Tag: Dutch

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Edam, Netherlands: Cheese and Slavery

Sorry, Amsterdam. I don’t mean to totally dog you for the second post in a row. You really are great. Your waters calm my soul and your church bells lighten my steps. You’re bike-friendly. More than that, you’re PRO-bike. But even I, the normally happy-go-lucky, hopelessly-optimistic, yours truly wants to fly the bird at the world sometimes. I wanna leave you. It’s me, not you. 

Edam. A town that proves that you haven’t seen a country until you’ve seen its country(side).  Continue reading “Edam, Netherlands: Cheese and Slavery”

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Go See: Amsterdam by Bicycle, Canals, Windmills and Beer

One of the first things you’ll notice is thousands of bicycles propped and locked up along the canals’ guard rails. Practically everyone in Amsterdam gets around by bike. So in the words of popular kids in high schools everywhere: everyone is doing it, and YES, you should, too.

Continue reading “Go See: Amsterdam by Bicycle, Canals, Windmills and Beer”

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Can I Bring Tulip Bulbs from Holland Home to the United States?

There’s two things that grow in Holland that interest most tourists: Tulips and Marijuana. You can find them both in Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt floating on the Singel canal.  Continue reading “Can I Bring Tulip Bulbs from Holland Home to the United States?”

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Birthdays in Holland: Before Facebook, the Dutch Showed the Love on Real Walls, and Other Notes on the Netherlands

Birthday Love!

I celebrated my birthday three weeks ago. Hooray, 34! Dozens of friends and family members sent me their congratulations, greetings and all around good vibes on my Facebook profile. A friend recently said, “I love Facebook birthdays. You really feel the love.” I very much agree. (That’s the Leo in me talking.)

Not everyone agrees with us, and I see their points, though I myself disagree. Sam Biddle of Gizmodo’s User Guide said, “On Facebook, your birthday is automated and empty because nobody has to devote a single shred of mental energy to remembering or celebrating it.” And JD Rucker at Soshable commented, “We used to get cards. We used to get calls. We used to get visitors. Today, we get wall posts.”  Continue reading “Birthdays in Holland: Before Facebook, the Dutch Showed the Love on Real Walls, and Other Notes on the Netherlands”