anandus
Errorist
There is a Dutch version too, but it's a normal English saying as far as I know
Ask a Dutchman!
- Thread starter Agent327
- Start date
mayor
Heart & Mind
Well, knowing that the monkey has come out of the sleave
I was in Delft this week and I felt I was being recognized of being a foreigner for walking instead of biking. And then I was stopped on the street and asked whether I wanted to buy a bike.
So what do the Dutch think when they see someone walking instead of biking in a Dutch city?
So what do the Dutch think when they see someone walking instead of biking in a Dutch city?
What I've heard regarding no bike: "How inefficient, why would you do that?"
But quite some people walk here, so it's not *that* unusual, apparently.
@Amsterdam: We made a boat tour, which was not exactly great, but you get to see a bit from the city.
Apparently there's also some giant sort of tulip garden, which is supposed to be really nice.
If so, then it's also Denglish.
But well, doesn't seem so, at least the German English online dictionary has it as a valid phrase.
But quite some people walk here, so it's not *that* unusual, apparently.
@Amsterdam: We made a boat tour, which was not exactly great, but you get to see a bit from the city.
Apparently there's also some giant sort of tulip garden, which is supposed to be really nice.
If so, then it's also Denglish.
But well, doesn't seem so, at least the German English online dictionary has it as a valid phrase.
Quackers
The Frog
Avoid like the plague or varients is a phrase is used in English 
anandus
Errorist
Do you mean the Keukenhof?
It is nice, but also very touristy (it's so touristy that I don't know any Dutch person that has ever been there). It always makes me think of old ladies, I don't know why.
You'd probably have a better day renting a bike in that general area (the so-called 'Bollenstreek', literally bulb-area) and cycling through the flower-filled polders.
But that's my personal opinion. And I wouldn't immediately know where to rent a bike (as I have my own).
If somebody offers you a bike on the street then it's *always* stolen.
Interesting fact: Every year about one million bikes are stolen. On a population of 16.5 million inhabitants.
Tahuti
Writing Deity
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2005
- Messages
- 9,492
We Dutch have no right to note how things are touristy in our country, as we are one of the peoples most responsible for making other places touristy!
anandus
Errorist
Well, there is a soap around a 'national song for the king', which was actually really really awful and there was a storm of critique.
So now the auther 'revoked the song' (his words, I don't know how you revoke a song).
But apart from the song soap everything is going smoothly I believe, nine days and there's a new monarch.
Jan H
Prince
You can withdraw it, but 'revoke'?
I'm actually interested in the fate of this assylum seeker.
anandus
Errorist
In Dutch it's the same word for both
Still weird how one would 'withdraw' a song. It's not like everyone all of a sudden forgets the song ever existed.
He's dead.
Here's sort of a summary of what happened: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/04/dolmatov_asylum_failings_not_a.php
It wasn't the government being grossly negligent, but the officials working at the asylum detention center where he was being held. The responsible state secretary (not secretary of state, as those are called "minister" here) let it be known that the unfortunate death of Mr Dolmatov was an incident (obviously), and that he "didn't want to resign, but act" (as if resigning when the officials in your ministry are grossly negligent isn't an act). After some perfunctory debate in parliament he was then congratulated on staying put by members of parliament (a motion to dismiss the secretary put forward by the Animal Party - yes, we have that as well - was unanimously rejected).
After the, obviously completely unrelated, visit of the president of the Russian Federation to our "beautiful country" (words of our PM), Mr Putin can be pleased we know how to get rid of obnoxious Russian exiles. (His suicide also conceniently evaded the awkward outcome of having to actually send him back to the country Mr Dolmatov was trying to flee from.)
Actually our whole asylum/immigration procedure is a bit of a mess. Another incident last year involved the death of several asylum seekers as the officials of the asylum detention center where they were being held failed to put out a fire. So it might be fair to say that these "incidents" rather form a pattern. So much for the "tolerant Dutch nation" (also a bit of a misnomed myth about the Netherlands).
That's all for now.
mayor
Heart & Mind
Who signed the petition to lower the monarchs salary?
For those interested currently its € 825.000 a year
For those interested currently its € 825.000 a year
