Like the housing and the language and people and daily life?
also can you really smoke weed there leagally? The housing is quite expensive especially in Randstad (rim city) areas of its 4 big cities: The Hague (Den Haag),
Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht. There is well maintanence of public transport so people are very common to daily commute from city to city by train. Like me, I live in Rotterdam but daily commute to work in the Hague.
People in the Netherlands speak Dutch (national language) but English is widely spoken. Dutch people are modest in living. They like to cycle and there is special line for cyclist in all streets (except in highways, of course). They are simple, very direct, and precies in spending money. Dutch cuisine is not so popular even for the Dutch themselves. However, they are famous for their cheese (kaas in Dutch).
Most younger generation are known to be non believers. Living together for years and having children without married are very common and socially accepted. Gays couple is having equal rights same as straight couple for marriage.
In April 30, the Dutch is celebrating Queen's day when all Dutch are partying in the street wearing orange clothes (orange is Dutch national colour). In summer, some cities are having street parties such as Gay Pride (Amsterdam), Summer Festival (Rotterdam), FFWD Trance-House music Party (Rotterdam). I am particular like the street parties in Rotterdam more than in Amsterdam. Check this website for detail program of summer festival in Rotterdam: http://www.zomerfestivals.eu/
You can smoke weed in coffee shops or clubbing places in any cities in the Netherlands. Not all public areas allows smoking weed, but the Dutch police would not caught people smoking weed in public areas. Ive been there.. Its different than anything you can imagine.. You can go to coffee shops where they roll and smoke weed and yes, its legal!! People get around by trolley and bikes that they rent.. Plus the red light district is available for those wanting quick sex. Theres a lot of waterways and nostalgic buildings around.. The food is different too. But they have McD's too.. Very fun place!! ive been there too, but sadly never left schiphol airport. The language is Germanic, it is like a cross between German and English with some Scandinavian and French thrown in.
The housing can be expensive, particularly in the richer west, around Amsterdam and the Hague.
The people are fine, friendly, and professional. One thing I quite like about the Netherlands is that you have to be trained for most jobs, so even the shop assistants are very professional. And most people have some English, you have very few problems with waiting staff in restaurants not being able to explain the menu, for example.
Daily life: reasonably good public transport system. Streamlined bureaucracy. People are on time, if they are late they will let you know (usually).
Now, the weed question. You can possess a small amount of weed for personal use, but if you try to sell it, you can be arrested. Soft drugs are not actually legal in the Netherlands, despite the proliferation of coffeeshops, they are merely tolerated by the police and lawmakers simply because these drugs are considered the lesser of the two evils.
The police decided on this strategy to combat the trade in harder, more dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin, and it has largely worked - and I wish that other EU countries would take note of this. The police allow the sale of soft drugs in coffeeshops, but if they catch even the merest hint of a rumour that a coffeeshop has started to deal in, say, heroin, they will move in there and shut them down within an hour.
Through a loophole in the law coffeeshops are not actually permitted to buy soft drugs (because they need large quantities), but they are clandestine about it and the police usually turn a blind eye to it. Only coffeeshops known to the police and whose owners and managers cooperate with the police are permitted to remain in business.
So you see, it's actually very very strict indeed.
If you visit the Netherlands, don't make the mistake of assuming that you can smoke weed anywhere - you cannot. If you light up in a department store, for example, you could be arrested. Don't try it in pubs or cafes either, unless the place has a weed-smoking policy. (Tobacco will be outlawed in public places this year, so check first before going in.) Personal use of cannabis is permitted in private only, or in the coffeeshops. |
