Liberation
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Liberation Day 2020

Following directly on from Remembrance Day, 5 May is a national day of celebration known as Liberation Day, celebrating the end of Nazi Germany’s occupation during World War II.  Liberation Day is usually celebrated with festivals and events…
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Online creative pursuits for May

People are dealing with our current episode of dormancy in different ways. Some are trying out new activities at home, others just like to watch those people who are being creative and providing the entertainment. Whichever category you fall…
Remembrance
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Remembrance Day without an audience in Haarlem live on NH Nieuws

Remembrance Day on 4 May in Haarlem will be this year be held in an adapted form due to the corona crisis, without any members of the public in attendance. The special commemoration ceremony can be seen live at 16:30 on TV news channel NH Nieuws. Mayor…
Haarlem historyroyalty free (public domain), no attribution required
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10 interesting little factoids about Haarlem’s history

Hello, my fellow quarantined friends! Are you looking for something new to do to occupy yourself in these somewhat dull times? How about some fun reading, to brush up on your history of our beautiful city? As an incorrigible trivia addict,…
wine and filmroyalty free (reuse possible without attribution)
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Movie tips where wine is the star of the show

Open your favourite bottle of wine, choose a wine movie from our list, press play and relax. In these weird times we are living, self-isolation does not mean you stop enjoying good food or good wine. Parties have been postponed, restaurants…
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Celebrating King’s Day from Home

It is officially the day the Netherlands turns orange. Flags fly high and everyone adorns orange items of clothing in preparation to honour the King’s birthday. This year all that will still be possible but without the partying on the streets.…
whodunnit booksroyalty free (reuse without attribution)
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Classic locked-room mysteries to read during the lockdown

I have always loved locked-room mysteries and since we all seem to be in a locked-room life these days, I thought it might be timely to recommend a few ‘impossible crime’ reads that might help to pass the time. According to Wikipedia,…
Netflix tipsroyalty free (reuse with no attribution necessary)
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Binge-worthy Netflix shows to discover

During your time of social distancing, why not escape with some of our top picks of binge-worthy Netflix shows? In this time of social distancing, I will also admit that my grand plans of organising the house, learning Dutch and catching…
Taalthuis How to learn Dutch online
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Learn Dutch in the time of corona

In these weird coronavirus-times we are going through, we all have to self-isolate in order to help ourselves and our community. Staying at home might be a good opportunity to brush up your Dutch. Nowadays, there is an increased demand for Dutch…
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Online excursions for April

Yes, we are staying at home for the foreseeable future. Though, we can still remain in touch with the outside world via various channels and take some digital tours thanks to the latest technology. During April, why not schedule time for some…
Van Gogh
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Vincent van Gogh painting stolen from Singer Laren museum

A Van Gogh masterpiece was stolen during a break-in at the Singer Laren museum, in Laren near Hilversum, said museum officials this Monday afternoon. The Singer Laren museum located to the east of Amsterdam had closed its doors earlier in March…
Singer Laren
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Burglary in Singer Laren museum

There was a break-in last night at the Dutch art museum Singer Laren, that is currently closed because of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The police cannot say whether the burglars have stolen anything. It…
Corona business
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The coronavirus and your company: government measures to help businesses

This information is provided by Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, KVK | Government.nl | Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO. The coronavirus COVID-19, and the measures taken to restrict the spreading of the coronavirus in the Netherlands, have…
Corona
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Dutch museums closed until 1 June

From the Van Gogh Museum to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, from Frans Hals and Teylers Museum in Haarlem and Kunstmuseum and Louwman Museum in the Hague: as a result of the stricter measures taken by the government on 23 March the major museums…
Earth Hourroyalty free (reuse without attribution)
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Earth Hour 2020: because every little helps, let’s spread the love!

Save the date! It’s happening on Saturday 28 March 2020 at 8:30 pm local time. For one hour, people all over the world will be switching the lights off in their houses, as a show of support for our beautiful, but tired planet. Will you be…
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What it means to be Irish

For the day that’s in it – the day being St Patrick’s Day (17 March), the day when Irish people across the globe celebrate their deep-rooted identity – how about we do some reminiscing to pre-coronavirus St Patrick’s Days? Fair Éire,…
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Update on new Dutch measures as prime minister addresses the nation

The Dutch prime minister has given a historic live address to the nation to explain the ongoing measures the government is taking. The first new regulations were issued last week in response to the continued rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19),…
coronavirus
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Netherlands closes schools, bars, cafes and restaurants in coronavirus fight

All schools and daycare centres in the Netherlands will be shut from Monday 16 March until at least Monday 6 April in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In addition, bars, cafes, restaurants, sex clubs, cannabis cafes, saunas and…
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Five books with a feminist focus for International Women’s Day

International Women's Day (Sunday 8 March) is a global day of celebration of the social and political achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This list contains some of the books that have helped me educate…
March eventsRoyalty free (re-use with no attribution)
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Things to do in Haarlem this March

The March agenda offers many and varied opportunities to get out and about. There are practical activities offering help with taxes, choosing schools and improving your Dutch, social events including theatre, comedy and our first monthly drink…
comedy nights
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Comedy double this March in Haarlem

Get a double dose of laughs during March at the English spoken comedy nights: Haarlem Comedy Cafe (7 March) and Comedy on Top of Haarlem (13 March). Get your tickets soon before they sell out! If you joined us for the comedy night in February,…
Gluren bij de BurenRoyalty-free (author's own pic)
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Musical tour of Haarlem with Gluren bij de Buren

On the day that many people stayed holed up behind closed doors due to the fact Storm Ciara was making her presence felt outside, myself and the rest of the 'Gluren gang' took to the streets for a musical tour of Haarlem. What awaited us were…
Love letter to the NetherlandsRe-use with no attribution required
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My love letter to the Netherlands

Dutch life from the perspective of an expat living in these flat lands for 6 months is the focus of this post. It is an amorous missive – perfectly timed in the run-up to the most romantic of days. Dear Netherlands (or the more affectionate…
Van GoghJan-Kees Steenman
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Van Gogh Museum acquires a unique Degas pastel

In a first for the Netherlands, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has acquired a fully worked out pastel by French impressionist Edgar Degas, which will be on show from next Wednesday. The Van Gogh Museum has acquired an important pastel…
February Events
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Things to do in Haarlem this February

Winter may not yet be over, though we can see signs that the change of season is just around the corner. Spring bulbs are sprouting through the soil and daffodils are already for sale at the flower stalls, and we can definitely see the days…
GeluksrouteGeluksroute
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Geluksroute: the road to happiness

Information Geluksroute (Happiness Route) is a relaxed way of sharing happiness, which makes for inspiring meetings and wonderful discoveries. The invitation is simple: What makes you happy and would you like to share this? Come…
Gluren
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Gluren bij de Buren Haarlem

Art event by Gluren bij de Buren on Sunday, February 9, 2020. There is a brand new edition of the "living room festival " Gluren bij the de Buren Haarlem on the doorstep! On Sunday 9 February 2020, living rooms will be transformed by…
Comedy
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Haarlem New Year's Comedy

Start 2020 laughing at the HAARLEM NEW YEAR'S COMEDY on Saturday, January 11th. With GREG SHAPIRO, one of the best comedians in the Netherlands, The voice of Trump in the ‘Netherlands Second’ video with over 50 million views all over the…
New Year's plunge
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New Year's plunge

Those crazy Dutch! Once you survived Sinterklaas, Christmas and dodged the fireworks during new years eve you think you can finally relax. Well, guess again. How the tradition started I don't know but on the first of January masses of children,…
Dortmund Christmas marketsJulia Smile ©
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Dortmund Christmas Markets

A day trip to Dortmund Christmas Markets! When we think of the best Christmas markets in Europe Germany is certainly up there! Having done some quick research, we found that there were only a few of them open on December 26th, most close by…