DutchInLaw

After March 2020, most public events in the Netherlands have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 epidemic, including my favorites like the Furiade in Maassluis and the Ladies Run in Rotterdam. When I search for '2020 Brandersfeest', I read that the organizers aren't sure what the situation will be in September, but they're discussing spreading the activities over a whole month instead of one weekend. So I'm glad we went last year and gave our kids a taste of what it's like when the nearby city of Schiedam holds a festival. In September 2019, the metro line extension from Schiedam towards Hook of Holland had just opened, so our family decided to try it out. The RET had even announced that travel along the new Hoekse Lijn would be free for everyone that day! And there would be refreshments! There was some good-natured grumbling about how all that sounded wonderful, until you considered that the metro renovation was planned to last 5 months (during which ...

One of the things I find fascinating in mainstream Dutch culture is the way normalcy is prized. Calling a person  " n uchter " - down-to-earth - is  a compliment. (It's also the word for sober, and I was very confused when I read a medical document that called for blood taken on a ' nuchter ' stomach. In that context, it just means empty, not that for other blood tests it's fine to show up totally drunk.)  Doutzen Kroes, the famous supermodel, said in an interview that she considers herself  nuchter , and values her simple background in Friesland, one of the northern provinces. Googling ' nuchter ' and Doutzen Kroes brings up several hits, including a page that even calls her, translated, 'the Dutch downtoearther'. High praise for a globetrotting international beauty. But if she keeps fame and fortune from going to her head, shouldn't we all? A common phrase I've heard here, especially from parents, is " Doe normaal ." Act...