General: Netherlands

'''INTRODUCTION'''

It was 14 years ago that I boarded a plane to Amsterdam for a weekend trip which would be the first time I'd been on a plane since I was 3. Having recently landed a job where I was asked if I minded international travel, I thought I'd better take a crash course in foreign travel, and accompanied by my sister here I was on my way. Having been half scared to death by the noise and momentum of the jet engines on take ...
...foreign language once I'd arrived, it was a crash course indeed. And I hadn't even been to the red light district yet. Fast forward to the present day, and about half my working life has been spent abroad in one way or another, so they weren't joking about the travel. And here I find myself again in the Netherlands, but this time way off the beaten track, to the South in a small town called Breda. These days I find myself idly amused by plane take ... more

INTRODUCTION

It was 14 years ago that I boarded a plane to Amsterdam for a weekend trip which would be the first time I'd been on a plane since I was 3. Having recently landed a job where I was asked if I minded international travel, I thought I'd better take a crash course in foreign travel, and accompanied by my sister here I was on my way. Having been half scared to death by the noise and momentum of the jet engines on take off, and equally nonplussed at the train announcements in a foreign language once I'd arrived, it was a crash course indeed. And I hadn't even been to the red light district yet. Fast forward to the present day, and about half my working life has been spent abroad in one way or another, so they weren't joking about the travel. And here I find myself again in the Netherlands, but this time way off the beaten track, to the South in a small town called Breda. These days I find myself idly amused by plane take offs and equally unfazed by European languages. I really didn't know that much about this country though, until I found myself working here for some months last year. I find myself in Breda again this year, with a lot better idea of the country and the culture. So here are some tips for anyone who might find themselves here.

THE COUNTRY

Firstly this country isn't called Holland - that is only a region in the Netherlands. The town which I'm situated in, Breda, is in the region of North Brabant, located near to the Belgian border. The Lonely Planet Netherlands suggests that Breda is "a nice place to spend a day"; well it isn't so bad for a few months, either. Although missing the big city atmosphere and possibilities of, say, Amsterdam, it isn't necessarily a bad thing to be off the tourist trail. I am working just outside Breda, hence it being my base.

THE PEOPLE

On the face of it, the Dutch are laid back, friendly people, and coming from the UK, it won't be too much of a shock to you, both in and out of work. The vast majority of people speak fluent English, and I haven't had any problems getting by with this.

Dig a bit deeper and you get an interesting insight into their psyche. You have to be quite close to them to be invited into their homes. They are known as mean, and apparently they have some sort of device to get the bits of food at the bottom of jars you can't normally reach, invented in Norway but most popular here. The phrase "going Dutch" is no co-incidence; they like to split restaurant bills exactly by how much they have eaten (I must admit this is nothing compared to the Swedes, who, before the advent of mobile phones, I saw getting calculators out to work out exactly what they owed, so this wasn't a biggie to me). I find they can be quite rude, but this is in part due to their direct approach to honesty (witness in every international football tournament the Dutch always self destruct by arguing amongst themselves). They find it odd when a foreigner is just as rude back (I like that part; as a Northerner I thrive on rude & direct when pushed).

In the South, they go mad once a year in a Carnival which is happening as I type, where everyone is in fancy dress and lots of drinking is accompanied by bad Dutch music, played everywhere at great volume, with the occasional oompah band just to finish you off. I am no fan of the Carnival it has to be said. Although Breda has over 100,000 people living in it, I would still say it has a small town mentaility, and so I am far from the hedonism of Amsterdam, which also makes things interesting in a way.

I also find them to be very tall. I am a bit vertically challenged myself, and to be surrounded by lanky streaks of p**s is a bit disconcerting. Even the ladies are giants.

And just try to get a decent sized mug to make your tea in! They have these dinky little cups that far from satisfy. I did manage to find a normal sized mug and I get a lot of comments at work the the effect of "ooo that's a LOT of tea".

GETTING AROUND

Lots of places are easily accessible by train from Breda, indeed to and from anywhere in the Netherlands is quite permissable by train. Here are some that I have been to:

Brussels and Anderlect - not in the Netherlands but the fact that they are reachable within 2 hours by train gives you an idea of my proximity to Belgium.

Utrecht - An excellent student town with a great selection of bars. The vibe is very international here.

The Hague (Den Haag) - The Dutch capital, with some worthwhile museums, galleries and bars.

Dordrect - A pretty little town with the ubiquitous Grote Markt (main square) and plenty of small canals.

Roosendaal - the station that connects me to Belgium, the town itself isn't much to look at, but with a handy shopping centre to hide in in the centre of town.

Tilburg - a nearby town which admittedly doesn't have much to see but strangely has a huge student population. The Grote Markt is quite nice, though.

's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) - a pretty town with a strange name - known to all and sundry as Den Bosch. There are lots of waterways here, and the associated photo opportunities.

A handy link to have is the English timetable (click "English" from this link - it's too long for here):

http://www.ns.nl/pages/index.html

If you have a car, this opens up the possibilities. Again as examples of places to get to from Breda:

Ypres, Belgium - 2 ½ hours

Lille, France - 2 ½ hours

Aachen, Germany - 2 hours

Luxembourg - 3 hours

BICYCLES

I think you have more chance getting mowed down by someone on a bike that by a motor vehicle; the ubiquitous bike is certainly king in these parts and you'd be well advised to keep an eye out for one at all times. They seem to speed up rather than slow down at corners and I've had a few funny looks standing my ground when being passed by one. The Dutch love their bikes and they appear to have right of way everywhere, or at least they act as if they do. And it's not as if they're super duper fancy mountain bikes either; most of them look ancient.

COFFEE SHOPS

These are actually throughout the Netherlands, and in some abundance, but I am informed the locals are less interested than visitors. I know of 4 or 5 in Breda, but, crucially and unlike Amsterdam, the town isn't full of tourists intend on finding them. This has been my experience in other towns, too, so for those of you wishing to avoid this kind of tourism, you can be reassured that it does not overshadow the rest of the country. I must confess to being somewhat amused by one near Breda station called "Purple Rain", done up in the style and colours of that Prince album. You can smell it from the station. I wonder if his purpleness would approve?

LANGUAGE

Dutch is in the Germanic group of languages. If you have some knowledge of other Germanic languages such as German or Swedish you will find this useful, for although many words are completely different, some are instantly recognisable and you can make some sense of the written language. Listening is another matter, as it isn't phonetic.

A few useful Dutch words and phrases:

Hello - Hallo

Thank you - Dank u

You're welcome - Alstublieft

Bon appetit - Eet Smakelijk

Delicious (used a lot when bread is involved) - Lekker

Sandwich - Broodje

CUISINE

I hope you like bread if you come here, as it's as ubiquitous as the bikes. For example, there is lots of it in my work canteen, along with different cheeses and other local "delicacies" to go with it - an example being Filet Americain, in English known as Steak Tartare, (i.e. raw, ground beef). Admittedly, it is very good bread; always fresh and soft, I mean the ciabattas here are actually chewy, not like a brick as I'm used to at home. As for non bread related options - what? Are you joking! Many cafes are dedicated to the humble sandwich; it's a national obsession. Vegetarians or those avoiding pig products may struggle, as they have a predilection here to adding piggy stuff to anything without warning - the ostensibly harmless looking tomato soup is fraught with hidden danger for such people (i.e. me). On occasions, I find the relentless bread aggression from the Dutch a bit much. I have come to the conclusion, sadly, that they are not a nation of food lovers but I am sure someone will put me right in the comments!

There are, however, some decent restaurants around, with a variety of food such as Indonesian, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Thai, Spanish and of course Dutch (i.e. bread with anything and everything). One word of caution is that the service culture doesn't seem to be prevalent. I have had many experiences of eating out and encountering what we in the UK would consider substandard service.

BELGIAN BEER

For those of you who are fans of Belgian beer, you are in for a treat. Certainly in the South, the proximity to Belgium leads to a lot of brews crossing the border. It is not unusual in bars and restaurants to see a dozen or more bottled beers along with a couple of draughts on offer; Leffe, Duvel, Hooegaarden, Jupiler, Stella - they're all there, and more. A little tip for weissbeer is to ask for a slice of lemon in it, it won't come unless you specifically ask for it, complete with a sort of mashing stick which is quite cool. Note that topping up is an alien concept here; they will pour the beer and slice the overflowing froth off the top with a spatula; you are usually left with a bit of beer and a fair bit of head.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, my perspective is from a small town, very much out of the normal tourist trail. I guess what I am trying to say is that there is life after Amsterdam; for a more laid back experience, with less prevalent drug tourism, try some of the places I mention above. They are alll within easy reach from Amsterdam. I shall be reviewing some places on my travels so stay tuned. You will see me putting the boot in at times, especially about service, but remember the context of me being abroad and letting off steam. I like them really (sort of). Dank u! 

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