typically.nl

You have heard this before: the Dutch love to ride their bikes. And it’s true. We don’t so much love it, it is just the de facto mode of transportation for everyone. I have a bike, you have a bike, we all have bikes! How did this bicycle madness come to be? I don’t know. Bikes have always been around, and children as young as two learn how to ride one. Bikes are cheap and reasonably efficient; two qualities adored by the Dutch.

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The venerable stroopwafel (pronunciation: don’t even go there) is probably the most sought-after cookie by tourists coming to Holland. And yet it is probably the most common cookie this country knows. And the cheapest. How appropriate.

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Nederland ain’t no Japan, but our train service is fairly decent. People like to complain about it, but on the whole trains are plentiful, punctual and reasonably clean. And the graphic design is unique.

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… which means ‘cheeseheads’. All Nederlanders except my brother in law are cheeseheads, and boy is it true. We eat a lotta cheese. But then again the French do as well.

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Drugs are bad for you m’kaaay? That’s why they’re legal in Nederland! Well, not quite legal. Illegal, in fact. But there is something to say for this ‘gray area’ (or gedoogzone). We have a very low number of potheads, compared to other European countries for instance. Still, the scene is surrounded by some dos and don’ts.

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When it comes to money, the Dutch are on top of their game. It really doesn’t matter how you present your valuables, a Nederlander will find a way to monetize it. And make a nice profit in the process. Read more »

For a decidedly rude society, the ‘three kisses’ greeting is an odd component. Or maybe it isn’t, and is it a result of said behaviour. A smoke-screen, hiding all too blatant unfriendlyness. It is true though: all Dutch people kiss three times when meeting and greeting. Read more »

So you have managed to score a date with a Nederlander or even a couple of them. A quest lies ahead: surviving the first encounter with these Nederthals who–alledgedly–only serve one cookie and shoo you out the door at 8PM.

This is only partially true. Read more »