canal© Siebe Baarda
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Things to do in Haarlem this February.

February in Haarlem has various events and things to do for the whole family. On Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 February, Haarlem becomes the happiest city for the weekend with Geluksroute. Explore the city streets to find hidden gems, street performances…
Jet Laghttps://pixabay.com/en/users/geralt-9301/
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5 Ways to Recover from Jet Lag easily.

After a 24 hour journey including 3 flights, long layovers, a ferry, a train, a bus and a car ride, I arrived on the Sunshine Coast, Canada. With a 9 hour time difference, I experienced the well known and expected Jet Lag. If you’re a…
Haarlem Talks
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Haarlem Talks with Mihaela.

This is the very first month of the year 2019! Welcome everyone to this new, exciting year, and I am happily introducing Mihaela, an amazing cook (I was lucky enough to try her food), who followed not only her heart but her ambition to push…
short plane trip
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Quick reads for a short plane trip.

If you have read any of my previous articles, I am sure you will not be surprised to know that I am not a native English speaker. If you had the misfortune of listening to me speaking in Dutch, you could easily tell that I am neither Dutch-born.…
stop doinghttps://pixabay.com/en/users/picjumbo_com-2130229/
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WHAT WILL YOU STOP DOING IN 2019? TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH

It’s that time when many of us are thinking or talking about our New Year’s resolutions… how we will make up for our ‘mistakes’ or ‘flaws’ in the previous year. But there’s a risk, especially when we put too much pressure…
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New Year's Comedy & Drink 2019

Join the Haarlem New Year's Comedy 2019  and/or the expatsHaarlem New Year's Drink 2019 on Friday evening, 18 January, in art deco bar Raecks. New Year's Comedy Start 2019 laughing!…
London with kidshttps://pixabay.com/en/users/annie_bridie-11346/
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Travel Ideas 2019: London with kids

If you have children and love travelling, London is the perfect destination for 2019. In just 3.30h by train or around 40 minutes by plane, you can land in one of the best european cities to visit with kids. Here you have a recap of my family…
artistic inspiration
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Find Artistic Inspiration Following Your Relocation To Haarlem

Picture this: A stately windmill stands guard over a placid river, a charming town square fills with a lively festivity, and sand dunes wind for kilometres ending with an ocean view. What more could be necessary for artistic inspiration? Located…
canal© Siebe Baarda
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Things to do in Haarlem this January.

January is a sleepy month, as Haarlem recovers from the merrymaking, present giving and fireworks extravaganza. But there are one or two events happening this month that may inspire you to venture out in this dark, gloomy month. Finishing…
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Plastic pollution – ignoring doesn’t mean solving.

When I was a kid, I found a pigeon on the street. It couldn’t walk properly as one of his legs was atrophied, and another one – clamped off with a fishing line. I caught the bird and brought it home, we released it from the trap, cleaned…
Kids in Haarlem
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Why You Should Raise Your Kids In Haarlem

The Netherlands is one of Europe's most kid-friendly countries, according to Lonely Planet. Haarlem, which is a rich destination for history, culture, and shopping - it's also exciting and comfortable to explore or live in. With almost all…
Dutch Mystery Books
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Dutch Mystery Books for a gezellige winteravond.

Reading 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,…
living abroad
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14 Ways to Survive the Holidays when you’re Living Abroad

December 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…
December
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Things to do in Haarlem this December

Sings - 'It's the most wonderful time of the year!' I can't believe it is December already! Haarlem is full of fun and festive treats for you and the whole family to enjoy. On Friday 7 December is the Haarlem Comedy Factory! Enjoy a great…
travelling alone
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17+ Important Things you need to know when travelling alone.

Wherever you are in the world, some questions always come back: How to meet people? What can I do when I’m alone? What kind of food is common? How can you adjust easily? How can I relax when I’m stressed? The answers are in this post, just…
Christmas
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Eco-friendly Christmas ideas that are also good for the Earth

We are living in times when caring about our environment is also an individual responsibility. All the choices we make every day about how we live our lives has an effect on our planet. However, Christmas should be about joy, love and having…
women
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Haarlem's Among Best Travel Destinations for Women

A picturesque city known for being a market town, Haarlem, Netherlands bustles like a Brueghel masterpiece complete with fresh produce, lots of flowers, cheese, and busy shoppers but the beauty of Grote Markt, the city's centrepiece, is not…
Sinterklaas
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Sinterklaas arrives to Haarlem!

Sinterklaas and his Pieten arrive by steamboat and moors on the Spaarne on 18 November in Haarlem. A fun and festive activity for the whole family, starting from 13.00, Sinterklaas and his Pieten arrive on his famous Steamboat along the…
Zwarte Piet
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Dutch History; Zwarte Piet.

Zwarte Piet is a controversial character – whether you believe him to be racist or not, in this article we will be taking a look instead at Zwarte Piets’ history, where did he come from, and who exactly is he. Zwarte Piet (Black Pete)…
my homehttps://pixabay.com/en/users/Pexels-2286921/
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How I Became My Home

This year marks a decade of me being an expat and I see now that I’ve felt between homes for all this time. Only recently did I realise that this feeling of belonging everywhere and nowhere has created a subtle but constant pressure in my…
Things to do in Haarlem
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Things to do in Haarlem this November

The weather is getting colder but that doesn't mean Haarlem is quiet. From the Comedy Factory night to the arrival of Sinterklaas himself; November is full of activities for the whole family. From Friday 2 November to 4 November Haarlem…
Christoph Paulik
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Visit Leonardo da Vinci at the Teylers Museum

The Teylers Museum for art and science opened in 1784 – five years before the French Revolutionaries stormed the Bastille and George Washington was elected the first president of the USA. As a museum of art and science, it houses fossils,…
Halloween
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Tips for the best Halloween you ever had!

This is my favourite time of the year. I love autumn for its colours, scents and how the weather gets colder every day, and most of all, I love Halloween. The origins of Halloween date back 2000 years, and it was the night before the…
Marc de Haan
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Dutch History; Sint-Maarten Dag, the Dutch Halloween.

Sint-Maarten (St. Martin's Day) is a popular children's feast day in many parts of the Netherlands. On the evening of November 11th, small groups of children can be heard going up and down the street singing songs and reciting poems, equipped…
horror books
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3 classic horror books for a spooky Halloween

When I was a little king my mother used to read to me and my sister horror books during stormy nights in our little village up the mountains in Granada. One may think that legends about headless horsemen and haunted hills are not the best way…
library© https://pixabay.com/nl/boeken-bibliotheek-weinig-buiten-3526238/
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Little free libraries in Haarlem

‘Little free libraries’ are an American initiative that arrived in The Netherlands in 2013. ‘Little free libraries’ are places where people can exchange their books.  The idea behind them is that each of us can make our society better…
Octoberhttps://pixabay.com/en/users/FrankMagdelyns1-2783371/
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Things to do in Haarlem this October

Wow! It's October already?! One of my personal favourite times of the year, with all the glorious golds, browns and red colours, here are things to do in Haarlem that make this windy and wet month a little cosier. Starting From Friday…
money abroadRachel Smets
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Money money money abroad.

Moving Abroad is exciting and a glamorous dream of many people. However, not everyone is aware of the costs involved. What a wonderful feeling it is when you first arrive in a different country. It’s a new beginning of an exciting journey.…
tribehttps://pixabay.com/en/users/rawpixel-4283981/
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How finding your tribe can help you succeed.

If you're ambitious and a multi-passionate,  you probably have multiple goals and dreams. Whether short-or-long term, they can vary from improving your health and fitness, change your career path or job, to maybe move abroad and start a new…
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Haarlem Talks with Brittany from South Africa.

Summer is gone but autumn is here! Every season has good sides to them and enjoyable moments. This month we would like to introduce Brittany to you who moved here from South Africa, works at Facebook and adores Haarlem.  She enjoys going to…