Thoughts, tips and random advice about living in the Netherlands
There’s a lot of talk about the negative impacts of plastic on the environment. The news tells us of water creatures with stomachs full of plastic and encouragement to try and reduce our single-use plastic. But how easy is it to avoid plastic when grocery shopping in Amsterdam? Fruit and vegetables are fairly easy to…
You only need to be in Amsterdam a short time before realising how important cycling is in this city. One of the first things both new arrivals and visitors sort out is getting hold of a bike. Swapfiets is a fairly new concept where you pay for long-term rental of a bike. If you have…
The park grounds of the Clingendael estate are located between Wassenaar and The Hague. Tram 20 takes you from The Hague central to Theo Mann Bouwmeesterlaan in the direction of Duinzegt which is 650 meters from the entrance of the park. The whole journey from Amsterdam takes about an hour and half by public transport…
Insurance is very important in The Netherlands. Residents here tend to be very well insured, often with policies that might not be considered in other countries. Insurance can be arranged quickly and easily, and is often one of the first things which new arrivals set up after receiving their BSN. Health insurance is obligatory and…
I was recently asked for my thoughts on one of the vegan burger joints in Amsterdam West. It would of course be irresponsible to give any such opinion without a recent visit. So here’s to a greedy week with no home cooking. And the burgers listed in my totally subjective order of which I liked…
Travelling or relocating with a pet can be a challenge. Many apartments and hotels don’t allow animal guests either because they fear for damage or simply that the facilities are not suitable. Luckily many places in Amsterdam do accept pets and here I take a look at some of these options. All the suggestions below…