspeak
- We got pretty fast internet here
The bad:
- Our language is crazy difficult
- Dutch pop is the worst. Google Marco Borsato
- We might not be so open minded like we think we are
- Don't expect a warm welcome when you arrive at someones house while they are eating, mostly around 18:00.
- The congestions on the roads make driving a car during traffic jams hell. Riding a train isn't much better
...there's more, but for now this'll do.
The typical:
- We mash our food together instead of enjoying every part of your plate separately. Also, stampots are a thing here
- Like was said, Dutch people are known to speak multiple languages. They aren't poets though, do not expect any miracles
- Dutch people don't live in windmills and don't walk on wooden shoes. Except the people who do
- Netherlands is more than Amsterdam. Don't keep hanging around there. Go to Eindhoven, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Maastricht or Groningen, all awesome cities
Think of visiting Holland? Here's some handy links to get you going!
- Handy website about major cities in the Netherlands with guides and useful information: http://www.netherlands-tourism.com/
- Lonely planet's page on The Netherlands: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-netherlands
- Read some history on the country here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-netherlands
- Wanna travel by public transport? This should be your one stop website: https://9292.nl/en/fares-and-public-transport
- Wanna read up on Dutch news in English? Check this page: http://www.dutchnews.nl/
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