In 2012, our foreign exchange student, Anne, from the Netherlands arrived. Despite 4,000 miles between us, we have maintained a relationship since we hosted her and were counting down the days until we could reunite. Thankfully, Susan and I were fortunate enough to be able to stay a few extra days in Europe and tour the Netherlands with Anne following our tour of France. We experienced the best of Netherlands in two days - including a personal tour of her school and hometown. Talk about back door experiences! I encourage you to look below for some Dutch facts, foods, and language to know before heading to the Netherlands on your next trip!
FIVE DUTCH WORDS:
1. Doei (informal goodbye, much like "bye bye")
2. Kijk uit! (Look out! - watch out for this phrase in Amsterdam. The cycling traffic is crazy!) 3. Fiets (bike) 4. Dank je wel! (Thank you) 5. Alstublieft (Please) |
FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS:
1. Population of Amsterdam = 780,000 people.
2. Dutch people are the tallest in the world. 3. More than 25% of the Netherlands lies below sea level. 4. 86% of the Dutch speak English as a second language (so don't worry too much at memorizing the Dutch language!) 5. The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe. |
FIVE FOODS TO TRY:
1. Poffertjes
2. Dutch Pancakes 3. Stroopwafels 4. Bitterballen 5. Hagelslag (these are much like sprinkles, except the Dutch like them on their toast!) |
Sources: Bitterballen Bruid, The Culture Trip, Expats blog, Trip Creator blog, Awesome Amsterdam, UN Data