Museon, Den Haag

Posted by heather No Comments
Feb 9 2012

MuseonThere are plenty of great places to visit on a trip to The Hague but one place that often gets overlooked is Museon.

Museon is a museum (say that ten times fast!) located on the Stadhouderslaan.  Its neighbours include the Gemeentemuseum, the Fotomuseum and the Omniversum-IMAX theatre – meaning you can make a whole day out of visiting museums if you were really up for it.

Museon’s focus is a little hard to explain, but in their own words, “Museon aims at transferring knowledge about man and his relation with nature and culture and provides easily accessible information about topical themes and developments in science and society.”

What I can say is that Museon is a great place to visit with kids or if you are really just a big kid yourself.  The exhibits and programmes are highly interactive, i.e. there are loads of things to play with, try out and in general just have some fun.  The exhibition schedule is always changing, so it is best to check the website before going.

If playing games and learning how things work isn’t really your thing (or you lack children to bring along), then don’t discount Museon just yet.  The museum also provides events and exhibitions for adults.  Playing host to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is, in my opinion, one of the best.

“Now in its 48th year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is an international showcase for the very best nature photography.  The competition is owned by two UK institutions that pride themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth – the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.” – Natural History Museum website

Whatever your reason for visiting, Museon comes highly rated and is likely to have you leaving with a smile on your face.  Have you ever been to Museon?

The Verb Zijn (To Be)

Posted by heather No Comments
Feb 7 2012

Verbs might not be the most exciting part of a language but they are one of the most important.  With that in mind, today we will take a look at the verb zijn, which means to be.

Here are some examples of the verb at work:

  • Ik ben de lerares. (I am the teacher.)
  • Zij zijn Nederlanders. (They are Dutch.)
  • Zij is een meisje. (She is a girl.)

The conjugation of the verb zijn is irregular, just like in English.  So, this is one of those verbs that you will need to learn by heart.  In the present tense, there are four finite or conjugated verbs.

Dutch

English

ik ben

I am

jij/je bent

you are (informal, singular)

u bent

you are (formal, singular)

hij, zij/ze, het is

he, she, it is

wij/we zijn

we are

jullie zijn

you are (informal, plural)

u bent

you are (formal, plural)

zij/ze zijn

they are

The verb zijn can be used for quite a few things.  For example, you can use it to tell nationalities:

Ik ben Amerikaan. (I am American.)

You can also use it to identify things:

Jij bent een kind. (You are a child.)

And to give basic descriptions:

Zij is oud. (She is old.)

Some Opportunities for Practise:

Vul de geode vorm van het werkwoord ‘zijn’ in. (Fill in the correct form of the verb ‘to be.’)

  1.  Ik _______ ziek.
  2. Wij _______ op school.
  3. U _________ aardig.
  4. Jullie ________ te laat.
  5. Zij __________ lerares.

Vul het persoonswoord en een vorm van ‘zijn’ in. (Fill in the subject pronoun and a form of ‘to be.’)

  1. De leraar kijkt naar ons.  ____ ____ boos.
  2. Ik maak veel fouten.  ____ _____ verdrietig.
  3. Moeder ligt in bed.  ___ ____ ziek.

Goed of Fout? Omcirkel het juiste antwoord. (Right or Wrong? Circle the correct answer.)

  1. Ik is ziek.              Goed / fout
  2. Wij zijn cursisten.             Goed / fout
  3. Het meisje ben mooi.    Goed / fout

Netherlands: What’s Happening in February

Posted by heather 1 Comment
Feb 2 2012

calendarWe are already into the second month of 2012.  The time seems to speed by.  So, what can you expect in the Netherlands for the month of February?  Here are some of the highlights:

  • Friesland – Now that the temperatures have finally dropped and winter appears to truly have arrived, the province of Friesland is pulling on their skates and preparing for the possibility of an elfstedentocht (11 cities tour).  Do you think it will happen?
  • They’ll be swapping skates for funny costumes in Noord Brabant and Limburg where February means carnival season.
  • The Studentenkamer Festival has student rooms being transformed into small theatres for music, dance, theatre, cabaret, poetry and film.
  • The Holland Flower Festival will be taking place from February 22 to February 26th.  You’ll be able to get your flower fill out the largest under-cover (as in protected from the elements rather than a secret event) floral gardens in the Netherlands.  This year’s theme focuses on India.
  • The International Film Festival Rotterdam is running for a few more days, until February 5th.  As the website explains, “The International Film Festival Rotterdam offers you a great opportunity to enjoy the work of talented film makers of the future. The real film lovers can even mingle and chat with the representatives of the film industry.”
  • From the 9th of February until the 12th you can visit the International Art Fair of the Netherlands. “Emerging talents and the latest developments in visual art gather at Rotterdam’s international art fair: Art Rotterdam. Seventy international galleries, selected on the basis of quality and originality, present their most talented artists to you.” – ART website
  • Last but not least, there is one for the tennis fans amongst the group.  February 13th through to the 19th is the annual ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at Ahoy in Rotterdam.  The tournament is one of the world’s biggest indoor tennis tournaments and attracts thousands of fans each year.

What will you be doing in February?

Famous Dutch Person: Tiësto

Posted by heather No Comments
Jan 31 2012

If you are a fan of the DJing scene, then you no doubt will have heard of DJ Tiësto.  Even if you aren’t into DJing, you may have heard of him. He sounds a bit like this:

YouTube Preview Image

DJ Tiësto is a DJ and record producer with a passion for electronic dance music.  But did you know that he is Dutch?

DJ Tiësto

Image Credit: nestland

Tiësto was born Tijs Michiel Verwst on January 17th 1969 in Breda, North Brabant.  He has had numerous names associated with him but the most famous one is DJ Tiësto.  About five years ago he decided to drop the “DJ” portion of the name and is now known as Tiësto, which is an Italian twist of his old childhood nickname.

Tiësto became interested in music from around the age of twelve and by the age of fourteen he was already DJing at school parties.  His success has continued to grow and in the early 2000’s he became the first DJ to perform to a large audience without any other DJs or opening acts.  From 2002-2004 he was crowned the “World’s Number 1 DJ,” three consecutive times by DJ Magazine.  Tiësto was also recently voted “The Greatest DJ of All Time” in the dance music publication, Mixmag.

Here’s another video for you:

YouTube Preview Image

 

Discography

Studio albums:

  • 2001 In My Memory (As DJ Tiësto)
  • 2004 Just Be (As DJ Tiësto)
  • 2007 Elements of Life (As Tiësto)
  • 2009 Kaleidoscope (As Tiësto)
  • 2011 Kiss From The Past (As Allure)

Tours

  • 2002: Area2 Tour
  • 2004: Just Be: Train Tour
  • 2005: Tiësto In Concert: North America Tour 2005
  • 2005: Central Eastern European Tour 2005
  • 2006: In Search of Sunrise 5 Asia Tour
  • 2007–2008: Elements of Life World Tour
  • 2008: In Search of Sunrise: Summer Tour 2008
  • 2009–2010: Kaleidoscope World Tour
  • 2011: College Invasion Tour

Dutch Food: Hutspot

Posted by heather No Comments
Jan 24 2012

HutspotIt is finally getting a little colder in the Netherlands and if the weather reports are to be believed, then from Sunday on, it is going to be a whole lot colder.  Cold weather is the perfect time to eat one of the all-time favourite Dutch dishes, hutspot.

Hutspot is a dish made from boiled and mashed potatoes (or parsnip when potatoes did not exist in Europe), onion and carrots. It is often served with smoked sausage or smoked bacon.

If you thought hutspot was a bit boring, think again.  The history behind the dish is pretty interesting.  From Wikipedia:

“According to legend, the recipe came from the cooked bits of potato left behind by hastily departing Spanish soldiers during their Siege of Leiden in 1574 during the Eighty Year’s War, when the liberators breached the dikes of the lower lying polders surrounding the city. This flooded all the fields around the city with around a foot of water. As there were few, if any, high points (and September in the Netherlands is not exactly a warm month), the Spanish soldiers camping in the fields were essentially flushed out.

During the Nazi occupation the dish came to represent freedom from oppression since its ingredients could be grown beneath the soil and thus somewhat hidden from sight, and the carrots gave the dish an orange colour, which represents the Dutch Royal Family.”

Depending on who you talk to, hutspot may also be called Peen en Ui (Carrots and Onion) or Ui en Peen (Onion and Carrots). But however you decide to call it just be careful with your pronunciation.  Otherwise you might find yourself with a wireless internet connection (‘hotspot’) instead of the tasty orange dish.

Do you like hutspot?

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