Corona business
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The coronavirus and your company: government measures to help businesses

This information is provided by Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, KVK | Government.nl | Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO. The coronavirus COVID-19, and the measures taken to restrict the spreading of the coronavirus in the Netherlands, have…
Corona
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Dutch museums closed until 1 June

From the Van Gogh Museum to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, from Frans Hals and Teylers Museum in Haarlem and Kunstmuseum and Louwman Museum in the Hague: as a result of the stricter measures taken by the government on 23 March the major museums…
coronaPhoto by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash
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Dutch crisis committee announces tougher coronavirus measures

The government’s crisis committee met again on Monday afternoon and decided that extra measures are needed to halt the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands. The Dutch government now bans gatherings until 1 June 2020, gives mayors more…
Earth Hourroyalty free (reuse without attribution)
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Earth Hour 2020: because every little helps, let’s spread the love!

Save the date! It’s happening on Saturday 28 March 2020 at 8:30 pm local time. For one hour, people all over the world will be switching the lights off in their houses, as a show of support for our beautiful, but tired planet. Will you be…
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Around Haarlem during the coronavirus crisis

It is advisable to stay indoors at this time of social distancing. We can still go outside so long as we follow the government’s current guidelines to stay at least 1.5 metres away from other people – this holds true whether you are in the…
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Would you consider moving to a meat- and dairy-free diet?

An EU subsidy for meat-related advertising has been making headlines recently. It is claimed that such a subsidy is contrary to the Dutch government’s policy of supporting initiatives that encourage the consumer to choose alternatives to meat…
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Taking time for yourself on this global journey

This article outlines tips for keeping the stress levels down for whenever you next get the chance to go globetrotting. Though, even if your upcoming travel plans have been curtailed at this time, many of these tips are also relevant in today’s…
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What it means to be Irish

For the day that’s in it – the day being St Patrick’s Day (17 March), the day when Irish people across the globe celebrate their deep-rooted identity – how about we do some reminiscing to pre-coronavirus St Patrick’s Days? Fair Éire,…
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Update on new Dutch measures as prime minister addresses the nation

The Dutch prime minister has given a historic live address to the nation to explain the ongoing measures the government is taking. The first new regulations were issued last week in response to the continued rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19),…
coronavirus
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Netherlands closes schools, bars, cafes and restaurants in coronavirus fight

All schools and daycare centres in the Netherlands will be shut from Monday 16 March until at least Monday 6 April in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In addition, bars, cafes, restaurants, sex clubs, cannabis cafes, saunas and…
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Tips for tackling infidelity and taking steps to heal

Forgiveness in the face of infidelity is a tough call, but it may be your one saving grace as you begin the process of healing and take steps to moving on with your life, whether that will be in or out of the relationship. Cheating, infidelity,…
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Five books with a feminist focus for International Women’s Day

International Women's Day (Sunday 8 March) is a global day of celebration of the social and political achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This list contains some of the books that have helped me educate…
kids book museumroyalty free (author's own photo, no credit required)
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A Day Trip to the Children’s Book Museum

The Children’s Book Museum, a museum dedicated to Dutch language children’s books, delights the young and old with beautiful design and creative exhibitions. What could be better that finding a weekend activity for your children that…
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Quick and easy job interview prep tips

Once you’ve made it past the application into the interview phase, your excitement may quickly turn to nerves. Instead of letting your anxiety take over, follow these quick and easy job tips for preparing for an interview so you can walk in…
March eventsRoyalty free (re-use with no attribution)
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Things to do in Haarlem this March

The March agenda offers many and varied opportunities to get out and about. There are practical activities offering help with taxes, choosing schools and improving your Dutch, social events including theatre, comedy and our first monthly drink…
Hand washingRoyalty free with no accreditation required
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Will Dutch hand washing habits improve in order to combat coronavirus?

With the announcement today of the second case of coronavirus in the Netherlands, the advice from authorities is to stay hygienic and keep on top of hand washing habits. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment…
Housing pricesRoyalty free (re-use without accreditation)
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Housing crisis: Bloemendaal officially branded the most expensive place to buy a house in the Netherlands

Do you remember those golden days, when buying a house didn’t require you to sell an arm, two kidneys, your soul and your first-born child? Yeah, us neither. Due to steady immigration, limited space for new builds, banks’ speculative behaviours…
comedy nights
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Comedy double this March in Haarlem

Get a double dose of laughs during March at the English spoken comedy nights: Haarlem Comedy Cafe (7 March) and Comedy on Top of Haarlem (13 March). Get your tickets soon before they sell out! If you joined us for the comedy night in February,…
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March expatsHaarlem monthly drink

Our next monthly event for expats and Dutchies to get together for a social drink is happening on Saturday 7 March at Cafe de Zwaan. It has been a while since we had our official monthly drink event. Good news: we are back! On the first…
Tackling lonelinessRoyalty free (photo is author's own)
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Stop feeling lonely: two hacks to cure loneliness

How to stop feeling lonely. Good morning! I feel lost, disoriented, invisible, weird, uncertain, new, strange. Today I woke up in a new country alone. I don’t know anything here, I don’t know the area, I don’t know where to…
Dutch wineRoyalty free with no attribution required (from rawpixel)
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Dutch wine: take a tour to discover your new favourite tipple

I know what you are thinking: the Netherlands is famous for its beer and its jenever, but surely not for its wine? Well, we are here to tell you that Dutch wine does exist, and it is a delight to the taste buds. Not only that, in recent years…
code yellow
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Again code yellow in province for strong gusts of wind

For the whole of the Noord-Holland The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued code yellow for strong gusts of wind. According to the Dutch national weather institute, there is a risk of heavy gusts of wind up to around…
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Record new businesses opened in NL last year

A record number of new businesses opened in the Netherlands last year. A total of 207 thousand companies started operating in 2019. That is 23 thousand more than opened in 2018, which was also a record year, according to figures Statistics Netherlands…
Carnaval
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Carnival parade in Eindhoven cancelled due to high winds

The Carnival parade in Eindhoven has been cancelled this weekend due to forecasted high winds. Carnival organisers made known that other activities would still go ahead in a revised order. But their carnival procession has been cancelled…
Daycare
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Choosing a daycare in Haarlem: 10 things to consider

It can be tough making that decision about which daycare centre to select for your little one. Here we provide some key tips and outline aspects to be taken into consideration, so you can be confident in your decision. Haarlem has a wide…
Gluren bij de BurenRoyalty-free (author's own pic)
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Musical tour of Haarlem with Gluren bij de Buren

On the day that many people stayed holed up behind closed doors due to the fact Storm Ciara was making her presence felt outside, myself and the rest of the 'Gluren gang' took to the streets for a musical tour of Haarlem. What awaited us were…
Love letter to the NetherlandsRe-use with no attribution required
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My love letter to the Netherlands

Dutch life from the perspective of an expat living in these flat lands for 6 months is the focus of this post. It is an amorous missive – perfectly timed in the run-up to the most romantic of days. Dear Netherlands (or the more affectionate…
Ciara
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Storm Ciara to hit Netherlands on Sunday

The first storm of the year will hit the Netherlands on Sunday, according to Weeronline. Winter storm Ciara will bring strong winds with gusts up to 140 kilometers per hour, rain and lightning with it, the weather service expects. Sunday…
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A day off in Hoofddorp

From water to land, between history and modernity: explore Hoofddorp in the heart of the Haarlemmermeer. It was a little over a year ago, when I arrived in the Netherlands initially, that I first heard about Hoofddorp. “Hawfff-what?”…
More Brits moving to the Netherlands
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Steep increase in the number of Brits moving to the Netherlands

The number of British people moving to the Netherlands increased further during 2019 compared with previous years. The announcement was by the Dutch national statistics agency on 31 Jan 2020, coinciding with Brexit – the very day that Britain…