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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…
toneel and filmschuur
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Toneel and Filmschuur 'language no problem' program from September to December.

Toneel-en Filmschuur Haarlem offers a ‘language no problem’ program that consists of a broad variety of films, theatre, dance and musical theatre performances for adults, youngsters and children. Below you find the Language no problem theatre…
canal© Siebe Baarda
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Dutch History; The oldest Tow Canal and the Amsterdamse Poort.

The Haarlemmertrekvaart is a canal between Amsterdam and Haarlem. It was dug in 1631, making it the oldest tow-canal in Holland. Travel on tow canals was historically done by barges which were towed by animals and sometimes men, on…
Octoberhttps://pixabay.com/en/users/FrankMagdelyns1-2783371/
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Monumentendag is full of surprises this year.

During Open Monumentendag – every second weekend of September – thousands of historical buildings and sites (about 4.000) are open to the public free of charge. Besides opening their doors, many locations also organize on-site activities…
Haarlem
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Things to do in Haarlem this September.

It is September already and as usual, there is something for someone in Haarlem this month. On Saturday 1, is the end of the Haarlemse Muggenronde. On Sunday 2, is another festival; Schalkwijk aan Zee!  Which will be packed with…
novels
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3 novels from around the world.

When I moved to Haarlem in 2013, one of my biggest goals was to make local friends. I wanted my life to be Dutch and for a period I avoided things I considered not to be Dutch enough like meeting with expats or watching tv in English or Spanish.…
padel club
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Haarlem Talks with Marc from Barcelona.

Meet Marc from Barcelona, Spain. He is half Dutch so he already feels at home in the Netherlands. He enjoys cycling and playing padel, he owns his own Padel Club. He loves to cycle to Aerdenhout from Haarlem, his advice for new expats is to…
Museum Haarlem
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A Visit to the Museum Haarlem

Located in the southern area of the city centre, the Museum Haarlem welcomes its visitors. It may not be as famous as the neighbouring Frans Hals Museum but it surely has its charms and a good mixture of permanent and temporary expositions. The…
Hofje
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Dutch History; Haarlem the home of the Hofjes

A hofje is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. They have existed since the Middle Ages. A hofje provided housing for elderly people (mostly women). They were privately funded and served as a form of social security. Hofjes…
internet safety guide
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The Empowering Internet Safety Guide for Women

Have you ever been harassed in the street? Received a crass message on a dating app? Have a coworker make a comment about your appearance that just didn’t sit right? You’re not alone. With the #MeToo movement, it’s easy to log…