The Haarlem Kermis in the Grote Markt happens every year in the two weeks around King’s Day. But wait, what does “kermis” mean. Kermis is Dutch for “fair” as in the traveling kind with rides, games, carnival food, etc. And while the Grote Markt may not look big enough for this at first, they are really […]
From march 24th to the 26th, Haarlem celebrates “Haarlemse Lente” [Haarlem Sping] the modern day art scene in the historic center of Haarlem. In this sixth edition, 13 museums, galleries, and artist’s initiatives join together for an opening evening full of free to visit exhibition openings, a booming after party, and a weekend full of […]
Can you believe it’s almost the end of August? It’s sad that summer is coming to the end but on the brights side, every years at the end of August is Haarlem Jazz and More, the free five day music festival that takes place in the streets of Haarlem.
Did you know that this year there are 10 Haarlemmers in the olympics? The list includes athletes who were either born in or currently live in Haarlem. In the 2014 olympics no Haarlemmers made the cut. Here is a list of the Haarlemmers in this year’s games with links to their own social media pages […]
This weekend Jopen will organize a craft beer festival at Boereplein (behind Jopenkerk Haarlem) on both Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 until 18:30. Around 20 brewers will be there. The Brewers Saturday August 6th Sunday August 7th Bierbrouwerij De Arn Briljant Brouwhuis Bax Bier Bronckhorster Brewing Company BEER_Brouwers Brouwerij Duits & Lauret Dampegheest Bierbrouwerij Emelisse […]
Translated from the original article in the Noordhollands Dagblad “Every day a gold medal.” This is how Merijn Everaarts formed the goal for his business five years ago. Everaarts is the founder of Dopper, which is know for its water bottles made out of recycled plastic. The comparison with the Olympic Games is with such an intention made quickly. […]
Aangenaam located in the Kleine Houtstraat has been serving honest, organic, and animal/environmentally friendly diners since 2006. While many of you may have been there for dinner already, did you know that they are now also open for breakfast and lunch?
Gemeentes Haarlem and Heemstede will be the first to connect their traffic lights to the North Holland traffic center. From there the province can control all of the traffic lights. The parties are focusing on a better traffic flow from five to ten procent for the traffic on the main roads to and from Zuid-Kennemerland.
How many of us played Monopoly as a kid or maybe even still play it today? Did you know that the streets and landmarks in the game come from the famous gambling city Atlantic City, New Jersey in America? You may have even seen other versions of the game based on other cities such as […]
Yesterday in an announcement from Gemeente Haarlem, it was made know that the night train will start running in Haarlem beginning in 2017! This is amazing news for some of us that have been living here for a long time and have been hoping for this moment.
Have you been in the Zijlstraat recently? There are so many new and exciting things to try there. From craft beer to cajun food, and even organic candy. There are a plethora of new things to try and here are just a few of them.
Renting a boat in Haarlem for a few hours in much easier (and more affordable) to do than one might expect. Now that the weather is nice, it might be something to think about doing. This article is a review about my experience with renting a boat at Greenjoy.
Finally Haarlem has good and authentic Tex-Mex! Cantina023 opened its doors in February and it’s amazing. I’ve been there twice so far and am always looking for an excuse to go back. All of the standards are there, burritos, tacos (authentic or crunchy), jalapeño poppers, everything; and it’s all homemade.
Maybe you’ve already hear of them or tasted had their beer but did you know that they will be opening their very own café this weekend?! That’s right, Brouwerij het Uiltje will be opening the Uiltje Bar at Zijlstraat 18 in Haarlem on Saturday February 21st.
Whether you realize it or not, all of the architecture on the Euro banknotes is fake. In 2002 Austrian Robert Kalin designed bridges for the bills that were intended to represent periods in time such as Baroque, Classical, Gothic, Romanesque, Rococo, and Modern 20th Century but nothing that existed in real life.
CtheCity is an amazing experience where you have the opportunity to “see” Amsterdam through the eyes of someone who is blind. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to walk around the city with one of those white canes? It’s a lot less scary than you would think.
A UK developer is working on replacing airplane windows with windowless walls like in cargo planes. The only difference is that the inside of the newly designed planes would be totally covered in video screens. What’s more, this will bring down the cost of flying. Taking out the windows of the plane means that it it […]
Believe it or not, recent research has found that men value brains over sexiness. Even eyes are more important to men than breasts and butt!
You heard that right, just like in many other parts of the world where eating insects is a normal part of every day life, insect meat is coming to the Netherlands.
You’ve heard of the ice hotels that have recently opened in cold areas in the world, but you’ve probably never heard of a sand hotel. Always dreamed of living (or at least sleeping) in a sandcastle? Well now it’s your chance!
Thinking of better integrating into Dutch society and doing the New Years Dive this year? Better think again, recently a basking shark was spotted off the coast of Zandvoort and then again spotted along the Belgian coast. Seeing these kinds of sharks in the areas is not normal but at the same time not dangerous. These […]
Recently I wanted to take a trip to Budapest but was outraged that it was going to cost about €400 to fly from Schiphol with KLM. I checked Eindhoven Airport and there the prices were much better and I could buy a round trip for around €60. But still, Eindhoven Airport is not exactly close and by the time you have to travel there, pay […]
I am not a huge football fan but do like to watch it during the World Cup.. and why not, Holland has a great team and it’s fun to support them. I just recently found out about a guy that watches a lot more about football than I do. He is called “De Oranje Generaal” […]
Looking for a real espresso in Haarlem? Check out Mogador in the Botermarkt. Espresso here is always amazing and in my opinion the best in Haarlem.
This video from CityMarketing Haarlem is still one of my favorite videos that quickly shows you why Haarlem is so great.
The weather is starting to get nice again and at least for me that means time to get out and explore. Did you know that it is possible to travel all through the country for a whole day for around €15? That’s a great deal and I’m going to tell you how to take advantage […]
When I was getting ready to move to the Netherlands four years ago I was told living in Amsterdam would not really be feasible because of where my job was. I was heart broken but soon learned that Haarlem is actually a little Amsterdam! It has everything just on a smaller scale.
A lot of people that I have met over the years show a lot of interest in learning Dutch at first but soon become very unmotivated because no matter how hard they try it seems that everyone always answers them in English… even if they try their very best in Dutch. It’s not easy but it is […]
Dutch Mystery Books for a gezellige winteravond.December 18, 2018 - 11:36 amReading a good mystery novel can be a very satisfying experience. I believe it has to do with the fact that, while crime is always terrifying, as readers we know that the crime will most likely be solved at the end of the book and the murderer, if not caught, will at least be identified. […]
14 Ways to Survive the Holidays when you’re Living AbroadDecember 13, 2018 - 11:08 amDecember begins and that means the holiday season arrives. If you’re living abroad, spending Christmas away from your family and friends can be a difficult time. For some people, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and for others, that same word creates some form of anxiety with usually only one wish: skip […]