Language and other Amsterdam, Netherlands General Tips

Favorite Thing: Just about everyone speaks English in Amsterdam, and is proud of the fact. Many speak German and French too. If you are English speaking, speak English (unless you speak Dutch too): you are more likely to offend than do anyone a favour by trying out your French or German.

A common misconception is that Dutch is very close to German. In truth they are not mutually intelligible: Dutch people have to learn German at school, and in general they speak better English than German. German and Dutch are similar in the same sort of way that French and Italian are similar.

A few keys phrases: Yes: Ja (Yah); No: Nee (Nay); Thanks: Bedankt (B'dunked); Please: Graag (hkrahk -- pronounce the hk as if you are trying to pronounce an h at the same time as a k, the sort of sound a child says when saying yecchh!); Sorry: sorry (sorry, with rolled r's); excuse me: pardon (parDON).


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: The currency used in the Netherlands is the Euro expressed as EUR or €. (To remember the list of countries use the phrase "Baffling pigs").
Euros are divided into 100 cents. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros
The Dutch Guilder is no longer usable. You have to exchange old coins and notes in a bank.

There are many places to change money in town. Post offices usually give the best rates. The GWK at Central station is also good. Compare rates carefully at the exchange offices in town. Hotels are usually an expensive way to change money. Banks can be slow. There's an American Express on the Damrak, and a Thomas Cook on the Dam.
Credit cards are not as widely accepted in the Netherlands as in many other lands, but it's getting steadily better. Always enquire first if you intend to pay by credit card.

If you have an ATM card (a card for getting money out of a machine in the wall) it will most likely work in the Netherlands (indeed throughout Europe), so you don't need to take traveller's cheques. Check with your bank before leaving though. Such cards, certainly if they have a Maestro logo on them, can often also be used for direct debit payments in shops (shops that display the blue "PIN" sign, which is almost all shops).

Like in all big cities the world round, there are cheats looking for an easy target. A typical trick in less reputable establishments is, if you pay with a note, to give you change as if you tendered a note of one denomination smaller (for instance to give you change for 50 euros if you give them a 100 euro note) and then pretend it was a mistake if you notice. The best way to avoid this happening is to speak the value of the note as you hand it over ("100 euros"), so they can't claim not to have noticed.


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: The main post office ('postkantoor', 'PTT') is on the corner of the Singel near the Dam, but there are many other smaller post offices; most are closed Saturdays, the main post office is open Saturday morning. The Dutch Telephone Book is online (fill in the name and city of who you want to look up).

Phoning from a hotel room can be expensive (ask first). There are two main types of telephone boxes on the streets: cash and phone-card. Phone cards can be bought in various denominations from railway stations, tobacconists, post offices and other shops. They are typically good for long distance calls. With cash phones you should insert money before dialling; unused coins are returned at the end of the call. Because of telephone liberalisation, there are now two different companies with telephone boxes on the street; their phone cards are alas not interchangeable. Most cafés have a public phone or will let you phone locally.

To make an international call, dial 00 followed by your country code, then the national area code (usually leaving off an initial 0) and then the local number.

Many countries have a 'Call Direct' service, where a free call in the Netherlands puts you in touch with an operator in your own country where you can then arrange a reversed-charge or credit call. To dial these services, you dial 0800-022 and then a 4 digit code for the country you want. A list of these codes is in the Amsterdam Yellow Pages ('Gouden Gids').


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: Pannekoeken
Ingredients:
500 gr wheat flour
1 l milk
4 medium eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp oil
1 tsp sugar
It can be hand mixed or put in a blender. For a blender, combine all ingredients and blend. Hand method: Put flour in a bowl, make a little hole in the middle. Pour in some milk in the hole and start stirring. gradually pour in all milk, making a smooth batter. mix in the eggs, one by one, add salt, sugar and oil and mix again until the batter is smooth and not lumpy. The pancakes should be baked in a large wide frying pan (a french crepe pan is ok too) preferably in butter (or oil, if you don't like cholesterol). The butter should be very hot. Pour in some batter (about 2 or 3 tabelspoons) and bake. Turn the pancake when the upper surface is dry and bake the reverse side for approx. the same amount of time.
You can use anythind you like as a filling, use your imagination. Savoury pizzatype fillings are nice and can be put on top of the pancake after it's baked.
Classic fillings are bacon and syrup pancakes and apple pancakes. For the baconpancakes you have to fry the bacon first and then pour over the batter. They are served with dutch syrup, which has a thicker consistancy than american syrup.
Apple pancakes the same : first bake some fine chunks of apple and pour over the batter. These pancakes are great with applesyrup, but syrup or sugar and cinnamon will do as well I reckon.

Fondest Memory: Above is the receipe of dutch pancakes. Wherever you come from, once being in the Netherlands please dont miss famous dutch Pancakes. I definitely love them, dutch people can make them so soft and pleasant to your tastes, either with ham and cheese or with nice dutch syrups.The above receipe is just for your knowledge as i tried to do myself and I dont take I will ever get to make so nice ones...;), anyway..try and good luck!

Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: The 't IJ microbrewery in Amsterdam is a tiny affair too small to export, so this beer is pretty difficult to find outside the Netherlands - the review bottles were bought in an Amsterdam specialist beer shop. This is their tripel-style offering which we also tried on draught at the brewery. It is a clear, golden ale with a bubbly, quite creamy and long-lasting white head. Aroma is of vanilla and citrus fruits (orange zest, perhaps), with a hint of its alcoholic strength. On the palate it is fruity and quite hoppy, with lots of orange-zesty bitterness, hints of darker malt, and an elusive spicy touch. There is also lots of vanilla on the roof of the mouth, which seems to be characteristic of all the 't IJ beers we have tried. The hops are chiefly citrusy in character but, on the downside, tinny notes can be detected. It is quite lively, but otherwise very smooth, with a chalky texture from the bottle-conditioning yeast. Aftertaste is of chalky vanilla, with a little light malt. All in all, the bottles were something of a disappointment after trying the beer on tap at the brewery. The bottled version is perhaps more hoppy, but less subtle and complex, and slightly overcarbonated. On tap it's world class - try it if you can.


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: If you plan to stay in Amsterdam or The Netherlands for longer than three months for any reason, you need to apply for a residence permit (Verblijfsvergunning) from the Dutch consulate or embassy in your country or from the Aliens Police in The Netherlands. Permits can also be issued to those who enter the country as tourists and then decide that they wish to remain (except South African citizens). Residence permits are valid for one year but can be renewed. According to Dutch law, foreigners must carry their passports or an ID card at all times. In Amsterdam, you can apply for a residence permit at the Aliens Police Office (559 91 11), Bijlmerdreef 90, 1102 CS, Amsterdam Zuidoost. The cost of applying ranges from €22,69-56,72. EU and EEA citizens receive residence permits easily; citizens of other nations will have to demonstrate that they have a realistic prospect of a job or that they will be studying.


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: The Internet Café
Nieuwendijk 30
Telephone +31(0)20 620 09 02

The Map Processor
Bloemgracht 82
Telephone +31(0)20 421 14 82

Boek 'N Serve
Ferdinand Bolstraat 151
Telephone +31(0)20 664 34 46


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: Chocolate sprinkles that are more commonly found on cakes. These are sprinkled on bread and butter as a favourite sandwich topping and come in a number of varieties. Also available in other flavours.


Leave a Comment

Favorite Thing: Put simply, vla is custard. This is an extremely popular pudding. The most common flavours are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or a combination of two. However, other unique flavours include bitterkoekjes.


Leave a Comment