Bloemencorso
, , , , , ,

Bloemencorso 2016 Flower Parade

Hey, did you know that the annual Flower Parade of the Bollenstreek is starting soon? The Flower Parade is a parade of about twenty floats and more than thirty special floats, decorated with an abundance of flowers. The theme for 2016…
Keukenhof Gardens open till May 18th
, , , , ,

Keukenhof Gardens open from today till May 16th

Enjoy the fabulous sea of flowers of Keukenhof Gardens. With 32 hectares and approximately 7 million flower bulbs Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower garden and probably the most beautiful spring park in the world.  Keukenhof Gardens…
Linnaeushof, Europe's biggest playground, is open
, , ,

Linnaeushof, Europe's biggest playground is open again

Speelparadijs Linnaeushof: the biggest playground of Europe! So close! Linnaeushof is located in Bennebroek, a 15 minute drive from Haarlem and Leiden, just some more from Amsterdam and The Hague.  During the whole season (April till…
Pillow Fight (Photo: Pillow Fight Facebook Page)
, , , ,

Pillow fight!

Hey, did you know its international Pillow Fight day coming up soon? If you relish the thought of being whacked repeatedly by a pillow then you should check this out.  The global event is organised by, ‘The Urban Playground Movement.’ ‘One…
Keukenhof (Photo Katie Joy)
, , ,

How I survived Keukenhof

Are you planning on visiting the world’s largest spring flower garden? If yes, then this is the article for you!  Keukenhof is a great family day out, even if you don’t like flowers. Here is my survival guide. Be prepared for crowds.…
Bike
, ,

My First Dutch Bike

I am London born and raised. The only people who cycled in London are brave and perhaps a little reckless. I was certainly not one of them. I had no need to cycle in London. I had buses, trains and the tube. So coming to live in the Netherlands…
Greenjoying Loosdrechtse Plassen
, ,

Ride the waves with Greenjoy

Dutch holiday maker has more often sex
, ,

Dutch holiday maker has more often sex

Nearly three-quarters of the Dutch have more sex on holiday than at home. This results from a research of Radio 10 for the radio show Tim in the morning. In particular caravan owners profit of the holiday atmosphere: 90 percent of them say…
Taking perfect photos in sunshine [The person on the photo has given their written permission for ExpatsHaarlem to use the photo in the article.]

Taking perfect photos in sunshine

It is no secret that taking photos during sunshine can be difficult. In full manual mode, it’s not difficult to get an OK result. But for those that are a little picky, wanting correct colors and exposure, it can on a sunny day be challenging…
Travelling
, ,

10 Tips to Save Money when Travelling

Do you want budget travel tips for free? Would you like to travel more often without breaking the bank? If you are at all interested, read on to find out how you can do simple things to save money next time you go on vacation. 1. Go Off-Season It’s…
Italian mistakes
, ,

6 embarrassing mistakes to avoid in Italian

Learning Italian or planning to exercise your Italian during your holidays? Italian can be a minefield for well-intentioned non native speakers. Don't make yourself a laughing-stock and check out our list of six of the most embarrassing mistakes…
NS Actie
, ,

Kids Free: kids travel unlimited and for free on NS trains

With the Kids Free Subscription 3 children of 4/11-years-old travel for free and unlimited with you on weekends and during the week on the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen/Dutch train net) . The advantages of Kids Free Applies on weekends…
Linnaeushof, Europe's biggest playground, is open
,

Summer tip: Linnaeushof, Europe's biggest playground

Speelparadijs Linnaeushof: the biggest playground of Europe! So close! Linnaeushof is located in Bennebroek, a 15 minute drive from Haarlem, 20 from Leiden, just some more from Amsterdam and The Hague.  During the whole season (April…
Barcelona GO!
, , ,

Barcelona GO!

BARCELONA in Flow Motion - A fast moving short film.... TOO COOL! Gold prize winner at Timelapse Showfest 2014. 1 million plays within 5 days of launch. Commissioned by the Catalan Tourism Board, this fast moving, short film showcases the…
,

Windowless Planes

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 first Sand Hotel opens in 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! Is the hotel…
HAARLEM nr 8 of the most romantic small towns in Europe
, , ,

HAARLEM nr 8 of the most romantic small towns in Europe

World of Wanderlust just published the top 13 most romantic small towns in Europe: Haarlem in the Netherlands is among them and scored the 8th position. My beloved Cinque Terre are nr. 4. According to World of Wanderlust if you need of…
,

Rotterdam The Hague Airport is worth a try

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.…
Amalfi
, , ,

26 Places to Visit Before you Die

Last month online magazine Architecture & Design has made a ranking of their 26 Places to Visit Before you Die. 2 of them are in the Netherlands, very close: Amsterdam and Lisse. Such gorgeous places... I have visited some, others are…
Belgians drink the most on holiday (Photo: Ibiza.nl)
, , , , ,

Belgians drink the most on holiday

With an average of 3.7 drinks per day, Belgians are the biggest drinkers among European holidaymakers.  This results from a study conducted by the travel website Zoover, surveying 4.000 Europeans from 10 different countries. Dutch…
Holidays Under the Tuscan Sun (Photo: Lidia Bernabei)
,

Holiday Under the Tuscan Sun

'La Dolce Vita', the sweet way of life, we can't get enough of it! La Dolce Vita at the Tuscan coast? Sun, sea, hills, culture, traditions, relax, good food & wines... ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY! But sometimes we can't enjoy 100%: running…
bounce-31
,

Trampoline jumping in the depth

Since Friday 4 July the world's first 'underground trampoline' is in use. The surreal experience of Bounce Below is set within a historic disused slate cavern in Northern Wales, installed with massive bouncy nets to jump around in, unlike…
Photo Stories 1895-2014 will tell you why (Photo: Lecturis)
, ,

Photo Stories 1895-2014 will tell you why

Every photo has a story. Why does someone during his whole life shoot only woman legs? Who was the woman with the mysterious name Tai Aagen-Moro? And what's in the soup of Daguerre? More than one hundred fifty exceptional photographs from the…
Flower Parade Bollenstreek 2014 (Photo: Arianna Ardia)
, , ,

Flower Parade Bollenstreek 2014

The Bloemencorso Bollenstreek, or Flower Parade of the Bollenstreek (Bulbs Area) is one of the most famous parades in the world. More than a million people come to see the beautiful flower praalwagens (floats). The Flower Parade Bollenstreek…
Transavia brings people in Italian atmospheres (Photo: Adformatie)
, ,

Transavia brings people in Italian atmospheres

The Italianizer of Transavia: what an original way to promote flights! Promotion with fun! Well done! Transavia has two Italian sun holidays promoted in a fun way: a bus stop in Amsterdam was equipped with the so-called 'Italianizer', an…
See the Netherlands by Train (Photo: Nick Ferrara)
, ,

See the Netherlands by Train

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…
Duinrell: a fun day out or family vacation
, ,

Duinrell: a fun day out or family vacation

Duinrell is an amusement park located in Wassenaar, close to The Hague and Leiden, approximately 40 minutes driving from Haarlem. It’s wonderfully located in the forest and dunes and nearby a wide beach and the park itself is one of the most…