Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Posted by heather No Comments
Jan 19 2012

Rhythm of the Harbour“Situated in the bustling heart of Rotterdam, the Maritime Museum Rotterdam is one of the world’s top maritime museums. It was founded in 1874 and is the oldest maritime museum in the Netherlands.” – Maritime Museum Rotterdam website

The Maritime Museum is located in the city centre of Rotterdam, about half way between Central Station and the Erasmusbrug. It is a large building, which apart from the ships behind it (only one of which is actually part of the museum) looks rather plain from the outside.  Once inside, you get your ticket, hang-up your coat and head off to explore.

The first stop is the Feel the Rhythm of Rotterdam Port exhibition. In this large room, there is a miniature version of Rotterdam harbour, which lights up. On large screens you see old images of the city and the harbour, all whilst a soundtrack of ship building noises is played.  Up one floor and looking in on the exhibition is a row of computers where you can pick your destination and time period by touching the computer screen.

From here you can head upstairs where the more temporary exhibitions are held.  These change quite regularly so it is always best to check the website for full details.  One of the exhibits when I visited last was called Animals On Board, where you could learn about the animals that were transported between countries, how and why.

However, the best bit in my opinion, of the whole museum is the free entry onto one of the former naval ships dating back from 1868, known as De Buffel (The Buffalo). The ship itself isn’t huge but it does have several levels that you are able to explore. The ship is filled with information (in several languages), has loads of hands on activities and all the areas are kitted out with replica furnishings, realistic sounds and even some costumed mannequins.

All-in-all the Maritime Museum Rotterdam is an interesting  museum to visit. Access to the Buffel is via your museum ticket so don’t forget to pick it up at the entrance.

Dutch Superstitions: True or Untrue?

Posted by heather 5 Comments
Jan 12 2012

Tomorrow is the big 13, as in Friday the 13th that is.  For many people this date alone fills them with dread and the worry that everything that could go wrong will. But are the Dutch superstitious?  This was a question I was thinking about this morning and to be honest, I could not think of a single instance where I have heard of a Dutch person worried about Friday the 13th.

So I headed to Google to see if I could find any answers on the question.  While I did find quite a few lists of supposed Dutch superstitions, including the general “don’t walk under a ladder,” there were many, many more that I had never heard of.  So, I tried some of them out on my resident Dutchie.

Me: “Should I sing at the dinner table?”

Him: “Well you can but I don’t think it will improve your singing any.”

Me: “No, but would you think I was then singing to the devil for my supper?”

Him: ”Umm, no.”

Me: “Okay, well what about New Years?  Is what we are doing on New Years going to be what we do all year?”

Him: “Where are you getting these from.”

So, Transparent Language Dutch readers,, put me out of my misery and tell me what Dutch superstitions you have heard of or believe in.  I’m keen to find out.  Or, if you are feeling a bit uninspired, here are some of the ones I found when looking around.  Have you heard of them before in relation to the Netherlands?

True or Untrue? Some superstitions on the internet that are supposedly valid in the Netherlands:

  • “Knock knock — come in? Nope! If someone’s at your door, always open it for the guest. Why? Because according to Dutch superstitions, if the door blows open instead, you are inviting the devil inside your home!”
  • “Speaking of the devil, if you spill salt, not only should you make sure to throw it over your shoulder, but also that it is your LEFT — we want to throw it over the devil’s face!”
  • “New Years is coming and we all want a strike of good luck, right? Then make sure a dark-haired male is the first person to walk through your front door right after midnight.”
  • “Dutch superstitions say that whatever you do on New Year’s Day is what you will be doing rest of the year.”
  • “While Arabs usually utilize the hamza to guard off evil though, according to Dutch superstitions the same “protective” effect is achieved with black paint.”

How the Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths

Posted by heather 1 Comment
Jan 10 2012

green_bikeBikes.  They are everywhere in the Netherlands.  In 2006, there were more than 17 million bikes in the Netherlands, with 750,000 of those in Amsterdam alone and no doubt that number has significantly increased.  With around 91% of households owning at least one bike (and often more than one), it is not hard to see that the Dutch love their bikes.

And why not?  Cycling is healthy, easy and cheap.  And with over 10,000 kilometres of dedicated bike paths, cycling is also pretty safe.  So well thought out are the cycle paths that it would be easy to assume they had almost always been around but that wasn’t the case.  The following video gives a really complete and interesting history of how the cycle paths and lanes came about.

YouTube Preview Image

Inspired by all the cycling, here is some cycle related vocabulary for you to utilise:

  • fiets – bike (plural is fietsen)
  • fietsen – to cycle
  • fietspad – bike path
  • snel – fast
  • langzaam – slow
  • fietsbel – bike bell
  • fietstas – bike bag
  • mand – basket
  • fietslampen – bike lights
  • fietslampenset – bike lights set
  • fietser – someone who rides a bike
  • bromfiets – motorized bike
  • bakfiets – sturdy bike modified to incorporate a large wooden box or platform on the front
  • ligfiets – a bike modified to be ridden in a laying position

And if cycling vocabulary was a little easy for you, then why not check out these bike related idioms.  I’ve included both the literal translation and the idiom meaning.

  • aah op die fiets (literal: oh, on that bike) – Now I get it! Now I see what you mean.
  • doorfietsen (literal: cycle through) – flip or thumb through
  • voor elkaar fietsen (literal: cycle for each other) – wrangle, manage
  • ga fietsen stelen (literal: go steal bikes) – get lost/drop dead
  • wat heb ik nu aan mijn fiets hangen? (literal: now what’s hanging on my bike) – what kind of mess am I in now? What’s all this?
  • fietsvriendelijk (literal: bicycle friendly) – pro-bicycle, pro-cycling

Do you know of any other bike related idioms?

 

A Great Find at a Dutch Flea Market

Posted by heather No Comments
Jan 3 2012

violinHello everyone and a very happy New Year to you!  I hope 2012 is already shaping up to be a great year for all of you.

In Arnhem, things are looking very positive for one man who visited a flea market in Den Bosch.  While at the flea market, the man, named Adolph Tata Mirando, spotted a violin that he just had to have, especially as the price was unbelievable.  The violin that he found and bought was being sold by a lady who had several violins from the collection of her deceased husband.

She was only asking 50 Euros for the violin but Adolph, a pianist in the Tata Mirando orchestra and a violin builder himself recognised the value.  The violin, a Giuseppe Guadagnini dating from 1801 included a certificate of authenticity and is thought to be worth 75,000 Euros or more.

In case you would like to read the article, which featured on Nu.nl, in full and in Dutch, I have included it below.  There is also a video on Zie.nl about the story.  You can watch it here.

Have you had anything “lucky” happen to you in 2012 yet?

From Nu.nl:

Een man in Arnhem heeft een goede koop gedaan op de rommelmarkt in Den Bosch: hij kocht voor 50 euro een viool die mogelijk 1,5 ton euro waard is.

Dit meldt De Gelderlander dinsdag. De man, Adolf Weis Mirando, is leider en pianist van het orkest Tata Mirando, en is zelf violenbouwer.

Op de markt in Den Bosch kocht hij de viool van een vrouw die verschillende violen verkocht uit de collectie van haar overleden man.

Bij de viool was een echtheidscertificaat bijgevoegd. “De viool, een Giuseppe Guadagnini, stamt uit 1801. Ik heb een kruisteken geslagen, God bedankt”, zo vertelt hij aan de krant.  Mirando denkt dat het instrument 75.000 euro tot 1,5 ton waard is.

Happy New Year and Learning Dutch Resolutions

Posted by heather 1 Comment
Dec 29 2011

It was a bit odd realising that today’s post would be my last post in 2011 for the Transparent Language Dutch blog.  The year has really gone by very snel (fast).  Today I wanted to tell you about some of the things that happen in the Netherlands for the New Year’s celebration and hear about your Dutch language goals for 2012.

 

Oud Jaar/Nieuw Jaar (old Year/New Year)

In Dutch, the phrase for New Year’s Eve is actually Oudejaarsnacht, meaning old year’s night.  Rather than it being the eve before the New Year, you have an old year and new year.  I really like the phrase.

Oliebollen

We have already touched on the topic of oliebollen in a previous post, so I won’t go into too much detail here but it is quite a Dutch tradition to make and/or eat oliebollen on Oudejaarsnacht.  If you stay at a hotel for the celebration, you might even find one in your room.

Vuurwerk (Fireworks)

As of today, it becomes very noisy outside because everyone has begun to collect their fireworks from the shops.  In the Netherlands it is technically illegal to have fireworks before December 29th.  In fact, it is even illegal to set them off until a specified time on December 31st.  And while, naturally, fireworks do still get set off before the allocated day and time (there are even some going off nearby as I write this) it is on December 31st that loud explosions and bright displays can be heard and seen across the country.

New Year’s Phrases

In case you want to wish people a happy New Year, here are some handy phrases for you:

  • Gelukkig nieuwjaar – Happy New Year
  • Beste wensen – Best wishes
  • Fijn uiteinde – Happy/good ending

New Year’s Resolutions

Of course, a new year is usually the time many people review their goals and set resolutions for the coming twelve months.  Will you be setting some Dutch related New Year’s resolutions?  If so, we would love to hear about them.  Some ideas might include:

  • Learning 100 new vocabulary words
  • Reading a book in Dutch
  • Following a Dutch TV programme
  • Mastering all the Dutch tenses

And with that, I think there is nothing more for me to do then to wish you a gelukkig nieuwjaar!!

See you next year!

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