Save one infamous American exception, most politicians take a very business-like approach to their social media accounts. Populist right-wing leader Geert Wilders is no exception. Or… is he? In a now-viral TikTok video, user Dewi Plantinga pointed out that Wilders — known for his harsh stance on immigration and well-documented hatred for Islam — only follows one account on Twitter (now known as X). READ MORE | Anti-immigration Geert Wilders took the Dutch election: what does it mean for internationals in the Netherlands? The account in question? Wilderspoezen: an account the politician set u ..read more

The Dutch love a good feestje (party) as much as the best of us — and it seems like they’re good at throwing ’em. So much so that one of the Netherlands’ yearly festivals has now been awarded UNESCO cultural heritage status. Yup, Rotterdam’s popular Summer Carnival has even snagged a spot on the international UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, reports the NOS. Rotterdam de Janeiro? Everyone knows Brazilian carnival, but did you know that something very similar takes place in Rotterdam each year? The so-called Zomercarnaval is the biggest “Caribbean street party of the Netherlands ..read more

Yep, you read that right. It has been claimed by “diplomatic sources” that Boris Johnson considered sending spies to the Netherlands to seize coronavirus vaccines during the UK vaccine rollout. Why did the former British Prime Minister feel the need to turn a situation that already felt like a horror movie into a spy movie? According to him, the EU “stole” five million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines that were meant for the UK. An EU blockade Sources tell the Daily Mail that Johnson was left “enraged” after Brussels imposed a blockade of the five million vaccines. Why did the EU do this? Ap ..read more

The NS has added a further 1800 trains to its timetable as it continues to adjust post-pandemic. As part of the changes, there will be four Intercity trains driven per hour between the major cities, including on weekends and off-peak hours. Even better, the train to Berlin will now take half an hour less, thanks to timetable improvements, perfect for those fancying a quick rave at Berghain. So where do these extra trains come from? And what about those staffing shortages? Post-pandemic timetable To plan the new timetable, NS looked at the new behaviour that emerged after the pandemic. Friday ..read more

The municipality of the Hague is coming in strong with new plans to battle the housing crisis — and its next step is buying two empty locations of an old hospital. The city council aims to build hundreds of apartments on the lot of the HagaZiekenhuis (The Hague Hospital) within the next three to five years, reports the NOS. Plans and negotiations The municipality and hospital have finally come to an agreement about the purchase of the old hospital, but plans are still in the works about who will be allowed to move into the new apartments. During the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital was use ..read more

Are you looking for an up-and-coming place to visit in 2024? Look no further, as Booking.com tells us we should kick back in Valkenburg, The Netherlands. Valkenburg is among the top destinations that have risen in popularity over the last year, giving the town its credentials to be a trendy travel destination next year. “This adorable city is famed for its marlstone caves, including the Velvet Cave that dates back to the Middle Ages and is made up of secret escape routes connected to Valkenburg Castle,” writes Booking.com. “Today, the annual Christmas market is hosted in this maze of enchanti ..read more

Yes, wonderful readers, that chilly weekend wasn’t for nothing; the Netherlands had its first dusting of snow for the winter! However, only a few select locations were chosen by the snow gods, and it was far from a winter wonderland. Still…it’s snow! Where did it snow? The snow originally appeared in the south of the country and moved north. Most of the snow fell in the southeast, Noord-Holland, Utrecht, and Flevoland, where there was a layer of between one and three centimetres. Nu 01.00u 4 dec. 2023. in Leeuwarden Fryslân in the Netherlands a nice carpet een mooi tapijtje… #weer #sneeuw #w ..read more

Homeless shelters across the Netherlands are packed full, with some people in need already being sent back into the cold. “There is really a huge pressure within the homeless shelters,” Esmé Wiegman, director of the industry association for homeless shelters, Valente, tells NU.nl. Severe bed, space, and employee shortages have contributed to the issue. Fewer houseless? In August this year, Statistics Netherlands reported fewer official houseless people — but homeless shelters reported the opposite. In response to the influx, a homeless shelter in Flevoland is sending people to a sports hall t ..read more

A 26-year-old man was savagely attacked on an Amsterdam train earlier this year. Police have now released the footage in a bid to find the attacker. On July 31 of this year, a young man stood waiting for his tram at Amsterdam’s Hoekenes stop. When the 5:25 PM tram to Amsterdam Central arrived, he boarded and sat down to listen to some music. Unfortunately, fate would bring him face-to-face with his future attacker, who shouted, “Why are you sitting in front of me?!” Unsettled by this outburst and realising that the aggressor was simply looking for a confrontation, the young man turned to leav ..read more

Say doei (bye) to regular speed cameras because this Dutch invention is geared to make your wallet fall in love with obeying the traffic rules. Earning money for driving within your municipality’s speed limit may sound too good to be true in this haven of Tikkies known as the Netherlands. However, a team of inventive Dutch engineers have created the ‘Safety Space’: a speedometer that pops a monetary bonus in a neighbourhood’s savings jar whenever passing motorists drive under the speed limit. READ MORE | Renting a car in the Netherlands: driving in Amsterdam and beyond Well, what if someone d ..read more