Introducing Direct Dutch
What can you expect from a real Dutch guide to the Netherlands?
Because it was hard to focus this past week (see why), here's a very lazy post to introduce my new 'Direct Dutch' section. I also included some snippets of posts about the Netherlands that I've shared before (in case you missed it 🙃).
Why Direct Dutch?
As I wrote in my latest post, Amsterdam is one of the victims of overtourism. A conclusion of that post is that as a travel writer, I have a responsibility to address this. So, I thought about adding a section about the Netherlands to my Substack.
Like many people in the city, I'm an import-Amsterdammer. So I know there is more to the Netherlands than Amsterdam and more to Amsterdam than the canals.
There are quite a few assumptions, expectations, and clichés about the Netherlands. Some of the clichés are so true. Yes, we are direct, we cycle a lot, we have great biscuits, and we keep the pavement in front of our houses clean. But there are many misconceptions that can be quite funny, but also a bit ignorant.
Really, nobody in the Netherlands buys the shiny tourist cheese from those fancy cheese shops. We prefer normal ('doe maar normaal') cheese, and as a practical nation, we buy it from a supermarket, a local cheese shop, or a food market. For a normal price (yes, we are very economical).
What can you expect?
I would like to write posts around a theme and embrace and go beyond the clichés. I will use somewhat more videos and other media instead of just some of my own photos. I want to alternate the Direct Dutch articles with the regular 'Add This to Your Itinerary' posts.
Every Direct Dutch post will have an uitsmijter. This is a Dutch dish of fried eggs with cheese and/or ham, a nickname for a security person at a club, or in a figurative way, a punchy final remark, often a joke or clever statement. (In my case, that would be more on the joke side.)
The first post (Why Everybody hates Amsterdam) will drop soon!
In the meantime, I'd like to refer you to a special song. It's called 'Er is een Amsterdammer dood gegaan' (an Amsterdammer passed away - this week it has a special connotation for me). This special version is dedicated to Johan Cruijff when he died in 2016. One of the big icons of Dutch football, which is also a famous Dutch export product, as people like to describe it.
From the archive
Wine from Limburg
We Dutch also have some wines. The southern part of Limburg is particularly known for them, and it’s a beautiful area to visit. A good starting point is Eyserhalte, a shop full of fresh delicacies and local wines. And while you're in the region, Maastricht has some great restaurants serving local wines. I especially liked Onglet, located at the back of a butcher’s shop.
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The beautiful Kröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum in the Veluwe National Park boasts an impressive art collection (it’s particularly renowned for its Van Gogh works), hosts excellent exhibitions, and has a stunning sculpture garden.
At the entrance to the Veluwe National Park, you’ll need to pay an entry fee, and if you’re arriving by car, you can park it there. The fun starts here: grab a free rental bike and cycle to the museum (it's well signposted). Alternatively, you can park closer to the museum, though this incurs an additional fee.
More in:
Festivals in Rotterdam (updated for 2025!)
Rotterdam hosts some amazing annual events and festivals throughout the year. The year started with the 54th edition of the International Film Festival.
This spring and summer you can visit the music festival Motel Mozaïque (17-19 April), O. for opera and poetry (23 May-1 June), theater festival De Parade (20-29 June), North Sea Jazz (11-13 July), the Caribbean Summer Carnaval (25-26 July), the classic World Port Days (5-7 September) and A Day At The Park dance festival (13 September).
And if you want to experience Rotterdam at its very best, be one of the many spectators during the marathon on 13 April!
Based on:
Uitsmijter
The Dutch short film 'I'm Not a Robot' won an Oscar this year! 🤩 After watching this, you'll have a completely different perspective on CAPTCHAs.
(It’s also worth checking out the context of the film.)
Looking forward to Direct Dutch! And congrats on the Oscar! A Croatian film was a competitor too, but I'm glad it went to Europe :)