Ik heb altijd Nederland een sympathische land gevonden, meer "easy-going" dan mijn vaderland Duitsland. Ik leef nu in Spanje maar voor mijn innere relatie met Nederland ben ik nu aan het nederlands leren. Ik hoop dat ik meer mogelijkheden vind, om het land te bezoeken en ook en beetje de taal te oefenen. Waarschijnlijk do ik nog vele fouten, maar de komunikatie klopt., Groetjes.
Hoi kijk goed om je heen in Spanje er zijn veel Nederlanders die daar overwinteren, misschien leuk om je Nederlands te oefenen met een biertje en tapas.
Aangezien je je Nederlands wilt verbeteren. Hier een paar tips. Sympathische > sympathiek (of met sympathieke mensen), ben ik nu aan het Nederlands leren > ben ik nu Nederlands aan het leren, ook en beetje > ook een beetje, waarschijnlijk do ik nog > waarschijnlijk do ik nog vele fouten > waarschijnlijk doe ik nog veel fout, kumunikatie klopt > communicatie klopt (precies). Verder erg goed gedaan 👍, als je nog hulp nodig hebt let me know en veel plezier in nl
@@Woekkie Ik woon 60 km van de kust. De meerdal van de Nederlanders zijn vlaker bij de zee maar hier geeft het ook en gemeenschaap van belger en nederlanders. Ik ken nur enkele, maar het is juist: Ik heb ook een friend uit Amsterdam om de biertje te drinken en te praten en tapas te eten. Mensen van hier, van daar. Ik mak daar geen verschil. Van de atmosfeer is het hier angenaam.
About locking bikes: there is safety in numbers. When you park your bike in an area where there are many other bikes, it becomes less likely that yours is the one that gets stolen or vandalised.
Welcome! I moved here 3 years ago and there are so many more examples of better all over that you will keep noticing from the food to the condition of the roads and bike lanes and how clean they keep it all. And those are just the visible improvements over the States. I'm staying and asimilating, personlly I fell like I found home. Finally.
I used to visit The Netherlands on business. I got the impression people generally own two bikes. One basic one for everyday use you might leave at the station and a smart bike for weekends and leisure use.
most people own 2, but for different reasons. 1 is their new daily bike, and the 2nd one is the previous one, they kept for emergencies, or guest use. the leisure bike owners are a minority, but when people are that category, they might have 5 or more bikes.
Everything you say is true. I live in Canada, have family in Netherlands. Make the trip every 3-4 years. Make sure you go to that Feyenoord game. My 98 year old mother grew up near the Stadium . She has been in Canada since 1955, still a Feyenoord fan.
The youtube channel would be Not Just Bikes. This was the video called "Why Dutch Bikes Are Better (And Why You Should Want One)". An absolutely great channel. About the kids, they usually get a phone when they go to high school. And from there on they are glued to the things.
For a while now I am watching these videos from expats, coming from the US or Canada. It makes me feel proud to live here and listen to the mostly positive comments you have of our bikes, coffeeshops, traffic or the way we live in general. For me as a dutch man , it gives a fresh perspective and a realisation that our little country is indeed a good place to live!
There is a real big bike theft problem in The Netherlands. When you buy a new bike, you would usually take a special bike insurance for it. Almost anyone I know had at least one bike stolen at one point in their life unfortunately.
Thank you so much for your very kind observations of us, you make me proud of my country and my people in a time where so many people seem to be not happy at all. this is very encouraging. Thank you again
I had a big laugh when you told about the guy helping you to find the way. Then asking "anything else. No?" And just walking away. As being myself from Holland, still wondering what's so strange about that. I would have done exactly the same.
Indeed, what's more to say or do? I don't expect more from someone helping me, neither do German or Belgian (e.g.) tourists... So, what is that bit of extra we're missing?
Biking is indeed a way of life in the Netherlands.... I'm sure you don't pass many obese people on the road.... it's like in Belgium where I used to live until I moved yo the US here 26 years ago.They're still not getting it here that that is the secret to staying fit... Need a lost of bread or anything? You get on the bike and go get a fresh on at the Warme bakker.....what I miss terribly here, smelling the still warm bread in the shop when buying it. After 26 years I finally found a white bread like bread is supposed to be and I used to bake as a baker's apprentice 40 years ago in Belgium.... it's called artisano and it is firm and tasty... Glad you like the good things about the Netherlands.... I used to go there often when I still lived in Belgium.... The other thing that I miss here and we had in Belgium and in the Netherlands (Tilburg just across the border) are the markets where you can buy fresh food, especially the fresh fish and cheeses... I hope you went to a few, I bet there's one near you...
go outside the major cities in the Netherlands and public transportation quickly deteriorates to having 1 bus every 30 minutes to an hour, and bus stops being half an hour walking apart or more.
Which is still about twice as good as most American small to mid sized towns. I grew up in a Californian city with a population of about 130,000 within the greater Los Angeles conurbation - we had one bus an hour running east/west and one an hour running north/south.
It is always amusing to listen to people from abroad to describe aspects about the Netherlands I grew up with (and find ‘normal’,..). I must say usually these videos focus on one of the main city’s, … there is more in the Netherlands than these city’s!
Yes..you are absolutely right in makin the comment about the attention our main cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam get from people who come from abroad. Alltough our country isn't that large, it is very diverse in landscape as well as in people. I invite the happy tourists, expats, people from abroad visiting the Netherlands, to go out and explore the many other cities and villages, it may surprise you as well.
Goodafternoon! I hope you have had nice holidays. Im from rotterdam but now living in the city of haarlem. My team is feyenoord rotterdam (soccer). I wouldnt mind to take you and your wife there for a game at all. I think you both will enjoy it! I notice its way differend then visiting sports events in the US. Let me know! Greetings JanWillem
When ur gonna visit places, let me introduce u to something amazing. De museum kaart! U pay a yearly amount, I think it’s about 65 euros now, and then u have free access to hundreds of the most popular museums. Every once in a while u have to pay a small extra sum. It’s definitely worth it if ur gonna be a bit of a tourist in ur own country and ur visits to museums will be so much more casual.
If you forget to tab out in public transport, the 4,- is not a penalty. When you tab in they reserve 4,- deposit. if you forget to log out you can ask a payback at any RET point or true the website of OV Chip. ;-) it works very simple and they either book it back on your card instantly or they put itback on your account.
That puppet show's been there for as long as I can remember. I remember going there as a kid and being entertained, so it's been there at least 40 years, if not longer. Good times. Most older kids do have phones, but it really depends on what their parents decide. Most parents I know tend to give their kid(s) a cell phone the moment they're old enough to bike to school on their own. It's usually a prepaid, and only for emergencies. What often happens is that mom or dad gets a new phone, and the old phone is given out or lent to one of the children. Not every parent does this, but it is happening more and more. With regards to tablets, I reckon most of the kids don't actually have one of their own, but either share one with their sibling(s), if they have any, or they are allowed to use their parent's tablet for a limited amount of time. The Dutch public transportation runs -mostly- on time. You will notice soon enough that a lot of people do complain about this. The Dutch are not only direct, we also like to complain about things ad nauseam, be it the awful weather, the 'bad' public transportation system, politics or anything else. Most of the time it is just to blow off steam or sometimes even as a form of smalltalk (shared woes and all), but there are a couply of more serious issues that we on a daily basis have to deal with that are just frustrating to everyone. I am happy to know that you love it here.
What a positive feedback to my beloved city and fellow citizens!! Especially when you talked about the puppettheatre, you were really touched by that scene!! Welcome in Rotterdam!
I found this video when i was just browsing trough RUclips and my mind was blown when you said that public transportation is great here. I love to see the perspective from someone who isn't born here. Most Dutch people (me included) always complain about public transportation....Thank you and i will look at it with another view.
Considering i travel with public transport every day for work, with unregular shifts. Its really actually not that bad. It only happens maybe once a month where my transport is delayed/canceled and often times there is a different route i can take to get to my destination. When you download the app is even easier because you can see if there are delays/construction work etc and plan ahead more accordingly
I wonder if you ever tried public transport abroad and actually going places. I know no other place on earth with similar quality even to remote places.
Tax in the Netherlands and other European countries is just the same everywhere. It's a country wide thing instead of like in the US where it's usually a state thing, county thing or even city thing. Since it varies so much in the US, they just don't bother including it in the prices and its really easy to do so here because its the same in every supermarket.
You're very forgiving to the Dutch culture. Not many people are able to cope with the Dutch culture as you. Hope your stay will be s pleasant as it has been so far. Welcome to our country, I hope you'll enjoy your stay and it will be one of the best experiences in your life.
William: I'd be very curious to hear "your take" on your own culture; you seem to want to very much complain about it to someone, from the sound of what you said!
@@meredithheath5272 You're reading more in my comment than what I've said. Anyway, hope you'll be able to overcome your disability. When it takes you 10 months to misunderstand a comment. you're not the kind of person that fits in my intellectual social circle. Save yourself the trouble of replying, I'm not interested.
I was only, in "good faith" trying to discern what you were getting at - by your own words - "not many people are able to cope with the Dutch culture". No more, no less than a sincere attempt at understanding another's culture, on my part. So you write a nasty, misogynist, narcissistic, gaslighting comment. I don't think, and hope you are not a representative of the Dutch culture. If you are, I'll move to e.g., Norway, or Sweden, instead.
@@meredithheath5272 The simple fact that you accuse me of misogyny while all I did is calling you out on your blatant lack of intelligence shows that you really should move to another country that is more forgiving to imbeciles. What part of "Save yourself the trouble of replying, I'm not interested." went over your head? QED.
About biking, the kings of normal biking are definitely The Netherlands and Denmark and especially Amsterdam and Copenhagen. The thing is that up towards 40% of the population in Copenhagen use a bike to commute to and from work every day no matter the weather. The same is most likely the case in Amsterdam. There are advantages to bike a lot which is generally no problem ever with overweight issues and the added benefit of being generally very healthy simply due to the exercise. For many people in The Netherlands and Denmark, it is not unusual to bike 40-60 km daily. Having an infrastructure that is very focused on bikes of course helps a lot.
correct. Chain your decent looking bike to a light pole or traffic sign if nothing else, and make sure you lock both front and rear wheels and the frame or you may find you're missing a wheel when you come back (or find just a wheel).
I agree with you about all the aspects of biking in the NL. When I am there and get to take my grandgirls to school, it is so cute to see all the bikes at the elementary school and all the parents lined up outside with their bikes to pick up the kids...like the ole days when I rode my bike to school in the suburbs-in the50's.
Lovely post. So spot on On your observation. I moved here from UK married a Dutchie and love having raised our kids here. We also love road trips through USA and other european countries as sometimes being away brings other Joys. If i had to live my life over, i would still call this my base but hope around like i have done. Am originally from Africa but moved to UK 37 yrs ago and then 20 yrs moved here.
Glad your first impressions are so positive. Some opinions you mentioned will change, or will allready have changed, living here longer (like the phone thing ;) ) But I hope your overall experience will remain positive, and that you and your family has a great time living in The Netherlands. btw, the 'THE' is included in our country's name.
when i moved from 'the city' to the more 'platteland' areas in the north east, I stopped locking my bike. Left it unlocked for years in the front of my house, right next to the street. Didn't lock it if I took it to the supermarket or wherever. It's a good and decent bike, but not a fancy, expensive one... never got stolen for that reason.
One thing that I haven't hear you mention yet. The Dutch have an obsession with the weather. Because biking is used so often as a mode of transportation and because they "dress for the event" and not for the ride they are very keen to know what the weather will be like. The Dutch will also very likely share their "opinion" on the current weather and their own prediction of future weather conditions with you in the form of small talk e.g.: Wat een kutweer vandaag heh? = What a horrible weather today, don't you think? Morgen blijft het gelukkig droog = Fortunately tomorrow it will stay dry They say the toughest job in het Netherlands in increasing order is Prime Minister (Minister president), head coach of the Dutch soccer team (Bondscoach) and meteorologist for the public news (weerman voor het NOS journaal).
It's the same with the Irish. You have 20 weather conversation type greetings a day. "hey, how are you, terrible weather, winter has arrived" as you walk by someone on the street.
Welcome in the Netherlands 👍🏻 Im Dutch and my wife is from Rowland Heights (LA). , we did enjoy your blog. For sure we will follow your blogs. Groetjes uit Spijkenisse.
Geboren en getogen in Rotterdam, getrouwd en geëmigreerd 10 jaar terug. Mis alles van Nederland, van frikandel tot mijn omafiets. You will only notice how great of a country the Netherlands is after you are not there anymore.
Will you be visiting any part of the Caribbean Netherlands? If you are an American you would love Aruba. Curacao is geared more for the sophisticated European where you will find both the Dutchman and Germans cohabitating. Sint Eustatius and Bonaire are more for the outback Englishman. Sint Maartin was cultured by the French who are just across the mountain. And Saba is paradise. I do not know about the west coast but Aruba and St. Maartin are abundantly accessible from most east coast cities especially during winter.
Great video again. Always love to watch them. I have close relatives in the LA area, (Riverside) which I plan to visit and use these videos as a sort of preparation. You have been very diplomatic, sometimes moving cautious, don't be afraid to share your critiques, we can handle that (at least I can). I really wonder how life in LA differs from here. Learning that here. Thanks again for the insights.
Public transportation: It is great in the bigger city's and i like the the card when i visit them. A bike is quicker, if not to far. In the big city's you use a bike lock and a chain, in the rest of the country you use a bike lock and a chain if needed. We see a bike as a form of transportation, going from one place to the other, buy groceries, bring kids to school, going to work, and you also have the people who like to ride a bike for fun. For me it is a bicycle what can bring me from location A to B and back to A. VAT is included in everything you buy inside the EU, if you are a buying for a company you can get a tax refund ( this is the short version). And you have so much to experience and learn, and you will find a few things you don't like, but in general i am sure you will like it in the Netherlands. Have fun and welcome.
Have you tried the Watertaxi and/or Waterbus yet? Might be cool subjects for a new video. Also, on the Waterbus you can take your bike with you, so you can go to a destination, do a bit of cycling there and then sail back home! :-)
Remember that Amsterdam and the two Holland provinces are not representative for the Netherlands although they might behave like that. The southern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg have a Bourgondische levenswijze, look it up. The other provinces are different also. We are quite direct but we don’t want to insult you or be rude; we try to be honest. Most kids from a certain age almost all have phones but they have a lot of other things to do. They’re quite independent.
I am dutch and I'm very pleased about the way You are talking about my country and fellow-countryman but... You are living in a big city; go to the country-side and You will see another Holland. A Netherlands (almost) without public transportation. It is wide (and beautifull) but not suitable for bikes. I lived in the countryside (Appingedam) and I was happy with my Benz because without a car shopping is impossible. and aboutr cell-phones...... Everybody, every child has one. Enjoy your stay in Rotterdam. Regards Jan
Hi! I grew up in the Netherlands! So good to hear you are so excited about biking lifestyle! I am curious whether you have already noticed that women's and men's bikes are different? For men: the stang is horizontal, for women: the stang is with a curve, so that women can wear their dresses on the bike :) Did you already notice?
First of all thanks for the compliments!! In the Netherlands we have high taxes, income, VAT, etc. but we also get a well organized country with a lot of public services, good roads and public transportation.
I thought he was referring to a 'stint', mentioning the driver standing upright. They're bigger than cargo bikes (bakfietsen) and usually used for transport to and from daycare - at least in Dordrecht.
Since you're going to Amsterdam this weekend, as someone who has lived there for 5 years, please avoid the city centre as much as possible! It's very touristy unfortunately :( There are some nice spots though, like the 9 streets, museums, film houses etc. Also there is a coffee place called Puccini near Waterlooplein and their chocolate truffle cake is devine 😩👌✨ But honestly, going into small streets and just wonder around is the best I'd say Other places to go to that are less touristy are de pijp (where the Albert Cuyp marked is), Westergasfabriek, NDSM or the East side of the city (like Beukenplein, it's a cute square near the park with nice restaurants) :) You can go pretty much anywhere by NS bicycles (but I'm sure you know that already ;) ) That's all for my unasked advice hahahaha
Eastside Dapper markt/ market and Javastraat for all kinds of restaurants. And at Sciencepark ( east) is Polder and old dairyfarm wich is now an ecologic restaurant, with nice prices. From the Muiderpoort station ( bus, tram or railway) you follow the Valentijnkade along the Ringvaart, wich is the green long of the Netherlands, you walk or bike to the end to the Amsterdam/ Rein kanaal ( channel) wich is beautiful for walking and biking. Don't forget to go to Diemen and Duivendrecht and to South East to Gaasperplas. Well I live in East so I know where to go, and indeed as dutch I don't like the citycentre eather, wày to busy and only tourists go there. And yes, most dutch are empathic and helping one is in our genes, if we have the time we guide you to sightseeings and/ or tell you were to go in other places than the centre. Have fun👍😀👍🇳🇱
What's the reason you want to leave the US? I would like to move to the US and I don't understand why you want to move out. So much more opportunities in the US than any european country.
@@maskedgamer7565 I live in the US. Jovie has a really good summary of our problems here. Yes, you can earn more money, but what you have to give up isn’t worth it: ruclips.net/video/sKR_TtSLhzM/видео.html
idk where you live in Rotterdam, but ALWAYS have 2 locks on your bike, the back wheel one that comes just about standard and get a chained lock to lock it to any pole or bike parking thingy you find, bike thieves go for the ones that are easiest to steal, the more locks the lesser chance of your bike getting stolen, specially if you live near the Central Train Station in R'dam
And make sure the chain goes through the front wheel, or else they will just steal that. (If it's a newish bicycle.) In Rotterdam, garbage trucks have (or used to have) a line of poetry written on the sides. One of the trucks had this poem/line/ short story by Remco Campert: "De Toekomstige Dief - Ik zal een fiets gaan kopen. En ergens in de stad loopt de toekomstige dief al rond.'' (The Future Thief - I will buy a bicycle. And somewhere in the city the future thief already walks (= is already present)).
Welcome to Rotterdam, my hometown. I moved to Bangkok Thailand 20 years ago and will visit, hopefully in April. Can't wait to be back for a couple of weeks.
I also have to add that my granddaughters, 6 & 4, do not have phones and when they visit or we do FT each week, we are totally engaged with each other and unlike my american grandkids, seem to enjoy talking with me -their grandma, and do not want to go run off or look down and look at a device! Thank you daughter and Dutch hubby for all that your doing to NOT have your kids on devices very much!!!!
If you have the time, take the train and travel to the city of Groningen. I think you'll discover the dutch cuisine. Go to a cafetaria and order 'Patat met kroket' (=fries with an croquette) In the month of December you will see big stalls that sell 'Oliebollen en Appelflappen'. Do try to taste them.
Bicycle theft is an issue. The ring lock is a mandatory lock for your bicycle insurance. We normally use an additional lock to connect the bike as well to a pole or a tree or to the bicycle rack.
Actually, there is no real penalty for forgetting to check out, its just the maximum amount of money, but you can visit one of their Kiosks and they'll help you out getting back the excess money that you paid.
Having the tax included in the price is standard all over Europe. Often if you read the small print on the receipt it will show you how much tax you paid. Some items will not have tax added and some will have a lower level of tax than the standard amount, but whatever it is the price on the shelf is the price you pay.
There is so much more that will amaze you, good and bad. It's not all Roses and Moans. Please visit the small towns near Rotterdam. Visi the Kethel 1 distillery or one of the many Windmills. Enjoy.
I love Rotterdam and its people. Love the cubic houses, the Kralingen lake and the chill atmosphere of the city in general. But to do the Netherlands justice - you would probably like to talk about healthcare, great (and free) primary and secondary education system, accessible price of higher education, social benefits system that is broad enough to stop many from falling into poverty, relatively low crime rates, robust victim support/compensation system, a quite efficient justice system, the fact that you can run into the prime minister on his bike on the street and that almost anyone speaks decent English. And also - hospitality staff gets real salaries, so you are not pressured to leave huge tips, because that is already included in the price.
Nice to hear you being so enthousiastic about our country! I hope you'll make many more video's! Bike theft is absolutely a problem here, but we're used to it I guess so it's not something that's often discussed. Besides the very good channel Not just bikes, there's also BicycleDutch. A very interesting channel (Dutch but English spoken) about cycling. There are several interesting channels by Americans who have moved here, i.e. Jovie's home, or Dutch Americano. Also I would advise you to learn the Dutch language. Many foreigners don't, several of them regretting that later. If you really want to know and connect with Dutch people, speaking the language is necessary. Of course you can get by with English, but it won't give you a real feeling for Dutch people and culture. To really achieve that, speaking Dutch is mandatory I would say. I hope to see more video's like I said, and I wish you and your wife a good time here!
@@SoultoSoulTravels The South of Limburg is as densely populated as South Holland but the landscape is much different. Visit Valkenburg during the day, and Maastricht during the evening, a wonderful city. But check the train table for the last train home, trains do not run during the night.
Thanks for the kind words! I start appreciating my own country more through your observations. I am wondering, how much of the Netherlands did you already see/visit? You seem yo leave out trains when you talk about public transportation, leads to believe you stay within the city boundaries most of the time. Thanks again 👍
We have taken a couple of train trips and heading off to Amsterdam this weekend. I really want to do a take on the trains coming up. Thanks so much for the kind words!
@@SoultoSoulTravels If you ever go to Groningen, Drenthe or Friesland, make sure you PLAN your public transport travels. You might encounter busses that go once every two hours ;-) AND not on this particular day.
Concerning bike theft: 1) Never get too attached to your bike, it will get stolen eventually it might take a month or a year or a decade 2) Eventually you find yourself "borrowing someones bike" as well It's all just a matter of time
Bicycle theft is a real risk. That doesn't mean everyone becomes a bicycle thief. Yes, sometimes just locking the back wheel is enough, and the fact that your keyring is hanging there will help you to remember. For general security in high risk areas, in addition to the rear wheel lock, use two more, and make sure they are of different kinds. One chain lock and one cable, for example.
kinda vage what you say...nr 1 is like leaving your frontdoor wide open wile youre away and expect nothing's going to happen. and the 2nd , start stealing because someone stole from you is just weird.
You love Amsterdam? Check out Delft (where I was born), Gouda and Leiden. Do not waste your time in the Randstad, roughly the area south of Amsterdam, west of Utrecht and between Rotterdam and The Hague. True, Delft, Gouda and Leiden all are within Randstad but they are less crowded as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague but do offer all what makes Holland Holland. DO visit the provinces of Friesland, Drenthe, Zeeland and Limburg. The southernmost part of Limburg being one of the most beautiful regions of our country.
I note your saying "even with broken English, they will help you". People from the USA and Canada may not realise just how amazingly proficient nearly all Dutch people are at speaking English, especially those who live in urban centres. Often they speak German too. I have met many Dutch people who appear to be just as good at speaking English as the English, Americans, Australians etc. are, and the only indicator that it is not their native language is the Dutch accent, present in varying degrees from not at all through to very strong. Some very old Dutch people are less able to speak English, because they grew up in an era when it wasn't so important. You won't find many of these, though.
the bike with the "tub" on the front or back with a lot of kids in them is usually pickups for day care, not always of course but usually they pick up kids from school and bring to day care. if people wonder, those bikes are usually (or always??) E-Bikes. I use my bike a lot because its way more easy to pick up and go if i need to go to the store even tho i have a car, because in many cities the bike routes are more straight to where you want to go instead of go around with the car and its usually faster, not because of traffic but going with a car in the city itself isnt much faster or at all than cycling short distances
the big difference with bike theft in NL is that the bikes are super super cheap in comparison to what people use in the US. If someone has an expensive electric bike they will be more anal about locking it properly, and also the underground bike parking is almost always guarded. The idea is that you just make it hard enough to make it not worth the effort.
I know that the Dutch are pretty direct, for sure. But sometimes, the directness is also because not everybody has enough knowledge of the English language. They might just have the basics. For example, someone could say: What do you want? In stead of: What would you like? Does that make sense? I’m glad you like your new home and wish you all the best in our country!🌷🌷🌷
The bicycles with the box at the front are called 'bakfiets' in the Netherlands, and English-speaking bicycle enthousiasts tend to use the same term for lack of an English one.
One thing, right out of the gate, is I'm wondering why there is a penalty for not tapping out when your done using the public transportation? Are the citizens being tracked, and, if so, why? I'm not automatically thinking the worse - there may be a perfectly legitimate reason for this... - - On further reading in the comments, I now understand how the system works!
We already complain when a train is delayed for 5 minutes. But abroad its usually a bit worse. So we should complain less. And the bike with the ‘tub’ on front is called a bakfiets I guess. Or you mean the kid seat in front? There are an estimated 20 million bikes here… and yes that’s more bikes than people!
When kids are given the responsibility of making it to their own appointments (school, perhaps braces, church group etc.) they need a lifeline. It differs based on the family but generally somewhere between leaving primary school (ages 4-12) and going to Voortgezet onderwijs (12-16/17/18 based on the level) parents stop taking their kids places and they are expected to do this on their own. Exceptions are of course doctors appointments or other appointments that need a parent/legal guardian there and often when it's going to be dark while they ride. A kid riding on their own and specifically girls generally don't get permission from their parent to drive in the dark without an escort. Now our church group (we met on Thursday evenings) worked simple, we'd leave the host house with 8 of us, then we kind of weaved a less than direct path to 'drop off' people, until it was my best friend, one of our female friends and myself. We'd drop her off (quite a bit out of the way), then ride back together to his house, I'd sleep over there, leave to school from there and then after school in the daylight drive myself home. This way nobody rode alone in the dark and no incident ever took place. My point is, parents take calculated risks between freedom and safety, it's not just 'here is a phone, you are 12 now, bye'. When I was growing up it wasn't weird for siblings as young as 6 and 8 to walk to school together but this country much like the world at large has gotten a bit less safe. These days parents usually don't try to instill any fear in their kids but they certainly put a lot more emphasis on alertness. Calling 112 (our 911) in error because you thought something was going on that wasn't or was less serious than you thought is preferred to people not calling because they are not 100% sure. A few years ago my legs and back were hurting a lot so I was laying down in the grass in a park for a bit with my eyes closed and a kid called 112, who then told him to call out to me to see if I was alive/alert. Now turns out there was not that much wrong with me and I didn't need 112, but I'm still really thankful the kid did because who knows?! Sorry, this was a long comment with questionable relevance to your video as it goes on. I am just really proud of my country. We have a long list of faults but I still wouldn't want to live in any other society.
Nice summary. I only don;t agree with the 'gotten a bit less safe' part. It's actually safer than 30 years ago, but with the internet instant media culture everybody sees the bad things immediately so people THINK it's getting less safe. In the 80s the chance your kid would get attacked or run over by a car was higher, but you wouldn't know because it was not in the media that much.
Be carefull, bike threft really is a problem in the Netherlands. At least in Utrecht and Amsterdam (my biggest experiences). Dutch epople will have at least two heavy locks on their bikes. And possibly each lock being worth more then the bike itself :P
i can attest to my bike lock being more expensive than my bike. When my old bike (that was in a pretty much new-state) got stolen i have been obsessive about locking it
That bike with the tub and the standing driver is called a “Stint”. I think they are dangerous. A couple of years ago one of those stints for some reason broke down in the middle of a rail road crossing and a train ran into it, killing all on board of the stint. If a stint is involved in an accident, the kids and driver have no protection at all. After that accident, the stints were banned from our roads but a new and improved version is allowed on the roads again
nope a stint is a segway with a tub in front... (segway brakes were designed as single person self balancing electric transport vehicles and not for having half a schoolclass attached to the front) this is a cargobike with a tub in front
@@robertrijkers4923 Whatever vehicle it is, they are dangerous. The kids are in that tub with just a seat belt as protection. I simply can’t believe they allowed them again. Besides, they take a lot of space on the bike lanes where they supposed to be en route. I wouldn’t allow my kids to be on one of those that’s for sure.
Four kids died in that accident, not all people on board of the Stint! New Stint is safer, a kid in a Stint is safer than a kid on the frontseat used on bikes.
Hope that you are learning Dutch,as all Dutch people think that they have the right to ask you and I quote ,why are you here , how long are you here ,do you have a job and last are you learning Dutch , God help you after 6 months if you answer no to any of the above questions . Learning Dutch is super important ,you will fit in better , Hate to say it they are right , enjoy your stay if you get the chance go to the Efteling for a day out with the Family
That they have the right to ask you? What a strange thing to say! It has nothing to do with 'thinking we have the right to ask', it's a way we are friendly to you by showing our interest. It's very polite. So I think it's a weird way of formulating your opinion about this very friendly, polite behaviour. Seems you don't understand us. Personally I feel a little offended by it.
Hey nice reaction about our country and I have an even cheaper tip for ya, I use to be a red bull lover but found it very expensive, AH has a brand name called Bullit and it tastes the same as red bull and of course it's cheaper 😉, have a good one!✌️
Did you already try cycling in the countryside? It's even more amazing than cycling for transportation. There are about 50 different types of landscapes in the Netehrlands, ranging form the shores, dune area, polders, the river delta areas and so on. All have excellent routes for cycling and hiking as well. Give it a try, you may love it.
Ik heb altijd Nederland een sympathische land gevonden, meer "easy-going" dan mijn vaderland Duitsland. Ik leef nu in Spanje maar voor mijn innere relatie met Nederland ben ik nu aan het nederlands leren. Ik hoop dat ik meer mogelijkheden vind, om het land te bezoeken en ook en beetje de taal te oefenen. Waarschijnlijk do ik nog vele fouten, maar de komunikatie klopt., Groetjes.
Hoi kijk goed om je heen in Spanje er zijn veel Nederlanders die daar overwinteren, misschien leuk om je Nederlands te oefenen met een biertje en tapas.
Aangezien je je Nederlands wilt verbeteren. Hier een paar tips. Sympathische > sympathiek (of met sympathieke mensen), ben ik nu aan het Nederlands leren > ben ik nu Nederlands aan het leren, ook en beetje > ook een beetje, waarschijnlijk do ik nog > waarschijnlijk do ik nog vele fouten > waarschijnlijk doe ik nog veel fout, kumunikatie klopt > communicatie klopt (precies). Verder erg goed gedaan 👍, als je nog hulp nodig hebt let me know en veel plezier in nl
@@-Floris Heel bedankt. Als ik de taal autodidaktisch leer, brouk ik het dat de mensen mij zeggen waar de fout zijn.
@@Woekkie Ik woon 60 km van de kust. De meerdal van de Nederlanders zijn vlaker bij de zee maar hier geeft het ook en gemeenschaap van belger en nederlanders. Ik ken nur enkele, maar het is juist: Ik heb ook een friend uit Amsterdam om de biertje te drinken en te praten en tapas te eten. Mensen van hier, van daar. Ik mak daar geen verschil. Van de atmosfeer is het hier angenaam.
@@hannofranz7973 Is Duitsland slecht?
About locking bikes: there is safety in numbers. When you park your bike in an area where there are many other bikes, it becomes less likely that yours is the one that gets stolen or vandalised.
Welcome! I moved here 3 years ago and there are so many more examples of better all over that you will keep noticing from the food to the condition of the roads and bike lanes and how clean they keep it all. And those are just the visible improvements over the States.
I'm staying and asimilating, personlly I fell like I found home. Finally.
I used to visit The Netherlands on business. I got the impression people generally own two bikes. One basic one for everyday use you might leave at the station and a smart bike for weekends and leisure use.
most people own 2, but for different reasons. 1 is their new daily bike, and the 2nd one is the previous one, they kept for emergencies, or guest use. the leisure bike owners are a minority, but when people are that category, they might have 5 or more bikes.
I love insights in my own country from someone who wasn't born here. Nice video's, nice topics and thanks for the effort!! Keep them coming please :)
Inderdaad erg leuk om te horen
Everything you say is true. I live in Canada, have family in Netherlands. Make the trip every 3-4 years. Make sure you go to that Feyenoord game. My 98 year old mother grew up near the Stadium . She has been in Canada since 1955, still a Feyenoord fan.
The youtube channel would be Not Just Bikes. This was the video called "Why Dutch Bikes Are Better (And Why You Should Want One)". An absolutely great channel.
About the kids, they usually get a phone when they go to high school. And from there on they are glued to the things.
For a while now I am watching these videos from expats, coming from the US or Canada. It makes me feel proud to live here and listen to the mostly positive comments you have of our bikes, coffeeshops, traffic or the way we live in general. For me as a dutch man , it gives a fresh perspective and a realisation that our little country is indeed a good place to live!
There is a real big bike theft problem in The Netherlands. When you buy a new bike, you would usually take a special bike insurance for it. Almost anyone I know had at least one bike stolen at one point in their life unfortunately.
Hello
Please come out of the Randstad one day and see what most of the Netherlands is like!
Thank you so much for your very kind observations of us, you make me proud of my country and my people in a time where so many people seem to be not happy at all. this is very encouraging. Thank you again
Hello
I had a big laugh when you told about the guy helping you to find the way. Then asking "anything else. No?" And just walking away. As being myself from Holland, still wondering what's so strange about that. I would have done exactly the same.
I was thinking the same thing. Should he have stayed for some small talk with a random stranger? Curious to what is different in the US.
Indeed, what's more to say or do? I don't expect more from someone helping me, neither do German or Belgian (e.g.) tourists... So, what is that bit of extra we're missing?
Yeah...me too !! :-)
Me too!!! What was wrong with that??
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who was thinking "what's wrong about that"?
Now I'm curious what they're doing in the States.. 🤔
Netherlands have the happiest children in the world 👍
Sir. Welcome to the Netherlands.
Love your reaction and explanation about what you love in our country. Thank you.
Biking is indeed a way of life in the Netherlands.... I'm sure you don't pass many obese people on the road.... it's like in Belgium where I used to live until I moved yo the US here 26 years ago.They're still not getting it here that that is the secret to staying fit...
Need a lost of bread or anything? You get on the bike and go get a fresh on at the Warme bakker.....what I miss terribly here, smelling the still warm bread in the shop when buying it. After 26 years I finally found a white bread like bread is supposed to be and I used to bake as a baker's apprentice 40 years ago in Belgium.... it's called artisano and it is firm and tasty...
Glad you like the good things about the Netherlands.... I used to go there often when I still lived in Belgium....
The other thing that I miss here and we had in Belgium and in the Netherlands (Tilburg just across the border) are the markets where you can buy fresh food, especially the fresh fish and cheeses... I hope you went to a few, I bet there's one near you...
go outside the major cities in the Netherlands and public transportation quickly deteriorates to having 1 bus every 30 minutes to an hour, and bus stops being half an hour walking apart or more.
Which is still about twice as good as most American small to mid sized towns. I grew up in a Californian city with a population of about 130,000 within the greater Los Angeles conurbation - we had one bus an hour running east/west and one an hour running north/south.
They’ll probably be late tho….
It is always amusing to listen to people from abroad to describe aspects about the Netherlands I grew up with (and find ‘normal’,..). I must say usually these videos focus on one of the main city’s, … there is more in the Netherlands than these city’s!
Yes..you are absolutely right in makin the comment about the attention our main cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam get from people who come from abroad. Alltough our country isn't that large, it is very diverse in landscape as well as in people. I invite the happy tourists, expats, people from abroad visiting the Netherlands, to go out and explore the many other cities and villages, it may surprise you as well.
First video of yours I’m seeing. What a thoughtful, kind person you seem. Instantly subscribed.
Hello Kerryn
They dress for the destination, not the journey. Love it! Hope to be there soon!
It’s just an easy means of transportation over here :-) You can park your bike everywhere :)
Goodafternoon! I hope you have had nice holidays. Im from rotterdam but now living in the city of haarlem. My team is feyenoord rotterdam (soccer). I wouldnt mind to take you and your wife there for a game at all. I think you both will enjoy it! I notice its way differend then visiting sports events in the US. Let me know! Greetings JanWillem
About the bikes: There are 2 ways to use a bike. As a transportation or as a sport. You dress differently with the usage.
When ur gonna visit places, let me introduce u to something amazing. De museum kaart! U pay a yearly amount, I think it’s about 65 euros now, and then u have free access to hundreds of the most popular museums. Every once in a while u have to pay a small extra sum. It’s definitely worth it if ur gonna be a bit of a tourist in ur own country and ur visits to museums will be so much more casual.
ooh and if you want to learn dutch you may want to ask jovie from jovie's home she can tell you where to go and what to do and what you need
Nice to here such a heartwarming story about my country and its citizens! Greetings from Amsterdam!
If you forget to tab out in public transport, the 4,- is not a penalty. When you tab in they reserve 4,- deposit. if you forget to log out you can ask a payback at any RET point or true the website of OV Chip. ;-) it works very simple and they either book it back on your card instantly or they put itback on your account.
Yes, I get this, now!!!
That puppet show's been there for as long as I can remember. I remember going there as a kid and being entertained, so it's been there at least 40 years, if not longer. Good times.
Most older kids do have phones, but it really depends on what their parents decide. Most parents I know tend to give their kid(s) a cell phone the moment they're old enough to bike to school on their own. It's usually a prepaid, and only for emergencies. What often happens is that mom or dad gets a new phone, and the old phone is given out or lent to one of the children. Not every parent does this, but it is happening more and more. With regards to tablets, I reckon most of the kids don't actually have one of their own, but either share one with their sibling(s), if they have any, or they are allowed to use their parent's tablet for a limited amount of time.
The Dutch public transportation runs -mostly- on time. You will notice soon enough that a lot of people do complain about this. The Dutch are not only direct, we also like to complain about things ad nauseam, be it the awful weather, the 'bad' public transportation system, politics or anything else. Most of the time it is just to blow off steam or sometimes even as a form of smalltalk (shared woes and all), but there are a couply of more serious issues that we on a daily basis have to deal with that are just frustrating to everyone.
I am happy to know that you love it here.
Can confirm the phone thing
What a positive feedback to my beloved city and fellow citizens!! Especially when you talked about the puppettheatre, you were really touched by that scene!! Welcome in Rotterdam!
I found this video when i was just browsing trough RUclips and my mind was blown when you said that public transportation is great here. I love to see the perspective from someone who isn't born here. Most Dutch people (me included) always complain about public transportation....Thank you and i will look at it with another view.
Considering i travel with public transport every day for work, with unregular shifts. Its really actually not that bad. It only happens maybe once a month where my transport is delayed/canceled and often times there is a different route i can take to get to my destination. When you download the app is even easier because you can see if there are delays/construction work etc and plan ahead more accordingly
I wonder if you ever tried public transport abroad and actually going places. I know no other place on earth with similar quality even to remote places.
Jo Marielle: If you love complaining about public transportation move to Toronto.
Hello
tbh... we are Dutch... we love to complain about everything. Its basically our thing.
Tax in the Netherlands and other European countries is just the same everywhere. It's a country wide thing instead of like in the US where it's usually a state thing, county thing or even city thing. Since it varies so much in the US, they just don't bother including it in the prices and its really easy to do so here because its the same in every supermarket.
You're very forgiving to the Dutch culture. Not many people are able to cope with the Dutch culture as you. Hope your stay will be s pleasant as it has been so far. Welcome to our country, I hope you'll enjoy your stay and it will be one of the best experiences in your life.
William: I'd be very curious to hear "your take" on your own culture; you seem to want to very much complain about it to someone, from the sound of what you said!
@@meredithheath5272 You're reading more in my comment than what I've said. Anyway, hope you'll be able to overcome your disability. When it takes you 10 months to misunderstand a comment. you're not the kind of person that fits in my intellectual social circle. Save yourself the trouble of replying, I'm not interested.
I was only, in "good faith" trying to discern what you were getting at - by your own words - "not many people are able to cope with the Dutch culture". No more, no less than a sincere attempt at understanding another's culture, on my part.
So you write a nasty, misogynist, narcissistic, gaslighting comment. I don't think, and hope you are not a representative of the Dutch culture. If you are, I'll move to e.g., Norway, or Sweden, instead.
@@meredithheath5272 The simple fact that you accuse me of misogyny while all I did is calling you out on your blatant lack of intelligence shows that you really should move to another country that is more forgiving to imbeciles. What part of "Save yourself the trouble of replying, I'm not interested." went over your head? QED.
About biking, the kings of normal biking are definitely The Netherlands and Denmark and especially Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
The thing is that up towards 40% of the population in Copenhagen use a bike to commute to and from work every day no matter the weather. The same is most likely the case in Amsterdam.
There are advantages to bike a lot which is generally no problem ever with overweight issues and the added benefit of being generally very healthy simply due to the exercise.
For many people in The Netherlands and Denmark, it is not unusual to bike 40-60 km daily.
Having an infrastructure that is very focused on bikes of course helps a lot.
Framelocks for short parks or older bikes, additional chain locks for nicer bikes, longer parking or in less safe areas.
correct. Chain your decent looking bike to a light pole or traffic sign if nothing else, and make sure you lock both front and rear wheels and the frame or you may find you're missing a wheel when you come back (or find just a wheel).
I agree with you about all the aspects of biking in the NL. When I am there and get to take my grandgirls to school, it is so cute to see all the bikes at the elementary school and all the parents lined up outside with their bikes to pick up the kids...like the ole days when I rode my bike to school in the suburbs-in the50's.
Lovely post. So spot on On your observation. I moved here from UK married a Dutchie and love having raised our kids here.
We also love road trips through USA and other european countries as sometimes being away brings other Joys. If i had to live my life over, i would still call this my base but hope around like i have done. Am originally from Africa but moved to UK 37 yrs ago and then 20 yrs moved here.
At least you chose the correct city to live in ;P. thx for the lovely words about our country!
I've been living here for the past few years- love it. No, I am complaining about the high tax ;).
Thank you for all the compliments 😊
Welcome to our country sir! Honoured you chose us to live amongst! :-)
Glad your first impressions are so positive. Some opinions you mentioned will change, or will allready have changed, living here longer (like the phone thing ;) ) But I hope your overall experience will remain positive, and that you and your family has a great time living in The Netherlands.
btw, the 'THE' is included in our country's name.
I love your insights... it makes me to love this country more! Thanks!!
when i moved from 'the city' to the more 'platteland' areas in the north east, I stopped locking my bike. Left it unlocked for years in the front of my house, right next to the street. Didn't lock it if I took it to the supermarket or wherever. It's a good and decent bike, but not a fancy, expensive one... never got stolen for that reason.
One thing that I haven't hear you mention yet. The Dutch have an obsession with the weather. Because biking is used so often as a mode of transportation and because they "dress for the event" and not for the ride they are very keen to know what the weather will be like. The Dutch will also very likely share their "opinion" on the current weather and their own prediction of future weather conditions with you in the form of small talk e.g.:
Wat een kutweer vandaag heh? = What a horrible weather today, don't you think?
Morgen blijft het gelukkig droog = Fortunately tomorrow it will stay dry
They say the toughest job in het Netherlands in increasing order is Prime Minister (Minister president), head coach of the Dutch soccer team (Bondscoach) and meteorologist for the public news (weerman voor het NOS journaal).
It's the same with the Irish. You have 20 weather conversation type greetings a day. "hey, how are you, terrible weather, winter has arrived" as you walk by someone on the street.
Welcome in the Netherlands 👍🏻 Im Dutch and my wife is from Rowland Heights (LA). , we did enjoy your blog.
For sure we will follow your blogs.
Groetjes uit Spijkenisse.
Spijk City😎
Geboren en getogen in Rotterdam, getrouwd en geëmigreerd 10 jaar terug. Mis alles van Nederland, van frikandel tot mijn omafiets.
You will only notice how great of a country the Netherlands is after you are not there anymore.
Welcome! Hope you two have a great time in 'my' city ☺️
Will you be visiting any part of the Caribbean Netherlands? If you are an American you would love Aruba. Curacao is geared more for the sophisticated European where you will find both the Dutchman and Germans cohabitating. Sint Eustatius and Bonaire are more for the outback Englishman. Sint Maartin was cultured by the French who are just across the mountain. And Saba is paradise. I do not know about the west coast but Aruba and St. Maartin are abundantly accessible from most east coast cities especially during winter.
Great video again. Always love to watch them. I have close relatives in the LA area, (Riverside) which I plan to visit and use these videos as a sort of preparation. You have been very diplomatic, sometimes moving cautious, don't be afraid to share your critiques, we can handle that (at least I can). I really wonder how life in LA differs from here. Learning that here. Thanks again for the insights.
Public transportation: It is great in the bigger city's and i like the the card when i visit them. A bike is quicker, if not to far.
In the big city's you use a bike lock and a chain, in the rest of the country you use a bike lock and a chain if needed.
We see a bike as a form of transportation, going from one place to the other, buy groceries, bring kids to school, going to work, and you also have the people who like to ride a bike for fun. For me it is a bicycle what can bring me from location A to B and back to A.
VAT is included in everything you buy inside the EU, if you are a buying for a company you can get a tax refund ( this is the short version).
And you have so much to experience and learn, and you will find a few things you don't like, but in general i am sure you will like it in the Netherlands. Have fun and welcome.
Have you tried the Watertaxi and/or Waterbus yet? Might be cool subjects for a new video. Also, on the Waterbus you can take your bike with you, so you can go to a destination, do a bit of cycling there and then sail back home! :-)
Its nice to see that people feel welkom in our country, ty for explaining our ways so well. Hope you stay a wile, i like youre video's
Remember that Amsterdam and the two Holland provinces are not representative for the Netherlands although they might behave like that.
The southern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg have a Bourgondische levenswijze, look it up.
The other provinces are different also.
We are quite direct but we don’t want to insult you or be rude; we try to be honest.
Most kids from a certain age almost all have phones but they have a lot of other things to do. They’re quite independent.
I am dutch and I'm very pleased about the way You are talking about my country and fellow-countryman
but... You are living in a big city; go to the country-side and You will see another Holland. A Netherlands (almost) without public transportation. It is wide (and beautifull) but not suitable for bikes. I lived in the countryside (Appingedam) and I was happy with my Benz because without a car shopping is impossible. and aboutr cell-phones...... Everybody, every child has one. Enjoy your stay in Rotterdam. Regards Jan
Great video! Makes me look different at my own country. Thanks for that! Keep up the good work. Greetings from Westland.
Hi! I grew up in the Netherlands! So good to hear you are so excited about biking lifestyle!
I am curious whether you have already noticed that women's and men's bikes are different?
For men: the stang is horizontal, for women: the stang is with a curve, so that women can wear their dresses on the bike :)
Did you already notice?
Anyone can ride omafiets, they're becoming more common for men to ride. And honestly, step through frames are so nice and convenient.
First of all thanks for the compliments!!
In the Netherlands we have high taxes, income, VAT, etc. but we also get a well organized country with a lot of public services, good roads and public transportation.
So much fun to watch and get an insight to this country..... Thanks !!
The bike with a “tub” for the kids is called a “bakfiets” in Dutch. ( “bak” is a common word for a container of different types).
I thought he was referring to a 'stint', mentioning the driver standing upright. They're bigger than cargo bikes (bakfietsen) and usually used for transport to and from daycare - at least in Dordrecht.
Since you're going to Amsterdam this weekend, as someone who has lived there for 5 years, please avoid the city centre as much as possible! It's very touristy unfortunately :(
There are some nice spots though, like the 9 streets, museums, film houses etc.
Also there is a coffee place called Puccini near Waterlooplein and their chocolate truffle cake is devine 😩👌✨
But honestly, going into small streets and just wonder around is the best I'd say
Other places to go to that are less touristy are de pijp (where the Albert Cuyp marked is), Westergasfabriek, NDSM or the East side of the city (like Beukenplein, it's a cute square near the park with nice restaurants) :)
You can go pretty much anywhere by NS bicycles (but I'm sure you know that already ;) )
That's all for my unasked advice hahahaha
not so busy now though… due to pandemic…
Eastside Dapper markt/ market and Javastraat for all kinds of restaurants. And at Sciencepark ( east) is Polder and old dairyfarm wich is now an ecologic restaurant, with nice prices. From the Muiderpoort station ( bus, tram or railway) you follow the Valentijnkade along the Ringvaart, wich is the green long of the Netherlands, you walk or bike to the end to the Amsterdam/ Rein kanaal ( channel) wich is beautiful for walking and biking. Don't forget to go to Diemen and Duivendrecht and to South East to Gaasperplas. Well I live in East so I know where to go, and indeed as dutch I don't like the citycentre eather, wày to busy and only tourists go there. And yes, most dutch are empathic and helping one is in our genes, if we have the time we guide you to sightseeings and/ or tell you were to go in other places than the centre. Have fun👍😀👍🇳🇱
You'"re a nice guy, thanks for the compliments on the Netherlands. Have Fun!!
Really trying to move out of the US and came across your videos! Netherlands sounds like a breath of fresh air!!
It really is. We truly feel like we have found a new home!!
What's the reason you want to leave the US?
I would like to move to the US and I don't understand why you want to move out.
So much more opportunities in the US than any european country.
@@maskedgamer7565 I live in the US. Jovie has a really good summary of our problems here. Yes, you can earn more money, but what you have to give up isn’t worth it: ruclips.net/video/sKR_TtSLhzM/видео.html
Big LOVE TO JOU from HOLLAND
idk where you live in Rotterdam, but ALWAYS have 2 locks on your bike, the back wheel one that comes just about standard and get a chained lock to lock it to any pole or bike parking thingy you find, bike thieves go for the ones that are easiest to steal, the more locks the lesser chance of your bike getting stolen, specially if you live near the Central Train Station in R'dam
And make sure the chain goes through the front wheel, or else they will just steal that. (If it's a newish bicycle.)
In Rotterdam, garbage trucks have (or used to have) a line of poetry written on the sides. One of the trucks had this poem/line/ short story by Remco Campert: "De Toekomstige Dief - Ik zal een fiets gaan kopen. En ergens in de stad loopt de toekomstige dief al rond.'' (The Future Thief - I will buy a bicycle. And somewhere in the city the future thief already walks (= is already present)).
Welcome to Rotterdam, my hometown. I moved to Bangkok Thailand 20 years ago and will visit, hopefully in April. Can't wait to be back for a couple of weeks.
I also have to add that my granddaughters, 6 & 4, do not have phones and when they visit or we do FT each week, we are totally engaged with each other and unlike my american grandkids, seem to enjoy talking with me -their grandma, and do not want to go run off or look down and look at a device! Thank you daughter and Dutch hubby for all that your doing to NOT have your kids on devices very much!!!!
If you have the time, take the train and travel to the city of Groningen.
I think you'll discover the dutch cuisine. Go to a cafetaria and order 'Patat met kroket' (=fries with an croquette)
In the month of December you will see big stalls that sell 'Oliebollen en Appelflappen'. Do try to taste them.
Thanks for the fun video and welcome to The Netherlands!
I like your channel , so many good info before moving in : )
Don't forget the working hours in the Netherlands, and our vacation time off
Hello Connie, nice meeting you
Very nice to hear. Thanks
Bicycle theft is an issue. The ring lock is a mandatory lock for your bicycle insurance. We normally use an additional lock to connect the bike as well to a pole or a tree or to the bicycle rack.
Actually, there is no real penalty for forgetting to check out, its just the maximum amount of money, but you can visit one of their Kiosks and they'll help you out getting back the excess money that you paid.
I get what you're saying! 👌
just a kind warning, don't put a glass vase in an open window. If it falls down on some one 's head it will be a big injury
Hello Truus
Having the tax included in the price is standard all over Europe. Often if you read the small print on the receipt it will show you how much tax you paid. Some items will not have tax added and some will have a lower level of tax than the standard amount, but whatever it is the price on the shelf is the price you pay.
Hello Julie
There is so much more that will amaze you, good and bad. It's not all Roses and Moans. Please visit the small towns near Rotterdam. Visi the Kethel 1 distillery or one of the many Windmills. Enjoy.
Love your videos! Groeten uit Amsterdam
I love Rotterdam and its people. Love the cubic houses, the Kralingen lake and the chill atmosphere of the city in general. But to do the Netherlands justice - you would probably like to talk about healthcare, great (and free) primary and secondary education system, accessible price of higher education, social benefits system that is broad enough to stop many from falling into poverty, relatively low crime rates, robust victim support/compensation system, a quite efficient justice system, the fact that you can run into the prime minister on his bike on the street and that almost anyone speaks decent English. And also - hospitality staff gets real salaries, so you are not pressured to leave huge tips, because that is already included in the price.
Hello Aleksandra
Nice to hear you being so enthousiastic about our country! I hope you'll make many more video's!
Bike theft is absolutely a problem here, but we're used to it I guess so it's not something that's often discussed.
Besides the very good channel Not just bikes, there's also BicycleDutch. A very interesting channel (Dutch but English spoken) about cycling.
There are several interesting channels by Americans who have moved here, i.e. Jovie's home, or Dutch Americano.
Also I would advise you to learn the Dutch language. Many foreigners don't, several of them regretting that later. If you really want to know and connect with Dutch people, speaking the language is necessary. Of course you can get by with English, but it won't give you a real feeling for Dutch people and culture. To really achieve that, speaking Dutch is mandatory I would say.
I hope to see more video's like I said, and I wish you and your wife a good time here!
If you live in a foreign country you should show that country and yourself respect by learning the language.
Hoi Maria! 👍
@@dutchman7623 Goedemorgen!
Hello Maria
you should travel south to limburg like valkenburg per train pretty easy and comfortable
Thanks for the advise…we plan on doing more traveling and we’ll put that on the list…thanks!
@@SoultoSoulTravels The South of Limburg is as densely populated as South Holland but the landscape is much different. Visit Valkenburg during the day, and Maastricht during the evening, a wonderful city.
But check the train table for the last train home, trains do not run during the night.
Thanks for the kind words! I start appreciating my own country more through your observations. I am wondering, how much of the Netherlands did you already see/visit? You seem yo leave out trains when you talk about public transportation, leads to believe you stay within the city boundaries most of the time.
Thanks again 👍
We have taken a couple of train trips and heading off to Amsterdam this weekend. I really want to do a take on the trains coming up. Thanks so much for the kind words!
@@SoultoSoulTravels If you ever go to Groningen, Drenthe or Friesland, make sure you PLAN your public transport travels. You might encounter busses that go once every two hours ;-) AND not on this particular day.
@@SoultoSoulTravels Groningen is definitely worth visiting.
The bike theft really depends on what kind of bike it is and where you leave it and for how long.
Concerning bike theft:
1) Never get too attached to your bike, it will get stolen eventually it might take a month or a year or a decade
2) Eventually you find yourself "borrowing someones bike" as well
It's all just a matter of time
Bicycle theft is a real risk. That doesn't mean everyone becomes a bicycle thief. Yes, sometimes just locking the back wheel is enough, and the fact that your keyring is hanging there will help you to remember. For general security in high risk areas, in addition to the rear wheel lock, use two more, and make sure they are of different kinds. One chain lock and one cable, for example.
kinda vage what you say...nr 1 is like leaving your frontdoor wide open wile youre away and expect nothing's going to happen.
and the 2nd , start stealing because someone stole from you is just weird.
I'm Dutch and feel flattered
You love Amsterdam? Check out Delft (where I was born), Gouda and Leiden. Do not waste your time in the Randstad, roughly the area south of Amsterdam, west of Utrecht and between Rotterdam and The Hague. True, Delft, Gouda and Leiden all are within Randstad but they are less crowded as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague but do offer all what makes Holland Holland. DO visit the provinces of Friesland, Drenthe, Zeeland and Limburg. The southernmost part of Limburg being one of the most beautiful regions of our country.
Welcome to the Netherlands, hope u are going to live a great life here ❤️ if you ever need information for anything, i'm always here to help! :)
You are so kind ☺️ God bless Netherlands 🇳🇱
Hello Linn
@@adryfm6172 Hello, nice meeting you
Check out the magnificent art in the Netherlands; Rembrandt's and Vermeer's etc. It's all there. And try the Dutch pea soup, very nutricious.
Yeah, you know Rembrandt, that famous painter from Leiden...
I note your saying "even with broken English, they will help you".
People from the USA and Canada may not realise just how amazingly proficient nearly all Dutch people are at speaking English, especially those who live in urban centres. Often they speak German too. I have met many Dutch people who appear to be just as good at speaking English as the English, Americans, Australians etc. are, and the only indicator that it is not their native language is the Dutch accent, present in varying degrees from not at all through to very strong.
Some very old Dutch people are less able to speak English, because they grew up in an era when it wasn't so important. You won't find many of these, though.
the bike with the "tub" on the front or back with a lot of kids in them is usually pickups for day care, not always of course but usually they pick up kids from school and bring to day care. if people wonder, those bikes are usually (or always??) E-Bikes.
I use my bike a lot because its way more easy to pick up and go if i need to go to the store even tho i have a car, because in many cities the bike routes are more straight to where you want to go instead of go around with the car and its usually faster, not because of traffic but going with a car in the city itself isnt much faster or at all than cycling short distances
the big difference with bike theft in NL is that the bikes are super super cheap in comparison to what people use in the US. If someone has an expensive electric bike they will be more anal about locking it properly, and also the underground bike parking is almost always guarded. The idea is that you just make it hard enough to make it not worth the effort.
You don't have to outrun the lion, you just have to outrun someone else.
If you bike is harder to get than the one next to you you are safe.
@@codex4046 also we often (in the big cities) drive older bikes for that reason, they don’t go for the shabby ones as much
Yep. You make sure your bike is (a) shabbier than the ones next to it and (b) locked up better.
@@Esmeagolly And if they do get your bike anyway: who cares? It was a clunker anyway!
I know that the Dutch are pretty direct, for sure. But sometimes, the directness is also because not everybody has enough knowledge of the English language. They might just have the basics. For example, someone could say: What do you want? In stead of: What would you like? Does that make sense?
I’m glad you like your new home and wish you all the best in our country!🌷🌷🌷
True
The bicycles with the box at the front are called 'bakfiets' in the Netherlands, and English-speaking bicycle enthousiasts tend to use the same term for lack of an English one.
Thanks 👍🏻
Let’s call it a box-bike .. okay? 😂
One thing, right out of the gate, is I'm wondering why there is a penalty for not tapping out when your done using the public transportation? Are the citizens being tracked, and, if so, why? I'm not automatically thinking the worse - there may be a perfectly legitimate reason for this...
- - On further reading in the comments, I now understand how the system works!
We already complain when a train is delayed for 5 minutes. But abroad its usually a bit worse. So we should complain less.
And the bike with the ‘tub’ on front is called a bakfiets I guess. Or you mean the kid seat in front?
There are an estimated 20 million bikes here… and yes that’s more bikes than people!
When kids are given the responsibility of making it to their own appointments (school, perhaps braces, church group etc.) they need a lifeline. It differs based on the family but generally somewhere between leaving primary school (ages 4-12) and going to Voortgezet onderwijs (12-16/17/18 based on the level) parents stop taking their kids places and they are expected to do this on their own. Exceptions are of course doctors appointments or other appointments that need a parent/legal guardian there and often when it's going to be dark while they ride. A kid riding on their own and specifically girls generally don't get permission from their parent to drive in the dark without an escort.
Now our church group (we met on Thursday evenings) worked simple, we'd leave the host house with 8 of us, then we kind of weaved a less than direct path to 'drop off' people, until it was my best friend, one of our female friends and myself. We'd drop her off (quite a bit out of the way), then ride back together to his house, I'd sleep over there, leave to school from there and then after school in the daylight drive myself home. This way nobody rode alone in the dark and no incident ever took place. My point is, parents take calculated risks between freedom and safety, it's not just 'here is a phone, you are 12 now, bye'. When I was growing up it wasn't weird for siblings as young as 6 and 8 to walk to school together but this country much like the world at large has gotten a bit less safe. These days parents usually don't try to instill any fear in their kids but they certainly put a lot more emphasis on alertness. Calling 112 (our 911) in error because you thought something was going on that wasn't or was less serious than you thought is preferred to people not calling because they are not 100% sure.
A few years ago my legs and back were hurting a lot so I was laying down in the grass in a park for a bit with my eyes closed and a kid called 112, who then told him to call out to me to see if I was alive/alert. Now turns out there was not that much wrong with me and I didn't need 112, but I'm still really thankful the kid did because who knows?!
Sorry, this was a long comment with questionable relevance to your video as it goes on. I am just really proud of my country. We have a long list of faults but I still wouldn't want to live in any other society.
Thank you so much for the comments…we really love your country too!! I grow to love it more everyday…really! And again thank you for the comments👍🏻
Nice summary. I only don;t agree with the 'gotten a bit less safe' part. It's actually safer than 30 years ago, but with the internet instant media culture everybody sees the bad things immediately so people THINK it's getting less safe. In the 80s the chance your kid would get attacked or run over by a car was higher, but you wouldn't know because it was not in the media that much.
Be carefull, bike threft really is a problem in the Netherlands. At least in Utrecht and Amsterdam (my biggest experiences). Dutch epople will have at least two heavy locks on their bikes. And possibly each lock being worth more then the bike itself :P
i can attest to my bike lock being more expensive than my bike. When my old bike (that was in a pretty much new-state) got stolen i have been obsessive about locking it
That bike with the tub and the standing driver is called a “Stint”. I think they are dangerous. A couple of years ago one of those stints for some reason broke down in the middle of a rail road crossing and a train ran into it, killing all on board of the stint. If a stint is involved in an accident, the kids and driver have no protection at all. After that accident, the stints were banned from our roads but a new and improved version is allowed on the roads again
nope a stint is a segway with a tub in front... (segway brakes were designed as single person self balancing electric transport vehicles and not for having half a schoolclass attached to the front) this is a cargobike with a tub in front
@@robertrijkers4923 Whatever vehicle it is, they are dangerous. The kids are in that tub with just a seat belt as protection. I simply can’t believe they allowed them again. Besides, they take a lot of space on the bike lanes where they supposed to be en route. I wouldn’t allow my kids to be on one of those that’s for sure.
Four kids died in that accident, not all people on board of the Stint! New Stint is safer, a kid in a Stint is safer than a kid on the frontseat used on bikes.
@@j.r.arnolli9734 I strongly disagree. It is only a matter of time before the next accident involving a stint loaded with kids will happen.
I don't want to give my straigh forward Dutch comment but doing it anyway....those flowers in the open window 🌹🥀🌷🌼
You probably heard the phrase 'dress for the event, not the ride' on the 'Not Just Bikes' youtube channel
Hope that you are learning Dutch,as all Dutch people think that they have the right to ask you and I quote ,why are you here , how long are you here ,do you have a job and last are you learning Dutch , God help you after 6 months if you answer no to any of the above questions . Learning Dutch is super important ,you will fit in better , Hate to say it they are right , enjoy your stay if you get the chance go to the Efteling for a day out with the Family
That they have the right to ask you? What a strange thing to say! It has nothing to do with 'thinking we have the right to ask', it's a way we are friendly to you by showing our interest. It's very polite.
So I think it's a weird way of formulating your opinion about this very friendly, polite behaviour. Seems you don't understand us. Personally I feel a little offended by it.
ja en anders mag je weer opzouten! ;)
Hey nice reaction about our country and I have an even cheaper tip for ya, I use to be a red bull lover but found it very expensive, AH has a brand name called Bullit and it tastes the same as red bull and of course it's cheaper 😉, have a good one!✌️
It's even manufactured by Red Bull, in fact!
Did you already try cycling in the countryside? It's even more amazing than cycling for transportation. There are about 50 different types of landscapes in the Netehrlands, ranging form the shores, dune area, polders, the river delta areas and so on. All have excellent routes for cycling and hiking as well. Give it a try, you may love it.