(I had initially planned to write this blog after just a month in Amsterdam (so in July 2021) but am writing it almost after a year. So obviously these are no more first impressions, but still initial impressions)
My first view of Central Amsterdam, in summer |
Second, unlike my initial expectations, there was a lot that was different about Netherlands than the UK. Some of these differences came as a surprise to me while most of them came with a laugh. I don’t know why, I thought most European countries would be more similar than dissimilar. But that is not the case as I slowly learnt. I've finally come to the conclusion that even though Netherlands is a small country, the Dutch are quite a different kind of people. They have their very own culture different from their neighbours, and with a lot of unique quirks. And so it has been quite an interesting journey to find out about these differences.
The gorgeous Centrum canals, in fall |
Tree lined Centrum canals, in summer |
Amsterdam at night, in winter |
Canal bridges, in summer |
Trader houses, in summer |
All these old Dutch houses are all painted in different bright colours which is one of the biggest reasons for the beauty of the old city. They also have their own unique architecture - narrow floors, with narrow winding staircases to go up. And some weird setups inside too as they were modernised much later. Like walking through a bathroom to get to the bedroom, having sinks in the bedroom and so on. Some of them also have sloping walls inside because of the leaning walls. They are always a pleasure to explore.
Unlike other European capitals, Amsterdam does not have a lot of grand stone buildings. Only a few that you can count on your fingers. Like the Centraal Station, Rijksmuseum, Royal Palace and a few others. The rest are just the trader canal houses. And this is also a Dutch thing – trying not to be too much of a show-off. This shows in its buildings, architecture as well as its people - as a country, they are not focussed on show of wealth at all..
Quieter streets in Pijp |
Street in Zuid |
Beatrixpark, in fall |
Noord Amsterdam, in summer |
Streets in fall |
It was quite impressive to see people being able to do so much right in the centre of the city. All of summer, starting from early mornings, every day of the week, including weekdays! They definitely make the most of the few sunny days of the year, and being in the water is definitely the most popular way. I also saw some children living in the houseboats jumping into the canal every time a boat passed by, to splash water on them! It was funny to watch. And must have been even more fun for them. (In my first month, I was so impressed with all the boats, I almost wanted to buy a boat, even before finding a house for myself 😉.)
Fall colours |
The whole vibe of Amsterdam is very chilled. No grand buildings, not too much of a show-off. And so are the Dutch. Everyone cycles everywhere. So everyone is dressed up to cycle, not really “dressed up” much for anything else, which gives everything a very relaxed vibe to it. And high heels are a no-no, as they just don’t work well with cycles and all the walking around.
The culture is quite open and forward looking. So people are quite chill about most things, and no one is bothered by what others are doing. There is also very less judgement of what others are doing and less poshness about what they are doing, unlike the UK. It’s quite ok to just be yourself and unposh. Not sure if I am explaining it the right way but people just do what they want, like take chairs and put it outside their doors on the street to enjoy the sun. No one cares how it looks. And that's very different from the UK where being proper is more common.
The downside of this though is that people are quite individualistic here, and much less considerate of others (again unlike the UK). There is a lesser sense of fair play, and I notice it most around how cyclists ride the bikes around the city. With total disregard for anyone other than themselves, flouting all rules to get ahead (It felt like only expats and tourists were following cycling rules!). As well as drivers, trying to get ahead as much as they can. Unlike UK where there is more consideration for other’s comfort and convenience, and queues are so sacrosanct, I find that care and consideration missing here. The neighbours still talk to each other and help out more though, which is different than in the UK. And quite a welcome difference.
Cycling in the local forest, the Bos during winter |
Things can be quite bureaucratic in Netherlands especially with processes linked to the government. You must register at multiple places before you can start living here. And submit so many documents, it feels like there is no privacy possible from the government. There is too much paperwork involved for the first few months, really too much. There are also too many rules everywhere and they are followed to the T even if they don’t make sense. Which is a bit of a surprise as the Dutch don’t believe in following many rules themselves😊. I saw this everywhere, around driving, cycling, lockdown rules etc.. So I guess all the roles are mostly for the expats!
Almost everyone speaks English, so that is helpful if you are an expat. And the best part is, they are open to speaking in English (unlike the French!). That being said, Dutch is still the official language, and all written and automated communication is still in Dutch. For example, local and government websites, local apps, emails from utilities, housing contracts, packaging and instructions on everything in the supermarkets, road signs, letters from the government and so on are all in Dutch. So it is not easy to get by without knowing Dutch thought definitely possible. (I must say though, kudos to Google translate for having developed such an awesome app – it is a life safer, really!)
There are some other typical Dutch characteristics that I can vouch for, and some not. The Dutch are supposed to be direct, but I don’t believe it. In my experience, I haven’t seen everyone always say what they really mean. Though they do love to complain, so then of course it’s all communicated directly. And going Dutch is really a thing😊. They do love to split the bill, accurately! And for that, they have their very own Dutch app, called Tikki. Which can do the splitting and transfer of money extremely conveniently. And the last thing, they really do eat early dinners. Like at 6pm. This is followed quite commonly and is something I find tougher to get used to.
Vondelpark in spring |
Cycling in the countryside, 10 mins from Amsterdam |
Also given how safe the city is, one kind of crime is quite rampant - cycle theft. Locals suggest buying cheap bikes but spend 3 times that amount on buying strong locks! Cycles are stolen so regularly, that it’s not even reported to the police. And lot of them find their way into the canals, wonder how. So people buy multiple bikes. Cheaper city bikes for biking in the city which can be parked anywhere, and more expensive ones for longer range cycling which are kept safely inside.
The roads especially in the Centrum are quite narrow but support different means of transport - trams, cars, pedestrians, covered "scooters" (they look like half cars) and cyclists (along with boats in the canals), with the cyclists ruling the road and being the most aggressive. Driving on the centrum roads is something I still haven’t tried; it feels so daunting. But one day surely, I will try it.
The Rijksmuseum, in spring |
In addition, during summer there are loads of festivals happening all over the country. Last year they didn’t take place given the lockdown, but apparently they are quite a highlight in the calendar. But there are smaller events happening within Amsterdam too during summer. One day, I saw a theatre performance happening inside a shop window on the street, with people standing outside and watching it. And another day, some children were dancing to Spanish music in a restaurant on one of the sunny afternoons. Basically in summer, anything goes 😊.
In the first few months in Amsterdam, there were some more interesting quirks I noticed around me. Which made me laugh, or say 'are you kidding me?' Am listing a few here:
- Bank accounts in Netherlands are not free, plus they pay 0 interest. And if you have cash beyond a certain amount in your account, you need to pay an interest rate to the bank! Plus there are no free bank accounts, credit cards etc.. You need to pay for everything, which is a first for me.
- Also supermarkets and smaller shops in Netherlands only accept local Maestro cards; global cards like Visa and Mastercard are not accepted (in this day and age!). So as convenient the payment system is, it works well only if you are a resident of the country.
- Taxes are super high in Netherlands. Still I was surprised to know that healthcare is not free in the country. You must buy expensive insurance even after paying all the taxes, to take care of your health. So it’s not as all like in the UK where you have the NHS for free.
- Apparently the Dutch are one of the most heavily insured countries. There is insurance for everything and anything. And people actually buy all those types of insurances, especially the third-party liability one. Everyone told me to definitely buy that. It protects you from things like if you visit someone and drop drinks on the carpet or couch, just exchange the insurance numbers and you are done!
- Netherlands has been an open minded country from the beginning, preferring the republic to monarchy, and being independent often. And apparently for Amsterdam trade has been the biggest religion forever, not really real religion. Also supposedly nationalism is low in NL but I didn't feel that. I think the Dutch are quite proud of their country.
- Processes in Netherlands are quite bureaucratic. I don't even remember the number of times, I had to fill up forms for so many things or filled the wrong form because there were multiple versions of the same form online, or had to call multiple numbers to get some information. Things were not clear a lot of times, and a different person on the government customer care line would give a different answer than another one! I found it quite surprising to be honest to see how things work here sometimes.
- Finding good housing (rental or sale) is extremely tough in Amsterdam. Prices have been skyrocketing for a few years now, mostly driven by expats. Places are bid for and go 20-30% above the bid price. And this is when a lot of the houses in central are so small, stuffy and old. They have narrow staircases, less space and so on. Its tough to find good houses in Amsterdam. But they still go at a high price! It’s a supply demand problem at a completely different level to what I have seen elsewhere.
- There was no lockdown in Netherlands during the first wave. And even during the second wave, all there was, was a night curfew which led to serious rioting as the Dutch thought this was like taking away their freedom. Most people were not wearing masks even in 2021 summer, and just did not care. This laxness felt very different from London for sure
- Even though for tourists, Amsterdam stands for weed and red-light areas, the locals don’t talk about it much. Like at all. Maybe because it’s just there and been there always, its lost any of its appeal.
- There are multiple red-light streets in the city. While walking on a normal street, you can suddenly come across a few red lined windows, and then back to restaurants with people sitting outside in the sun and enjoying a nice brunch. It was quite jarring to see how streets change so quickly.
- Netherlands is not a religious country anymore, lot of people are atheists. So a lot of the grand churches in the city have been turned into non-religious places. In fact, the two biggest churches in Amsterdam, Oudekerk and Nieuwekerk have now been transformed into exhibition venues.
- There are loads of museums in the city – the Dutch love their museums a lot. There must be 100s of them, big and small in the city. But these are also tucked away along the streets, and it’s very easy to miss them most of the times.
- Netherlands has its own types of bikes where the brake is in the pedal!!! A lot of people own those, as do the rentals. I was like, really? Why make them so different?
- Dutch food doesn’t have a lot of dishes. As the Dutch were primarily farmers for a long time, their food is quite simple. As are their habits and customs, as they were all farmers earlier and led simpler lives.
- The sun is as revered here as much as in the UK. The days the sun was out, everyone was out (even if it was a weekday). And the Saturday when it was cloudy, everyone was inside 😁).
And so the journey continues for me. Each day is about finding something new, something different about this city. And it’s quite a fun experience. I am very impressed with Amsterdam and enjoy it a lot – it’s a lovely place, with a lot to offer – small town living, relaxed lifestyle and nature close by. Totally a place to live.
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