The Dutch are friendly people and most of them speak English very well.
They have some cultural peculiarities and it's helpful to get to know some of them in advance.
Please note, that I'm not dutch myself and that I have collected these tips over the years.
The information below might be incorrect and is solely based on my personal experience
#1 rent a bike
The Netherlands are a very flat area and the prefered mode of transportation is the bicycle.
A bicycle is called fiets and you can rent one at the local fietsverhuur.
Make sure you get one with a decent luggage rack, so you can carry a passenger.
#2 don't block the fietspad
Many tourists don't understand the concept of the fietspad - the bicycle lane.
If you just stepped out of the coffeeshop and you are wondering, why there is nobody else walking down the center of the pedestrian area - It's because you are in the bicycle lane.
Oppassen ! (Attention)
That's a major mistake - Don't be that tourist !
#3 don't pee into the gracht
Because it's such a flat country and a good part of it is below sealevel, the Dutch have to constantly drain their land.
Thats why there is an impressive net of canals, called grachten and so many windmills.
There are grachten all through Amsterdam and I know it can be tempting.
That's not the sewer system and instead you can pee in open stalls right in the street.
Just follow the smell.
#4 don't stare
When you walk through Amsterdam, or the Netherlands in general, you will notice that most houses don't have curtains.
You might go window-shopping and while 10 windows had been displays for a business, the next window could be to somebodies home and he's just having breakfast or is cutting his toenails.
Just act like it's normal.
#5 try frikandel
If you want to dive right into a different culture, it's a good way to start with food.
You can try your newly learned vocabulary in a local snackbar.
The dutch like their fastfood deep fried.
Frikandel is a very unusual way to prepare a meatball and very unique in it's style;
It goes well with frieten.
Todays vocabulary list:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Goede morgen ! | Good morning ! |
| Oppassen ! | Watch out ! |
| fiets | bicycle |
| bromfiets | motorized bycicle |
| voet, voeten | foot, feet |
| te huur | to rent |
| frieten kopen | to buy fries |
| frikandel | odd hamburger patty |
| kan niet verstaan | I don't understand |
| Tot ziens ! | See you ! |
This is a follow-up on this post ( just in case you have missed it ):
@felixxx/steemfest-preparation-10-helpful-words-and-expressions-in-dutch
If you find any mistakes, please let me know below.
I hope I could inspire you to start learning some Dutch and do a little research before your trip to Amsterdam - It's fun !
Have a great day !