Posts

National Tulip Day
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National Tulip Day 2018

An estimated 1.7 billion Dutch tulips bring a welcome touch of spring to households and businesses all over the globe each year. National Tulip Day sees Dutch tulip growers create a massive temporary garden on Dam Square Amsterdam, blooming…
EMA
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EU MEDICINE AGENCY with 900 jobs and 500 family members to the Metropole Region Amsterdam

A lottery is how Amsterdam is now officially the next home of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). 900 jobs and 500 family members will leave London and move to Amsterdam, with staffers needing to choose between staying in the UK or making…
couples
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Most Dutch couples are two higly educated people

Last year the biggest proportion of Dutch couples consisted of two highly educated people, instead of one highly educated person and one less educated person as was the case in 2006, CBS (Statistics Netherlands) reported this Monday. In…
Keukenhof Hotel Expres!
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Off to the Keukenhof? Take the Keukenhof Hotel Expres!

The keukenhof wiil be open again from 23 March until 21 May. This season, the Keukenhof is within fast and easy reach thanks to the Keukenhof Hotel Epress. This shuttle will depart at 09:15 and 12:45 daily from Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol…
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Keukenhof, the most beautiful spring garden in the world is open

Keukenhof, the best day out among the flowers! There are more than 7 million bulbs in bloom this spring, with a total of 800 varieties of tulips. A unique and unforgettable experience! Besides the spacious 32 hectares of flowers you can enjoy…
National Tulip Day
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National Tulip Day

The start to Tulip season officially begins on Dam Square in Amsterdam.  The event is organised by Dutch tulip growers who build a unique tulip picking garden on Dam Square. Anyone can come and see the tulips and pick your very own, for…
Winteland Hoofddorp
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Winterland Hoofddorp

Experience a true winter wonderland at Winterland Hoofddorp. An ice rink in a fairytale atmosphere, crackling fireplaces, hot glühwein and delicious winter dishes. The Town Hall Square has been transformed into Winterland Hoofddorp. A place…
Beacon
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ExpatsHaarlem & Beacon Global Advisers join hands

Servicing Internationals in the Haarlem/ Amsterdam area, providing expats a solid social and professional network during their stay in the Netherlands. [Contributed by Beacon Global Advisers] Amsterdam / Haarlem A division of Beacon Global…
tuschinski
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Amsterdam in the top 10 best European art deco cities

The American edition of The Guardian has proclaimed Amsterdam one of the best European cities for art deco design. Art deco’s straight lines and bold shapes were an expression of early-20th-century belief in technology and progress.…
taxi driver
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Taxi driver charges tourists €485 for Schiphol to Amsterdam trip

Last night a taxi driver in Amsterdam took a group of Chinese tourists hostage because they refused to pay 485 euros to take them from Schiphol airport to their hotel in the west of the city. ‘He said it was the normal amount,’…
EuroPride
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Final Weekend of EuroPride in Amsterdam

This weekend is your last chance to celebrate universal love in Amsterdam with EuroPride 2016.  EuroPride, first held in 1991, takes place in a different European city every year and is being hosted by the Dutch capital in 2016 to mark 20…
CIRQUE ÉLOIZE
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Win 2 tickets to CIRQUE ÉLOIZE IN CARRÉ in Amsterdam

Wanna go to this overwhelming, high-quality artistic circus show in the Netherlands? We raffle 2 tickets!  CIRQUE ÉLOIZE Cirque Éloize’s iD is a performance that you just have to see, just like the first shows of Cirque du Soleil…
Cirque Éloize
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World top circus Cirque Éloize back in Carré

"Rarely, or perhaps never, was there such an overwhelming, high-quality artistic circus show in the Netherlands." Praise in the press and the public last summer, when the 15 top young artists of Cirque Éloize finally landed in the Netherlands…
Review musical Pippin in Theater Carré Amsterdam
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Review musical Pippin in Theater Carré Amsterdam

I haven't seen that many musicals on stage even tough I am a big fan of movie musicals (from Mamma Mia to Cabaret), so when I found out that I won the expatsHaarlem contest to go and see Pippin at the Koninklijk Theater Carré in Amsterdam I…
Flirting
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Flirtation and landing a date: is flirtation a foreign concept in the Netherlands?

Flirtation is defined as behaviour that shows that you find somebody sexually attractive but are not serious about them. (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 8th ed.). In essence it is an interest in something but for a very short time. Connotations…
Pillow Fight (Photo: Pillow Fight Facebook Page)
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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…
BROADWAY MUSICAL PIPPIN
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Broadway musical Pippin is coming to Amsterdam with a full American cast

The Tony Award winning hit musical with full American cast. Direct from Broadway to Amsterdam from March 9 till April 10. More info and trailer below. We happen to have two tickets for this spectacle. Like the expatsHaarlem Facebook page and…
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Food Soul Festival Amsterdam, January 29-30-31, 2016

Amsterdam loves food trucks. We love food trucks too! And that's why we're going to the Food Soul Festival in Amsterdam on January 29th, 30th and 31st! It's going to be a weekend full of yummy food and nice soul music. THE perfect combination! The…
Tulip
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National Tulip Day Celebrations in Amsterdam

The past week has been the most "wintery" of the season in the Netherlands, and yet spring is already a twinkle in a Dutchman's eye. The third Saturday of the new year is National Tulip Day, or Nationale Tulpendag. I still…
Box bike threat (Foto:ANP)
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Police fear for cargo bike attack in Amsterdam

The terror threat on two (or three) wheels...Dutch police warn that terrorists may be planning to use a cargo bike to launch an attack in Amsterdam during the New Year celebrations. In the wake of the attacks in Paris, police in Amsterdam…
house prices
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Highest increase in house prices in 7,5 years

Existing houses for sale were 3.8 percent more expensive in November this year than a year ago. This is the biggest rise on an annual basis in 7,5 years, according to the CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de statistiek) and the Kadaster. Since the…
Eye Museum
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The EYE Museum, Amsterdam

Standing on the bank of the river IJ, across from Amsterdam Central station, the EYE Museum is an impressive piece of architecture. There is a fine balance between being impressive as a structure and being imposing, and the museum achieves…
new entrance Van Gogh museum (Photo: Novum)
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Museumplein turns yellow with 125,000 sunflowers at the new entrance Van Gogh museum

A maze made up of 125,000 sunflowers has been set up on the Museumplein in Amsterdam to celebrate the opening of the new entrance hall to the Van Gogh museum.  The sunflower labyrinth covers almost half of the Museumplein and everyone is welcome…
Rental prices in major cities skyrockett (Photo ANP)
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Rental prices in major cities skyrocket

Rental prices in the private sector are going through the roof in the major cities. In Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht rents were 7% higher compared to the same period last year, in Rotterdam even 9%. Pararius.nl came forward with these figures…
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30 TOTALLY FREE THINGS TO DO IN AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is an expensive city. Sure, the rent prices are exorbitant and it's not exactly cheap to go out .... unless you're doing one of these 30 activities!    1. Watch the random action on the Dam Square or Leidseplein Sure,…
Terrace
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Terraces more expensive, Amsterdam on top

People going out for a round of drinks on a terrace will in some cities pay more than a year ago. Amsterdam is the most expensive city in the Netherlands in which to have a drink on a terrace, taking the first place from Haarlem. Haarlem is…
sexual culture shock
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Sexual Cultural Shock

“Is he good in bed?” Oh my Lord, did he just say that?? How dare he! The question shocks me and nearly knocks me off my feet. And then he follows, “how does he compare with black men?” I was astounded. This comes from a random Dutch…
Amsterdam in the top 15 world cities with best reputation (J.P. de Miguel Photography)

Amsterdam in the top 15 world cities with best reputation

Amsterdam has made it into the top 15 of the Reputation Institute's City RepTrak survey 2014. The Netherlands’ capital has made a big jump in the ranks in recent years, having been listed in 41st place in 2012. City RepTrak survey…
Increased number of Expats to the Netherlands discover Haarlem to be a much better (and cheaper) alternative to Amsterdam
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Increased number of Expats to the Netherlands discover Haarlem to be a much better (and cheaper) alternative to Amsterdam

According to a recent report from nu.nl the number of properties in Amsterdam sold and the price increase in the first 3 quarters of 2014 is comparable to the pre crisis years 2005-2008.  Wonderful news generally everyone, the economy is reviving! …
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CtheCity

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…