Netherlands

leaningBellTower (16K)

Notes from the Netherlands is a collection of musings and observations on living in the Netherlands.

We moved here in April of 2007 after MLW had accepted a new position that was offered and accepted almost 8 months previously.

Is it better here? In some ways YES, in some ways NO! One thing is certain, it is different.

We don't have a car now really don't miss that. We used to have two cars because it was necessary. We bike all year and all around because that's what they do here.

The grass is green all year round, and while the skies are not as blue as Calgary, a frigid cold here is -10° C. Life is good, as it should be!

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Labour Day Weirdness

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In Canada, the Monday following the first weekend in September is Labour Day, a nationally recognized holiday where we honour all those who would like another day off work.

Here in the Netherlands, there are no long weekends. There are holidays and vacations, but no long weekends. This would go against the Dutch Calvinist view of life.

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Scheveningen (or Life is a Beach)

The Kurhaus

The first picture is of the landmark Kurhaus hotel, built in 1886 and the focal point of Scheveningen.

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A View of Delft

DelftBridge

We went on a day trip to Delft, a town about 10kms south of Den Haag. You can get there by tram, train or bike.

Delft is the quintessential Dutch village, so to speak, home of Johannes Vermeer, one of the most famous of the Dutch masters. It has two remarkable churches, creativily called the Old Church and the New Church.

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First Impressions

We have reached our one month anniversary here in Den Haag. So far I really like it. It's very quiet, since so many people use bikes to get about. And everything is close. The shopping, if you like that sort of thing, is amazing.

Living Room

We have an apartment rented starting June. It's big and sunny, with windows on both ends, 9 foot ceilings, (standard here), 2 balconies, and a bathtub, which seems to be a bit of a luxury here.

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