Annoying things about the Netherlands......mostly Amsterdam actually.

Don't get me wrong I looooove the Netherlands but no place is perfect and for all of the wonderful and amazing things the Netherlands have to offer every country has it's downsides. Hope you enjoy the video and let me know if you've found any of these things annoying too? Or is it just me??
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[@bastiaan4129]

All the problems you mentioned except for the toilet payments can be solved by just living anywhere besides Amsterdam.

[@MichelGehasse]

So true

[@SiliconMolybdenumNitrogen]

So it is winter in Amsterdam and thirty degrees in Zaandam or Hilversum ? Lol

[@dutchman7623]

@@SiliconMolybdenumNitrogen No, but when it freezes in Iceland, temperatures can be nice on Kreta. We have nature in the Ardennes, just a two hour drive, or Schwartzwald on three. With three hours you cannot even leave Melbourn or Sydney.

[@xenopuslaevis1740]

Things I do not like about the Netherlands: literally everything that's going on there this week

[@JoeyPsych]

@Nils Van Veen nee, eerder die maloten die niet met een avondklok kunnen dealen. Like, dude, het is maar evenetjes, totdat het virus onder controle is, en als je even mee werkt, dan is het zo voorbij. Maar nee, die simpele zielen moeten allemaal elkaar gaan aansteken bij zinloze rellen en die avondklok alleen maar verlengen. Thanks wappies, zo komt er NOOIT een einde aan de lockdown :P

[@the11382]

@@JoeyPsych Het zijn wel onze rechten. Eventjes is de vraag, want er is een roep naar eeuwige lockdowns. Laat jezelf niet de kikker zijn die zich laat koken. Het is geen medische kwestie, maar een politieke kwestie.

[@JoeyPsych]

@@the11382 Waar slaat dat nou op? Alsof de politiek jou beter kan maken en het virus kan laten verdwijnen als jij je "recht" krijgt weer naar buiten te gaan. Nee vriend, zo werkt het niet. Als je een beetje biologie hebt gehad op de middelbare school, zelfs als je die niet af hebt gemaakt, en zelfs als je alleen maar de LTS hebt gedaan, dan weet je dat politiek letterlijk niks te maken heeft met de evolutie van een virus. Weet je wat wel werkt? Isoleren! Dit wisten ze al in de middeleeuwen, met de zwarte dood enzo, ze waren misschien educatief niet zo vaardig als ze tegenwoordig zijn, maar zelfs met een minder ontwikkelde samenleven begrepen ze nog wel dat je door middel van quarantaine een ziekte kunt uitroeien, en al helemaal als dit gepaard gaat met vaccinaties. Maar blijkbaar ben jij dus minder ontwikkeld dan een middeleeuwse burger zonder opleiding, want je logica slaat nergens op... politiek, hoe verzin je zoiets, kom je van mars ofzo dat je geen basisonderwijs hebt gehad?

[@the11382]

@@JoeyPsych Waar slaat dat nou op? Het is de politiek die dingen moet wegen en de politiek die de Nederlander een beslissing laat maken. "For the people, by the people." Een virus kan niet denken, mensen wel. Het is wel degelijk een recht om naar buiten te gaan, wat onderdeel is van het recht op vrijheid. Vrijheid betekent dat iedere burger verantwoordelijk is in plaats van het kabinet.

[@JoeyPsych]

@@the11382 Denk ff na man, wat je zegt slaat helemaal nergens op, heb je wel gelezen wat ik schreef? Sure, je "recht op vrijheid" is eventjes in het geding, maar het gaat hier niet alleen om jou, het gaat hier om ons allemaal, en niet iedereen kan zo makkelijk naar buiten met dit virus. Ik begrijp heus wel dat het niet leuk is om binnen te zitten, aar er is niemand die specifiek jou alleen binnen laat zitten, en al helemaal niet voor Jan met de korte achternaam. Nee, we doen het voor iedereen, voor de ouderen, voor de mensen met een zwak immuunsysteem, voor onze volksimmuniteit, maar dan houdt dat wel in dat we dat ALLEMAAL moeten doen, dus niet dat er een paar wappies lekker lopen te feesten, nee ook de wappies moeten eventjes binnen blijven. Hoe kun je zoiets simpels wat iedere normaal denkende burger waar ook ter wereld begrijpt nou niet snappen??? De gezondheid van de mensheid heeft niks te maken met "recht op vrijheid". Ik zal het je sterker vertellen: Doordat jij de volksgezondheid op het spel zet door andere mensen aan te steken, breng je een gedeelte van de bevolking die een minder immuunsysteem heeft in gevaar, er gaan letterlijk mensen dood! (zoals mijn opa afgelopen jaar) Dus in zekere zin zijn wappies zoals jij verantwoordelijk voor de dood van al die mensen, omdat je je "vrijheid" wilt. In de realiteit wordt dat moord genoemd. Ja, mensen zoals jij zijn indirect moordenaars, alleen omdat je "vrijheid" op het spel staat. Een ander punt is simpelweg dat je dat virus door je gefeest niet weg krijgt. Omdat jij zo hamert op je "vrijheid", ga je maar door met het verspreiden van die ziekte, waardoor het nooit onder controle komt, het wordt alleen maar erger omdat het op die manier alleen maar door kan evolueren in een gevaarlijkere vorm (kijk naar de Britse variant). Maar als we nu allemaal eventjes thuis blijven zitten met het deurtje dicht, dan kan dat virus ook niet van de een op de ander springen, heeft het geen kans meer te verspreiden, en sterft het vrijwel uit. En DAN kun je weer gewoon naar buiten als vanouds, heb je je "vrijheid" terug. Dus even versimpeld gezegd: Hoe langer je buiten blijft spelen, hoe langer het duurt voordat de ziekte over is, en hoe langer het duurt voordat we allemaal weer naar buiten kunnen. Je staat je eigen vrijheid in de weg door steeds maar weer naar buiten te gaan om "op te komen voor je vrijheid", dat je zoiets simpels niet eens kunt zien is echt frustrerend dom.

[@Paul-iq6pw]

I guess it is mostly Amsterdam and a few other big cities, because where I live it is a 10 minutes bike ride to be in a forest, you don't pay crazy amounts to get an apartment or a house, the littering is minimal, if you choose not to live in the city centre it does not feel crowded at all and there are good restaurants with fair prices, not the overpriced tourist traps in places like Amsterdam. So yeah, if despite all the points you mentioned you still want to return to The Netherlands than I can wholeheartedly advise you to go and live in a more rural area away from the big cities and see how different things can be. I know, it's not that easy :)

[@MarceldeJong]

The dog poo thing is probably Amsterdam only. You can get fined in the Netherlands too for not cleaning up after your dog.

[@godfrieds2078]

I can get into a lot of things you said but not liking boerenkool?! Its my favourite dish!

[@rubenspoolder3567]

Boerenkool kan de tering krijgen 😂 ik eet het wel, maar ik ben nooit blij als ik het eet

[@essie23la]

@Me , myself and I kale (=boerenkool) and white cabbage do not taste the same thoo

[@litchtheshinigami8936]

i don't mind boerenkool as much.. i hate Witlof more.. though that's mainly just because i've eaten it too much.. other than that i'm like a garbage truck.. i even need one of those plates on my ass that says: Pas op zwenkt uit ! since i always knock stuff over with my ass

[@hkelder1956]

Its simple: do not live in Amsterdam. Payed toilets are kept clean. On smoking: do not live in.Amsterdam. On poo: do not live in Amsterdam. On no nature nearby: do not live in Amsterdam.

[@dutchman7623]

The Netherlands, the Netherlands! But she only knows center city Amsterdam and never left it.

[@hkelder1956]

@@dutchman7623 She actually moved to Den Haag :-)

[@dutchman7623]

@@hkelder1956 Well that's an enormous improvement! As long as she stays in the Randstad it's fine with me. 😉 We do not want expats to discover the nice places in the Netherlands.

[@maxim3830]

@@dutchman7623 Wat n onzin.

[@michelfug]

As a renter, you have pretty significant rights and protections. It is very hard for the owner to have the renters to move out, this usually has to be decided in court. Even if they are not able to pay their bills on time. I believe this to be a good thing, but I get why owners want to be doubly sure you'll be able to pay the rent, even if your situation changes.

[@bunnyhopsy7605]

Yes this is exactly what I was thinking. I also like that they tell you up front, with Dutch directness, that you won’t get the apartment if you don’t have enough income. In Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, you can apply for the apartment, but you will never get it, and you will never find out why. They don’t tell you to your face that you aren’t earning enough money. It is a very tough rental market and it is more invasive than a job interview. You have to provide payslips, referees, not only from your job but also from the previous 2 places that you have rented. Not too different to Amsterdam, it is a lot more sneaky and less up front. If you don’t pay your rent in Australia, the owner can evict you/ kick you out, then your name goes into a database “black list”, where you will not be able to rent anything anywhere in Australia for 3 years, which is when your name is removed from the black list. If you don’t pay your rent, you end up in serious trouble. So there is a high motivation for people not to get a bad name or they will have to live with family or friends for 3 years at least.

[@janpiet6612]

the public bathroom thing really opened my eyes i never thought about it that way. also the national dishes really aren’t that great but i have eaten out plenty of times where the food was great and it wasn’t that expensive. I live in Zwolle so maybe it’s just cheaper overall than in Amsterdam?

[@bastiaan4129]

Here in Zwolle there's an abundance of good restaurants, too bad they're all closed.

[@mariannehello7690]

I agree so much on the food offer eating out. Especially out of the big cities it is extremely hard or impossible to find healthy and tasty food

[@LeesaYu]

Great video! I agree with EVERYTHING you said. Even in Sydney (ie densely populated city), you are literally moments away from the bush or the ocean. Rent $ in sydney vs Amsterdam appears comparable but we had a way bigger place for the same price. We will definitely be moving out of Amsterdam eventually. The dog poo thing is also my biggest pet peeve. The streets are narrow enough as it is without having to dodge surprise poos! The only other thing I can think of that I like more in Australia is that we don't have a limescale issue in Australia (the water is soft). I hate seeing limescale in my kettle, limescale in the shower, and having awful hair and skin because of limescale build up!

[@lolav310]

You have so many places to see around the world!!!! One better than the another one. Keep going :)

[@heroicnonsense]

OK, in English for a change, as I think this information is especially useful for those thinking about moving here :) Sorry Casey, I'll help you train your Dutch underneath your next video :) There's two types of rental houses in the Netherlands: public and commercial, or "sociaal" and "vrije sector" as we call them. "Sociale huurwoningen" are houses that are let by so called "woningbouwcooperaties" or "woningbouwverenigingen"; commonly abbriviated to "WBV" and the rental pricing for those types of houses is mandated by a points system and generally pretty affordable. But you can't just go to one of these WBV's and sign up: your annual income can't be above a certain treshhold (and most people in the Netherlands earn above that treshhold) and you'll have to wait your turn on the waiting list. In some cities the waiting list is about 20 years long... so sign up today, move in in 2041. I'm not kidding. Some smaller cities have much shorter waiting lists, but we're still talking years, not months or weeks. "vrije sector" is the other type of rental housing and the rental system Casey describes, is only applicable to that type of housing. That's a completely free and open market and the person or company (usually an investor) can pretty much make up any rule they want towards potential customers. The whole "you have to make 3 - 4 times the amount of money that the rent is" is one of the more common ones. The investment company I rent from, also wanted a letter from the bank I previously had my mortgage at (I owned a house before renting this one), a signed application letter and a signed letter explaining why I used to own a house and are now looking to rent, a statement from my employer which says how much money I make and what type of contract I have and copies of bank statements and the last two tax statements. I had to give them the registration number (licence plate) of our car, so they can check what the monthly cost of that car is (taxes, insurance etc.). All this is so they know you're not lying about your financial situation; proof is all that counts. Casey's right about it being none of their business whatsoever, but they have the upper hand in this. It's do as they ask, or live in a box (or with your parents until you're 40). The reason why is simple: the rent is ridiculously expensive and they want to make sure you can afford it. If I were to buy the house I currently rent, the monthly mortgage payment would be about half my rent. But I can't buy any house in the area I live in, because the investors buy them right from underneath our noses. The houses that remain unsold, are the ones that defy any common sense in pricing. EUR 600,000 (or about 945,000 Australian) for a 200 square meter house is nothing in Amsterdam (or The Hague, or Rotterdam, or Utrecht or.... you name it). It's utterly absurd. But it's that, or a box under a bridge. Take you pick. The problem is a shortage of living spaces in most of the country. People or companies letting out places have the advantage; they don't have to win over (potential) customer's hearts; the customers really have no choice. They can ask anything. Most people will refuse the first time, but after seeing that house go to the next in line will make them think twice about refusing the next time.

[@Anna-og7si]

It's extremely difficult to get a "sociale huurwoning", that's why so many young people stay with their parents for much longer (which includes me) or live in anti-squatting (antikraak). The latter still has a negative image in society, which is absurd, because it is really the only option for a lot of young people who are just entering the job market or who are still students (and can't afford vrije sector). The waiting lists are so long because some people have priority. People who lived in a sociale huurwoning previously and need to move out (because the building is no longer up to standards, for example), go right to the top of the list, as well as refugees. That's why moving up the list as a person without priority takes forever and the list only gets longer.

[@heroicnonsense]

@@Anna-og7si You're absolutely right. The whole idea of "vrije sector" is to let the market decide the pricing. So, a surplus of housing (or absense of people willing to rent one) would mean prices going down. But that never happens; from the day the system was introduced, the population has been growing. Due to all kinds of reasons, the building of new houses never seems to keep up. It also doesn't help that most houses being built are either up class (i.e. expensive) while the few that are meant to be sold at reasonable prices get bought up by investors (and I mean entire streets... my housing block is owned by the same investor, 15 houses intended to be bought by middle-high income families were taken off the market with one signature... before they were even built). Now that more and more cities are looking into some sort of a "Bernard Law" (*), that will hopefully end. And finally give people with normal jobs an opportunity to buy again. *Bernard law: umbrella name invented by the media for laws that require the owner of a house to actually live there (and thus not buy it to let out as an investment). Named after Prins Bernard Jr (a Dutch royal), who owns a lot of real estate in Amsterdam (and several other cities) as an investment. As you can imagine, Prins Bernard is not amused that his name is attached to these laws.

[@ralphvercauteren9267]

Also you forgot to mention, when you rent out a house and the person who rents can't pay anymore, you NOT allowed to kick them out without an approval of a judge. Even a judge will not allways rule in favor of the person who rent that house. Al depending about the willeness of the person to pay the rent and if there are childern involved, etc, etc. So that's why they want to know upfront if they can affort it.

[@petrkopac]

Still, my country of origin has lots of these problems and more, so having lived in Amsterdam before, I am planning to go back there again after corona :] The rental prices per m2 are much better in places like Amsterdam Zuidoost, where you still have metro stations and we also found a flat there relatively easily (in a week).

[@dutchgirl57]

I’m a Dutchie living in America. I agree with your whole list, with the caveat of the food. There are indeed so many nl foods that I miss, and I find myself going to greater lengths to try to re-create them from scratch, especially if I’m feeling homesick or nostalgic. Many dishes are very do-able, it just takes more effort. Conversely, there will be many, many American foods that I will miss, long for and try to re-create when I go back to NL. Such is international travel. If all foods were available all over the world, the motivation to travel would be greatly diminished.

[@vanderlaanastrid3044]

Being a Dutch woman living in Australia, i agree with almost all of these. I guess that's why I love living here ( amongst many other reasons). The only thing I dont agree on is the food. I find that my options here are limited. I miss my red cabbage in a jar, packages of sliced bami or nasi vegetables, bami or nasi herbs/sauces, frozen spinach, witlof , bread varieties , apple pie, mon chou pie etc.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

I haven't been in Australia myself but I do have family there. My mother went to Australia several times and she always complained about the food, the clothes and dirty dishwater they call coffee. I not even that long ago I hear someone say it's like going back in time when you go to Australia. Personally I have that feeling when going to the UK, lol

[@beebylando]

Great video but as you've acknowledged I think it really depends on your own experiences in your home country and whereabouts in the Netherlands you go to live/visit. I've seen A LOT less smoking in the Netherlands than the UK and bike theft seems a lot less frequent too. I'm from a big city though and my partner lives in a smallish town in the South of NL so probably very different circumstances from yours. With the food though...I must agree... especially as a vegan, eating out in NL has either been painfully disappointing or ridiculously overpriced for what it is. I'm hopefully moving over this year and will miss the diversity of my city's food scene, that's for sure!

[@KristinMusic100]

Hi, wonder can you do a chinese update? I study chinese as well. I am at HSK 3 and love love chinese language so much.

[@GabrielPettier]

Having arrived in early 2020, i might have been lucky, as i only caught the end of the winter, and spring was wonderful (although mostly locked in, which was a bit hard, but the weather was fantastic), and the winter now seems quite fine, we only had a bit of snow last week or so, but it doesn’t seem like a harsh winter now, (although, for the same reasons, we almost don’t go outside at all). So for now the weather has been a pleasant surprise, it’s not been raining as much as i expected, and it’s not cold, so maybe it’s just bad sampling, but for now, winter seems fine. About rent, yeah, we didn’t even try to be inside Amsterdam, despite earning a very decent wage, we went for a close suburb (but Amsterdam is a small city, so that’s really close, almost like it was part of the city, but still, we pay about 1500/month, for 2 bedrooms with a nice living room, it’s more than what we paid near paris, but it’s also bigger, so i would say it’s not that different. I think the 3x rule is good for people to avoid living above their means and getting into debt, but i agree it’s easier to think that when you earn enough to be able to rent. Allowing people to pay more could push the prices even higher though.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

1500 a months is still insane. My sister pays half and rents a brandnew house with two huge bedrooms upstairs, one downstairs, floor heating, garden, near nature, in a nice town near two cities. For 1500 you could rent a HUGE house here .

[@GabrielPettier]

@@Linda-hs1lk yeah it's a lot of money, i've rented bigger places for much less when i was in the country in france, he difference between cities can be incredible, there is a high premium to be near economical activity. (which is crazy this year, as i've been working for home since march, i could be anywhere with an internet connection and it would be just as good).

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

Ik ben het helemaal met je eens. Ik was in 2007 in Stockholm, en roken was daar toen al best wel not done. En ja, de woningsituatie, kan het daar ook alleen maar mee eens zijn. Wat de natuur betreft, je hebt hier best mooie stukjes, maar je hebt haast nooit het bos voor jezelf, ook als ik heel vroeg met de zonsopgang door het bos loop kom ik nog steeds vaak mensen tegen. Wow en hondenpoep!? Een keer na een heel lange autorit kwamen we thuis en ons zoontje was toen drie, en die had blijkbaar in die vier meter lopen naar de voordeur in de poep getrapt, en eenmaal binnen was hij heel uitgelaten het hele huis door gerend. Ik heb een behoorlijk lange tijd gedacht dat ik de eerste de beste op straat die niet achter zijn hond opruimt aan z'n oor zou meetrekken om ons huis eens van top tot teen te laten dwijlen. Het is dan alleen nog steeds niet het zelfde, geloof me, als je zo moe bent als wij toen waren dan wil je echt niet je huis dwijlen, laat staan van de poep!

[@ivan_ofzo1600]

9:58 you should try Michu in the Maasstraat Amsterdam, it's delicious. Bit expensive tho

[@the1101experiment]

So you did no research on Amsterdam before you went? You didn't' know it was densely populated and expensive?? Were you there against your will?

[@halotubelgia7845]

Belgium is also very dense: you just have rows of houses everywhere and the gardens (if exist) are hidden behind, so you may drive for a few km and see buildings everywhere. It can be a bit claustrophobic.

[@jeboivandeberg7739]

The 3 times rent is not something for the entirety of the Netherlands. But in the south of the Netherlands it can also be found. The people renting out the house can just make it a criterium since there is so much demand they will probably find someone with 3x the rent income. So basically, the out-renters want more security, and because there is so much demand they will even get that security as well.

[@masterview]

a question, what are your plans back to the Netherlands or stay in Australia?

[@MusicJunky3]

A lot has changed for the better on the smoking/ not smoking front. Strict rules in offices and public places (yes restaurants too) are in place now .There are however these spots where people can stand (guarded off so the smoke can't get to the non-smokers) and have their cigarettes. Or..it is my suspicion that people in offices ,who didn't smoke before, are now suddenly seen smoking and trading some gossip !

[@stephenkurz4869]

As a Canadian, I had to lol when you said winter.

[@Ipuffyy]

The food is good if you know where to go. I have had the best pizza, burger, and asian/indian cousine in Amsterdam. About the rent, there are places in AMS noord that are normally priced, where were you living? My best friend lives in Rokin, next to Rembrandtplein and pays less than 2,000 for two stories of a delft house. Like I said, it really depends where you look and not everywhere is expensive, the building next to my student building in NDSM costs less than 1200euros for a 3 bedroom apartment. If you come back, look somewhere a bit outside centrum. I recommend west or near NDSM sinds it's a lot quieter and there's decent OV as well, including a ferry that's free.

[@moladiver6817]

Dutch expat here living in Thailand. I left The Netherlands 11 years ago mostly because of it being a crammed treadmill. It's just too small and suffocating for me. I still like to visit once a year even though covid put that on halt obviously. There's basically nothing about The Netherlands that I miss. Winters in particular I can miss like a toothache. 😜 I want sunshine and warmth year round. Food wise I'm with you as well. I never liked any Dutch food ending on -pot because it's mostly a tasteless mass to me. But being from Rotterdam I was lucky to grow up in a melting pot of cultures. My mom cooked Indonesian food on a regular basis when I grew up (and she still does). I also used to eat lots of Surinamese food, Turkish food and lots of middle eastern stuff as well. And of course Dutch snacks and sweets because they're arguably the best in the world. Space wise I too was lucky as a kid growing up on the edge between the city and the polder. Lots and lots of space there as a kid. And another freedom that's great to have as a kid and that's super important is the ability to just go from A to B from a very early age without supervision. This freedom is something Dutch kids will bring with them for the rest of their lives and is not at all a given in other western countries where mum and dad often drive their kids around to wherever they need to go. When you go back to The Netherlands and you'd still like to live in a city I'd definitely have a look in Rotterdam. The city takes a bit more exploration than Amsterdam in the sense that you need to know where's what and the city doesn't really have a heart because of the WW2 bombing and fires. It's ultra modern and the city projects for the near future are downright amazing. And together with The Hague it's the most diverse city of the country. Compared to the open spaces and parks there Amsterdam simply feels a bit like a prison especially with all the tourists around. Houses are also considerably cheaper although prices have been going up faster than in other cities the last few years. If you want to live dirt cheap you can look into anti kraak. I did that for a while and only paid around 150 euros per month or so and electricity and heating was included. There are some caveats of course but definitely worth it to have a look. Nature doesn't exist in The Netherlands. Everything that's there resembling nature exists mostly by design. Don't forget there's a lot of reclaimed land so without human intervention it would all be sea and wetlands. Whenever I needed the extra space I often just went to the beach. Beaches and the coast line in The Netherlands are awesome. The South Holland islands are quite close to Rotterdam but feel like a world away when you don't have to share the place with lots of others on a hot summer day of course. Meanwhile I'll just stay in Thailand and enjoy the sun, skip all the winters I possibly can and dodge this corona bullet as an amazingly nice bonus since we hardly have any of it here. 😎

[@MoraqVos]

You're and Immigrant/Migrant, stop with the expat talk please.

[@broyout3586]

I want to add a note about the nature: if you know where to look, there are some surprising patches of nature around in The Netherlands. Ofcourse mostly outside of the randstad. Sure, you can usually cover the place in a couple of hours, say 5-10 km. But how many people outside of the Netherlands go on full day hikes anyways?

[@gerwinpot4230]

Sad that someone who was born in the Netherlands just looked in one direction and now living abroad sees all the best of those countries. A little narrowminded

[@gerwinpot4230]

Thailand by the way is now a high risk country concerning Covid

[@Ricketik65]

I think I want to move to Australia now 😉. Love your videos, by the way.

[@LeesaYu]

Haha and as just another viewer, I can verify that everything said in this video is 100% true! 😅

[@litchtheshinigami8936]

i mean i already have an aunt that lives there and she often uploads videos of the wild parrots in her garden and i just end up envying her sooo much.. (i love animals so that would be heaven to just lie in your garden nearing evening and closing your eyes and just hearing parrots twittering away)

[@bunnyhopsy7605]

I need to make it very clear that Casey must live in a more remote/rural/countryside part of Australia, because she mentioned that she can drive 10 minutes and be in “full on outback”, which is just not common in Australian cities at all. You walk 5 minutes, you’ll hit the main road where there are cars everywhere. I have never seen someone riding a horse unless they are part of a horse riding group. The outback (desert, dry rocky landscapes) is many hours away, you would have to fly on a plane to get to the outback if you were in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide. I find Amsterdam is FAR more green, natural and beautiful than many Australian capital cities. I’m sorry, but I have NEVER heard a kookaburra singing in 40 years in an Australian city - you have to drive out of the city to hear them. Eltham has them. There are too many cars and buildings and concrete and all the wildlife gets scared away, they hide in the less busy areas. Sure there are parks, but nobody is in them unless they are going for exercise in their work lunch break - because people are too busy working to pay off their expensive mortgage, or they are busy stuck in traffic for an hour trying to get to and from work. Everybody works 5 days a week unless they have a partner or they live on a share house. In Amsterdam you can go to Vondelpark or Westerpark or even Museumplein and it feels like a beautiful landscape with birds, happy people, and beautiful scenery. The best wildlife Australia cities have are tawny frogmouths (like owls) and possums at night, during the day they have pigeons, mynah birds and magpies, occasionally you might see some cockatoos or corellas, but they are in the outer suburbs, and you get seagulls if you are closer to the coast line. I have never seen a wombat, koala, kangaroo or emu in my life unless I was at a zoo or wildlife sanctuary, or if I have driven out into the country. If you want that kind of lifestyle, you will have to ask Casey what part of Australia she is talking about, because it sure sounds special and VERY rare and uncommon!

[@dutchman7623]

@@bunnyhopsy7605 So there are truly public toilets every km from Melbourne to Darwin? During the solar race we hardly saw anything alike... Maybe they were build last year? There is plenty of nature in Europe too. Even within 45 minutes drive from city center Amsterdam you can be in the Oostvaardersplassen, Utrechtse heuvelrug, or at the beach. And you can see foxes, beavers, otters, deer, boars, wild horses, wild cattle, eagles, sea eagles, fish eagles, hawks, falcons, geese, etc etc etc. Certainly the Netherlands have the largest biodiversity when it comes to birds of all kind in Europe. But if you would live in Manhattan, and never leave it, you would think that there were no trees in the entire USA. Just as an comparable example.

[@iamhuman145]

I agree with almost all the things you don't miss about Holland, and I am Dutch! 😁 I do like hutspot and boerenkool though, my favorite winter food, but then again I am Dutch. 😋

[@litchtheshinigami8936]

i mean it's not just the people who come from other countries that have it hard with the housing market here.. frankly i'd love to live somewhere that isn't the netherlands mainly because of this.. i'm 21 (will be 22 in a few months) and i still live with my mother and two younger twin brothers (who are 13) but the thing is it's nearly impossible for me to keep living here because my mental state just isn't right due to the fact that my brothers keep each other and in turn the entire house up in the evenings.. if i ever want to get a degree in anything i really can't manage it here.. as i'm on the brink of giving up on my current study simply because i don't get enough sleep.. and i need my sleep to even be able to function (in a lot of cases i need to sleep the entire full 12 hours of a night because if i don't i won't be able to focus. but since they force me to wait till 11 PM in the least before i can finally go to sleep thanks to the fact that i am such a light sleeper that a flea could fart and wake me) however since i live in Rotterdam it's practically impossible to get a place that isn't here because i know trough other people that it can take up to 7 years to even get a chance of being invited for a viewing.. wich by that time i'd be 30.. and with covid it's even worse since the entire housing market is at a complete standstill (my mother also wishes to move and is trying to get a place with an extra room so my brothers can be in seperate rooms because she also knows that with the way things look now unless i get lucky and meet someone who already has a house whom i either get along with or am dating at that time i just don't see myself moving out anytime soon.. wich is just really crappy. we'd be moving do Dordrecht by the way. both me and my mother both would prefer a place that's a bit smaller scale than rotterdam and in turn is a lot quieter too) for the public toilets i'd say it's to keep them clean.. if you have to pay for a toilet you won't mess it up also for good food i'd say you'd have to look at the city.. rotterdam also being quite multicultural has great restaurants.. (i don't like dutch food as much either i prefer asian cuisine) for example you have rotterdam chinatown wich has the most amazing stuff ever.. there are restaurants and also some supermarkets wich have the best tea and snacks EVER !

[@cizlerable]

I agree with it all basically. Although there are places to eat that are great. I just agree that they are hard to find and rare.

[@paulamartinezdelucena9050]

I'm from Brazil, and smoking is also not allowed in restaurants and many different public spaces, how publicly people smoke in Europe has always baffled me

[@jpdj2715]

"Weather" and "again" are the same word ("weer") in Dutch. People talk each other down sometimes. So, here we go again. Or, like the newsreader said, pointing to the meteorologist, in the end of the 8pm news, "here it's again." (Hier is het weer.) If you methodically add up the annual rainfall/precipitation in the Netherlands, you get to 700mm - between Melbourne (663) and Perth (733). Note that Sydney receives 1216mm and Darwin 1729mm. The UK average is 883mm and note that the West side of Scotland takes 3,000mm. A trip along the Scottish West coast going all the way up, I saw this huge front over the Atlantic. I was surprised how fast it was over my head when somebody switched the light off and opened all the faucets - three days later the faucets closed and the lights went on again. When you are called Kilmore, think about Scotland and Ireland - the latter has 225 rainy days along its West Coast. The NL must be so lucky to benefit from Ireland & UK being between it and the Atlantic. The winter climate in the NL does not coincide with the calendar because of the influence of the North Sea and the warm Gulfstream flowing through it. So "winter" really starts a month later than the calendar (and the other seasons too). With all the deciduous trees and agricultural fields barren, winter looks very grey when overcast grey skies add to the sad feeling. Seasonally Affected Depression (SAD) may be a serious thing for you. When suffering from SAD, there may be an underlying health issue, deficiency in diet, or infection, and some people benefit from "light therapy" in such episodes. If you plot sunrise/sunset as time-series and into a graph for length of day, you'll see that there is a flattish range around the winter solstice when days are very short. But, half way through February we already see the days lengthening each day and this brightens up our lives. Until the summer solstice. But that positive lengthening of days coincides with winter still sticking its head up, occasionally, in the form of ice-cold cold, snow, ice on canals and lakes, etc. And, as most of our days are characterized by wind, a very occasional North-Eastern wind will blow Arctic-cold air that, combined with moist from human activity and the seas around us, result in a much colder experience temperature compared to the thermometer. We have some folk wisdom about the weather in the period marking the transition from winter to spring: "Maart roert z'n staart" (March wags its tail.) "April doet wat 't wil" (April does whatever it wants.) "In mei leggen alle vogels een ei" (In May, all birds lay eggs.) As to the "again". At some point in life, I stopped being occupied with the weather and the report. I cannot change the weather. I do not need a report on the weather, telling me what I lived through, that day. And the forecasts? They have become very good with the European climate and weather models. Just, weather can be extremely local and the promise of a sunny day can always be interfered by a local one square mile shower of 5 or 10 minutes.

[@freddeboer2471]

What is all that high buildings in Sydney or the other towns in Australia, they are higher then in the Netherlands

[@bunnyhopsy7605]

Yes exactly, the Netherlands is so much more beautiful

[@aesluis8584]

I was surprised about the dog poop in Amsterdam because apparently, that is exclusive to Amsterdam. In a lot of cities in Zuid-Holland there is next to no dog poop on the streets, only in some dog parks, it can be quiet a lot. On the smoking part.. they are restricting the places where you can smoke. It's forbidden to smoke in sport areas, like sports clubs and in cafes and restaurants, it's also restricted. They're really trying to get rid of smoking. The "accijns" on smoking is also one of the highest in Europe

[@frankroos1167]

Not all public toilets are pay-for. It mostly depends on the situation. Main thing is that public toilets are not a government thing. This has lead to different business models. Most of the pay-fors are separate companies, providing service. In places like malls, they are often paid for by the shops in the malls, so they are free there. But not always. Sometimes the toilet company is really like the other shops. They are a business. There you have to pay for the service. However, I have seen another reason for it. In some places you have to pay, but you get a ticket that will give you a discount at the shop the toilet is in, or nearby shops. I heard this is mainly to keep people from using the toilet for other things. Apparently, the little money needed keeps drug dealers and buyers out. And it seems good at keeping the school kids out.

[@SwirlingSoul]

Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen all can give you the much more rural feel.

[@DataStorm1]

the 3x the rent income is due that the one on the contract has reasonable income to also have a car in front of the door, (insurance, roadtax, fuel, etc), pets, 3 kids etc. The partner/other person with you, barely counts for it happens more than enough times that people split up, and the contractee must then still be able to fulfill the rent. If you spend most of your income to the rent, that won't work out in the long run.

[@Deborah5000]

In the Netherlands most people go to toilets in restaurants and cafes in the city, mostly those are free but sometimes not and you need to order something to use the toilet

[@Gnomelotte]

In the 20th century dog poo was a problem, but nowadays I hardly encounter any dog poo. A while ago I even noticed a spot here (Utrecht) with lots of dog poo around and it even stood out because how different it was. So it does surprise me a bit what you say, maybe this is just Amsterdam ? Or a part of it. I agree on the space thing, and the weather....though we didn't order this. :-D Cigarettes was also much worse, they've been banned at least from indoor places.

[@zhuravlik26]

That's a wonderful list! Although, there are only two things my list of "complaints" shares with yours. The first is the rental price, but that's explainable as expats usually have lower taxes, and the cities within Randstad are very expat-oriented. And also the toilets - not only many are paid, but also there are not many in general. If to compare with Paris, where there is always at least one free public toilet within walking distance, it can be said there are no toilets in NL. There is no native wilderness in NL, but there are really few places where wild nature remains in whole of Western Europe - this also makes the nature safer as you're very unlikely to encounter a wolf or a bear. :) At the same time, there are many nature reserves in the Netherlands, usually reachable within 1 hour by train. By some reason, people ignore such areas and pack city parks with themselves instead. The perception of the winter depends on where you've moved from. Dutch winter is not really winter, this year it was snowing for a week or so. The only bad thing is that any snow cancels the public transportation system. In general, I even miss the true snow and true below-zero feeling, the local winter feels like autumn that decided to stay till summer. But I understand that after Australia any winter can be a problem. :) As about food quality, it is very good in the Netherlands, local foods are amazing. Yes, the cafes and restaurants are not the best. But for example in Germany, the food quality is noticeably lower, and it's harder to find tasty food, in general. You enjoy sausages on short touristy visits, but when you live there, you hate sausages after a month and want some decent food, but there's none. When I was living in Germany, I always went to Austria to really enjoy the food. :) The same about smoking - it is a problem, but if you compare with heavy-smoking Germany or France, people in the Netherlands smoke much less, and you're better protected from smokers. Thanks again for the amazing video! Got it from youtube suggestions. Will check the other videos, too.

[@eronsentertainmentstore6487]

the thing is they are not really public toilets, they are usually owned by the business owning the building. And the renting thing is, mostly a city thing/

[@SalixScape]

Sounds like a lot of Amsterdam specific issues or perhaps a bigger city issues. People in my town actually pick up their dog poo. And yeah the rent is ridiculous plus rental places are less easy to obtain due to many people wanting them. Luckily there are some cheaper rentals in the smaller places, but of course most newly build rentals are expensive. And bike theft is indeed a thing. Usually junkies that steal them. Lost a couple of bikes that way, but luckily I found one of them back. As for nature that is also a city issue as for my town, it is close by some forests.

[@JulesStoop]

Spread-out (sub)urban sprawl makes for high car dependency. Decent public transportation is simply too expensive in low density areas and distances are too large for cycling. And there’s a whole host of other - mainly environmental and economical - disadvantages to this type of urban development. There’s this KZbin channel ‘Not just bikes’ who explain this in more detail.

[@caseykilmore]

I love his channel he does such a good job explaining the intricacies of city design and the real up sides to how The Netherlands is designed

[@bert2673]

hutspot and boerenkool. Yes, my favorites♥

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Agreed! On the restaurant food though, I was surprised. Matter of taste. I have bad news. Vaccination will be slow in the Netherlands because of problems in a farmaceutical company. The delay will be several months according to the health minister. And on smoking, things are changing fast in the Netherlands.

[@xandervrolijk]

Gotta say this, as a Dutch guy on the not cleaning after your dog and smoking: I agree 100 percent Blegh

[@irisachternaam]

The thing about the dog poo and the smoking is that 90% of the population do not find it acceptable at all, but in true Dutch fashion, the other 10% does not give an f about other people's opinion. Most dog owners do clean up their shit, but because the cities here are basically all concrete and brick, one dog poo just stays for weeks or months. Most people would also consider it rude if you smoked right next to them in a situation where they can't leave, like waiting at a bus stop or at a terrasje. So they might be more accepted compared to Australia, but 'superaccepted' would be an overstatement. I guess it's more of a 'we can't bother with solving this' than a 'we accept this as is'.

[@pieterrosing6007]

As to why our food is so plain, I always kinda felt it is a holdover from the war. That our nations collective consciousness remembers running out of tulpenbollen. So our food is geared toward sustenance rather then culinary art. With wheat and dairy in the mornings, fruit in the afternoon, and meat/fish, potato, veggies in the evening, you have a very balanced diet in a very Dutch way. Blunt, efficient and to the point. Or you know, it could just be that in an agricultural society where the women worked the farms as hard as the men, no one could really be bothered with anything more then a heat-it&eat-it approach at the end of a backbreaking day. Who knows That being said, our food is very meta. There's nothing special about a bowl of snert. Yet there's nothing more glorious, coming home on a winters eve.

[@helloitsme7553]

4:37 Amsterdam is extremely expensive though and known for it. Other cities are a bit less expensive. But still yeah..... the house prizes have really gone up here through the years

[@charlesvanderhoog7056]

In Amsterdam, people have to clean up after their dogs, too. Apparently, you have lived in an area of the city with lots of lowlife do-gooder,, like in Amstedam West. I live in Old South and there is no dog poo here.

[@erikjansen614]

I suggest a next time you visit the Netherlands you go to the eastern part of the country. A train trip from Enschede to Amsterdam takes about 2 hours. I think renting here is about 40% cheaper.... There is great nature to find within 5, 10, 30 minutes. Great area to bike and so on. Amsterdam is busy, busier, busiest. In like to live in Twente, a region in the province of Overijssel. But, as you mentioned, the Netherlands is tiny and space is limited. But in Enschede not as much as in Amsterdam.

[@Timmie1995]

You make some fair points (I completely agree about the public toilets), but it sounds like if you return, you should really not live in Amsterdam, or the Randstad in general. I live in the southeast of the country, and here (as well as further north and south) there is just more space. It's still no Australia, rent is expensive, all nature in the Netherlands unfortunately exists by the grace of the people, but there are forests where you can go for a walk, or large parks. There's just more space when you go east of Utrecht. It's also (though that's a huge problem as well) quite a bit dryer.

[@rlute26]

You have to pay for public toilets so junkies will have difficulty to use them for shooting up. This is also why public toilets oftenly have blue lights, making it nearly impossible to find a vain.

[@willekevanderham5326]

Not the real reason, although it has made the situation worse. There was already a tradition of paying for toilets if you are not a customer in places that sell drinks or food. Towns/cities with many junkies will have more problems, but smaller towns do still do not have free to use toilets. Often it is a problem to find a toilet at all, more so with the closure of almost every place due to COVID 19. One reason to go to nature to do my walking and cycling is that I can find a bush to hide behind if there is nothing open.

[@cyrielwollring4622]

Visit Drenthe or the Achterhoek, It is the Dutch countryside not as stretched out as the Outback, but with more space than de Randstad. For Dutch ´wild nature´ visit National Park de Hoge Veluwe.

[@AriodanteITA]

....Well... It must be said that the dutch have literally reclaimed every single inch of the space they occupy... and this leads me to one of the things I don't miss of amsterdam. The knee-breaker stairs. ...About the weather, It's funny. I lived in Dublin and to me weather in the netherlands is amazing. I used to have 2 weeks of sun and good weather in the whole year, the rest of the year was constant intermittent very light annoying rain. In 5 years i never had the chance to use the barbecue i had in the garden. :D Paying for a toilet.... yes, if you enter in a cafe' you most likely have to pay (no jokes: there are apps like "flush" that give you the location of all the toilets around, for girls it can be handy). However there are places where it's free (in general places where normally people/tourists don't go to pee), if you are in the Damrak you can go in some clothes store like the Primark, the bijenkorf or some hostels/pubs like the Belushi's, they don't ask for the coin. In most parts of europe (Italy, Spain, Uk, Ireland...) they don't have public toilets at all, the only ones available are only in the shops/cafes, and they are only for customers (they require you to order a coffee to give you the keys) so it's a bit the same... maybe yes, if you are already a customer you should not be paying also for the toilet, that's right.

[@RichardRenes]

Yes, we are a small country with a lot of people so it does get crowded. Australia and Canada, both countries with a similar population number have almost infinitely more space it seems, but this also has it's drawbacks. In Canada for instance, it is no longer viable to bring mail to people in some regions, and people have to drive 2 hours to pick it up at a post office. Dutch food is bland yes. Our climate does a good job protecting our produce from mold etc so our indigenous plants lack the defense mechanisms against mold we call flavor (yes, when you eat spices and herbs, those are the defense chemicals you taste). Still, a bit of salt and/ or pepper goes a long way... And for Hutspot... add curry powder... so much better ;) We also have our sausages etc. I am used to paying for the toilets. Though I agree with you that they should be free (and they are becoming free in more places ), I can understand that you pay for them to be cleaned regularly etc. Bike theft is a thing yes sadly. I wish it was otherwise. Use at least 2 locks and make it as hard and time consuming for thieves as possible.

[@samknetsch]

There are more bikes then people in Netherland 😄

[@samknetsch]

We can not change the weather that we have in Netherland. You have to clean after your dog, and you get a fine and mad person yelling to you if you don’t clean. But many people don’t care. There are working on stopping smoking, you can not smoke inside anymore or places where kids play

[@Linda-hs1lk]

or in restaurants, near hospitals, bars, train platforms, etc.

[@muvama]

Een herentoilet op straat heet een urinoir. / A men's toilet on the street is called a urinal.

[@AxxionBarbie]

The green snail shell you mentioned is called a pis-krul in Amsterdam slang. A piss-curl 🤣

[@parkergiele]

Amsterdam has great restaurants everywhere these days, I’m amazed you haven’t found any of them

[@10animallover10]

I am from The Netherlands and I miss nature too. We have some beautiful places but it's nothing compared to many other places. It is very crowded herd yeah.. I would like to have more space etc but unfortunately, it's not really possible😔 Yeah, the biggest cities are ridiculously expensive😣 Esspecially Amsterdam. It's way better to be in a more suburb(?) area. In smaller cities or villages. I dont like the winterceither xD Highly prefer spring and summer! I can understand the annoyance regarding public bathrooms. I don't know any better so it does not bother me that much but I can imagine it would if not used to it. I don't like the stamppot food either. I do like hutspot but not the other koolsoorten. I prefer other food than traditional food. I love Asian and Italian most. I do love the breads and also our fried snacks (kroket, bitterbal etc). Talking about raditional dutch dinner food. People that dont take care of their dogs poop also annoy me if it is on the path/too close to the path most. Most don't clean it up due to hondenbelasting. I dont have a dog but if I did, I would only not clean it up when it is in a fenced piece of land where only dogs run of when it is very far from the pathway. Otherwise I would clean it up for sure. I have been lucky to not have my bake stolen up till now *knocks on wood*. Thankfully, less and less people smoke. They try to create a smoking free next generation. Most people that smoke, change to vaping. I highly prefer it because smoking stinks very bad. I hate it. And thankfully there are much less spaces where you are allowed to smoke and thankfully never started smoking and I never will.

[@TheGreatPornholio]

If you thought the winters are long in the Netherlands, come to Norway and we'll see if you still think the same ;) As a dutchie i moved to Norway in 2019. The winters are even longer (and way darker) and the food is the worst of all countries i've been in. Really an extreme limited range of products at the supermarket. Especially when it comes to meat and sauces. But i moved here precisely because of one of your points: the lack of space and nature. Norway has an amazing nature and just like you said about Australia: ten minutes and you're out of Oslo into the nature. Every time when i visit my friends and family it just strikes me that there's always people, everywhere, no matter the hour of the day.

[@ctrl-del630]

I have grown up here and am used to much of things you say. As you come from abroad, I can imagine that you notice these things. I notice these things as well but the Netherlands is a country where the jobs are and it attracts people. There is no going around. As Netherlands is a small country everything needs to be compact. With that said I would like to zoom in on the housing market. It is true that Houses are quite small (compared to countries like Australia. Go to other countries and it is quite large. However. There is a shortage on houses in the Netherlands but to my opinion it doesn't have to be. There are literally thousands of office buildings vacant. Also on really good places like close to public transport. These buildings are usually old and are vacant for years. I know there is legislation that could make it difficult, and there is also the problem with asbestos but in general I think it is quite possible to convert these buildings to apartments. I just can't see why this isn't happening. Especially in the post-Corona era I think working from home will be the new trend so offices don't need to be so big anymore. These could also drive house prices down. That is another problem. If there were to be too many houses available, house prices and the mortgage market would collapse so I think that may also be a reason why there are not too many houses. Again, I am not an expert and I don't claim to be but this is what I see around me.

[@LuckyLemon601]

I just moved to Amsterdam - I should not have watched this video 😰 Although about 60% of this could be/is said about Stockholm/Sweden, where I've just left, too

[@wardenzo]

Most things you mentioned in this video go for most Dutch cities, like the rent income-check, the lack of public toilets and the dog problem. Two things I don't really recognize in the place I live are the smoking and the restaurants. I live in the Hague and in my experience smoking is less excepted here. The same goes for Leiden, where I went to university. I got the idea that students in Amsterdam smoke more than students in Leiden for example. In Leiden I knew almost no smokers, at my faculty at least, but when I did a course at the University of Amsterdam most of the students went for a smoke during the break. The restaurants here are better as well, and I know this for a fact. In my experience the restaurants in Amsterdam profit from always having tourists who need to eat no matter the quality. In the Hague that's not the case. I know people who come from Amsterdam to the Hague for certain restaurants.

[@caseykilmore]

We are wanting to move to the Hague when we get back. We've already been looking at rentals and its already way more affordable. I think the appeal of living in amsterdam when we first arrived was I couldn't speak dutch and expat jobs were way more available. With both of those things not needed now amsterdam is certainly on the bottom of our list of places to move back too. Which areas in the Hague should we be looking at?? I'm definitely more excited to move back to a different city.

[@samknetsch]

@@caseykilmore the rent in Amsterdam is very high, because everyone that comes from outside Netherland want to live in the capital city because Most only knows Amsterdam. And don’t know that we have amazing infrastructure between places.

[@willekevanderham5326]

@@caseykilmore Do not go live in Den Haag, to live in a small town, plenty to chose from. Much nicer. And much easier to get out of the build up area and get some fresh air. There is a lot of dunes along the west coast of the Netherlands and while not really wild, it will feel as nature to you. Or go more to the center of the country and seek out a small town or village near a forest (we have a few.)

[@DouweBuruma]

I’m Dutch and I totally agree with you.

[@michelleken.]

Should've come to Belgium for the food ;) Delicious Belgian fries, waffles, chocolate and beer and it's one throw away from the Netherlands :)

[@stis9117]

Sounds healthy.

[@michelleken.]

@@stis9117 Sounds tasty.

[@michelleken.]

@@stis9117 Jealous?

[@stis9117]

@@michelleken. You wish

[@michelleken.]

@@stis9117 Hahaha

[@hmforall]

Your "rants" are half true if you were to ask me. I live with my parents in the east, Twente, and I lived in Rotterdam for about a year (a town within the Township). In Twente we have much more space, we have much more nature. I could just walk some minutes and I am in a protected nature. Newer houses tend to be smaller, yes. But well, how can we not if we need to house so many people that are searching for refugee. It is that I am stuck to this Township (financially), else I would go to a less populair place, because it is less expensive and busy. Double rent(income), 3x or 4x. Seen them all, cant really argue with the housekeepers sadly. But sometimes you can be lucky, there are people who own one or 2 houses/accomondations and will not require you to have it. Social renting is hard to get in to. Paying for toilets. We just followed Belgium in my oppinion. But then again, also depends on where you go. You could still go to the library right? Cafes only ask for money when you did not eat or drink there. But yes, I find it shit that you have to pay for them when you gotta see a toilet at least once a 30 minutes. My mother and grandmother learned to use a male toilet in the city x'D Yea tastebuds are different. And then again, depends on where you live at the cost of dining out. dining out is more expensive in the west, but then the groceries are cheaper in the west as well. compared to the east. When I ate out for sushi, it was 1 more expensive and 2 I could barely swallow it, so bad o.o Dogpoo... Well yes.. It deffinitly is shit. But also, dogowners have to pay for keeping a dog, probably horse owners and goat owners as well. but cat owners dont have to pay cattaxxes, and their cat can just roam in the wild and destroy your garden. It is expected that dogowners clean up after their shit, but also that we pay extra, which is double. I, and many more people do clean up their poo, but sometimes I think to myself, shall I let it lay.. after all, we pay the cityhall money for keeping a dog Biketheft is crap, Never happened to me tho, but I tend to have colorfull bikes that catch peoples eyes. A tip for when you bike might be stolen, search the neighbourhood. Lot of times the thiefs replace them to somewhere else and will load all the bikes there in a small bus and drive them to Germany or Polen within 2 days. Sigarets. I think here they are one of the most expensive in all of Europe? I dunno. People tend to not care about "smokefree" zones. Even if you cough next to them nearly dying. That was quite some text I wrote o.o O well, have a good day xD What I HATE about the (general) Dutch culture is that you have to push forward and be speedy at work. Yes, again, it is worse in the west than in the east tho >.

[@willekevanderham5326]

Only dog owners pay tax, and it is not used to clean up after dogs. Horses are, by the way, dropping much more, in the middle of the cycle lane or street and the owners/riders do NOTHING about it. Dog poo is much less a problem now than it was 20 years ago, owners have to clean up in the build up areas and most do. (While in the past they never did.) Smoking is also getting less, I think the next step is a law not to smoke where people sit and eat/drink outside. (Which I think is a very bad habit anyhow, I have never smoked.) The numbers of smokers are going down constantly, the sad thing is that kid still start to smoke as it seems to be 'stoer'.

[@znariznotsj6533]

You are right: the price-quality ratio of restaurant food in the Netherlands is sad.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

Depends on where you're going.

[@DeniatitadenCompostela]

Compare a public urinal in Amsterdam with the comfort rooms in any Australian shopping centre or public park 😎

[@bunnyhopsy7605]

Yes but you pay for them too, the price is just hidden in the cost of the things that you buy, or the council rates. Nothing in life is free!

[@marcelimthorn9115]

We pay for public restrooms because we don't want to get surprised by needles or shagging couples. And for our cuisine, everything that ends with pot has loads and loads of cabbage/veggies so it's an easy mushy vitamine intake. And fyi, I always clean up after my dog 😌 but then I am no amsterdammer.

[@helloitsme7553]

10:31 As a dutch person, honestly I don't really like German food. I guess it's just what you are used to. Maybe this is a sign that I should visit Australia sometime for the amazing food there haha

[@e.m8784]

You want crazy renting system: check it out in the US!

[@jpdj2715]

Not picking up dog poo is an offense in many Dutch municipalities. Chances to get caught are too low. If DNA tests were very cheap, I would want officials to test that and trace the dogs and their darned owners. The posh warning to the person you walk with, about that matter you noticed, once upon a time was "[pas op] straatgeluk" - "[watch out] street luck".

[@jpdj2715]

Note that "boerenkool" (as predicate for a Dutch dish) literally means "peasants' cabbage". It used to be the cheap, fast and easy winter food of the poorest 80% of the Dutch population for ages. Does not sound like "haute cuisine" to me, or does it? Boiled potatoes, winter kale, mashed/mixed and served with sausage and gravy. The potatoes have a lot of vitamin C, the kale has lots of healthy things as well and brings fiber and the gravy brings fat soluble vitamins (think KADE) when the sausage with likely a high fraction of "waste" (i.e. organ) meat will contain a wide variety of minerals and amino acids. The poor people eating that, did not have to emigrate to the US because of potato famine. It's purely functional cuisine. If you had personnel, a working kitchen, an "ijskast" (ice cabinet - the precursor of the fridge was a cabinet, generally wood, with a top shelf that had a large block of ice on it and the melting ice cooled the contents of the cabinet. Note that people in the Netherlands that call a fridge "ijskast" are either technological morons or trying to pose as old money or both) then you would have had meals in the style of the French cookbook "La cuisine de ma tante Marie" that you likely also could read yourself. Here we have to remember that the English word Dutch means "folk" or "of the commons" and that is the "cuisine" receiving the comments - basically a social class comment. Having personnel could start simply with a "daghitje" - a girl servant for the day that would clean and cook and serve, but not live in your house. That daghitje would be coached by the lady of the house in cooking, generally. Or could be a bunch that worked "downstairs" and slept in the attic, potentially with a night guard that had to keep the males and females separated.

[@essie23la]

Kinda feel you on the crowding, while I don't think I'd want to leave the netherlands, I definitely don't want to live in the city forever! Not even my calm, middle-of-nowhere home town. It's a dream of mine to eventually buy a house or old small farm or something out in the polder. We hate the toilet thing for women too! A while ago there was a funny protest where women dressed in regional traditional wear (klederdracht) squatting in those snail shells to show how unsuitable they are to women :p Poo on the streets is gross, I don't see that so much tho? Grass is trickier tho. You CAN get fined for it, 140 euros, but there has to be a boa or cop present for that :/

[@snoopiiii]

As a pregnant woman tho, you get the 'priviledge' to go to the staff toilets of shops/supermarkets just because you're pregnant. Thing is tho, you DO have to ask the staff/employees if you can use that toilet!

[@Species6079]

I'm a non-smoker and growing up in the Netherlands was a living hell for me! In my youth they, the smoke addicts, where allowed to smoke almost everywhere! 🤢 In cars, in the hospital, in workplaces, especially during meetings, etc. But it got better. My siblings and I did forbid or parents to smoke in the car, for instance. The government puts high exis duties on smoking materials, so smoking is very expensive here in the Netherlands. It's forbidden to smoke now inside workplaces, in and around hospitals and schools, in restaurants and cafés. But it's still aloud to smoke outside in the "open air", unfortunately. 😥 I'm afraid it will never be illegal to smoke here in the Netherlands. But hopefully they die out eventually. 😉

[@leander4303]

as a dutch person, the dog shit is the thing i hate the most about my country, you have no idea how many times i stepped in dog shit when i was a kid playing outside. its really desgusting.

[@JoeyPsych]

6 months to find a livingspace in one of the big cities? You've not been waiting long enough. Most waiting times to get a house in A'dam, Den Haag, R'dam, Utrecht is about 10-12 years. Yes, I've been waiting to get a house in Utrecht for 10 years now, and I still am not in the first place to get a house there.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

I was thinking the same. Six months is nothing. Some people have to wait for years.

[@bunnyhopsy7605]

I think you are talking about social housing - Casey is talking about the private rental market

[@joanneswyckmans5921]

Public toilet used to be free. Then someone started to ask money, because people started leaving the toilet more often in a gross state.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

Ik begrijp het probleem helemaal niet. Er staat iemand de hele dag de toiletten schoon te maken en vaak is het geld een extraatje. Wat is het probleem 50 cent of zo te betalen voor een schoon toilet? Daarbij is het niet alleen in NL, maar bijna overal in Europa.

[@joanneswyckmans5921]

@@Linda-hs1lk Het gaat me niet om de 50 cent. Dat snap ik uiteraard. Het is alleen zo, dat het vroeger gratis was als service van de winkel of iets dergelijks. Dit was toen ook te doen, omdat er niet zoveel werk was(wc's werden niet achtergelaten in extreem vuile staat door mensen die geen fatsoen hebben). Dat mensen zich niet fantsoenlijk kunnen gedragen op een wc, en de boel niet opruimen, heeft als gevolg gehad dat men er geld voor is gaan vragen. Daar heb ik begrip voor.

[@joanneswyckmans5921]

@@Linda-hs1lk Is geen probleem, maar vroeger was het gratis. Ik wordt een beetje moe van allerlei commentaren (Wat is nou het probleem om 50 cent te betalen)

[@Hneel65]

As a dutch person, I agree with everything, except the Boerekool.

[@breaky73]

As a Dutch expat living in Asia, I do understand about the food. I am now spoiled with tasty, fresh and cheap food. Having said that, the food in the Netherlands is not bad, it just takes more time to find real good dishes. This is because many Dutch people are really conservative about their food, and don't want try to eat anything else much. But still there are foods in the Netherlands, which I find to be better than their counterparts in neighbouring countries. I totally agree about dog poo, smoking in public (or at all really), cold wet winters (yuck) and stupid expensive rental fees. Best to stay in Australia I think!

[@Linda-hs1lk]

It all depends on what you like. I don't like Asian food. There's all kinds of weird stuff in there I really don't like and it's often far too spicey. And they use a lot of fish I absolutely hate. Also the French eat weird stuff like brains and whatever stuff we call dogfood. The smoking part I don't recognise at all, I don't see people smoking all over the place but I'm not in Amsterdam (godzijdank, het zou de ergste straf ooit zijn). Winters are too warm that's why there's so much rain. And rental fees are high in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, not so much where I live. I someone wants to live in the most expensive city of the country they can also expect the rent to be high.

[@jpdj2715]

The food situation in the Netherlands is interesting. We sell a lot abroad ... The price of restaurants you must consider from the perspective of the rant on rent. A restaurant is a formula to earn money with square meters of real estate. When that real estate becomes expensive, so do restaurants. If you have never been surprised by the quality of a meal in the Netherlands, then you may have the wrong partner. Average Dutch people, make that the majority, do not have refined taste and would comment on the most delicious restaurant food that it is too expensive. If your partner is in that group then he cannot point you where to go. The Netherlands have this annual magazine "Lekker" (the title means "delicious") that has its investigators eating out undercover in restaurants and scoring them. Once a year, they publish a list of 600: an ordered Top 100 list with 500 "recommended". In my opinion, the top 50 is consistently very good, relative to other countries. The price difference between the bottom 80 in the top 100 and the recommended 500 is too small to want to go recommended, actually. Eating out in the top 10, you must project for over €100 per person and have to assume that to amount to €200 - that may include an assortment of wine matching the courses. And there are no very expensive things in there. Throw a plate of the best and finest oysters in and rack the budget up. Drink vintage champagne with the Oysters - rack the budget up. If you want to drink a €2,000 bottle of Châteaux Margaux with your main course, you have to add that to the budget. Try a Michelin 3-star restaurant n Paris and you may need to bring €1,000 per person - and they may not let you in when you have the money. Between Michelin Guide star ratings and Gault & Millau 20 points scale, I think that Lekker has the best inside up-to-date view of the Dutch restaurant scene. As to the 3 Michelin stars, I have joked in the past that the first star is for the chef and white brigade, the second for the black brigade and the third for the level of guests. It's a joke, mr. Michelin, it's a joke, relax. As to supermarkets, grocery stores, etc, if you want to buy variety in the Netherlands, you have to make a slightly bigger effort than going to the blue logo supermarket around the corner. You'll see ethnic shops that sell variety, often better quality at lower prices. Or if you have a registered business, you could go to wholesalers that sell B2B where you can buy restaurant quality and variety at blue logo prices: significantly better quality.

[@AriodanteITA]

...About smoking. I am a not smoker, but I don't really mind if i'm in a terrace and people smoke around me. It's true that maybe i come from a culture where smoking is totally accepted, there's a cultural difference here. Speaking with my friends from abroad, they react to smoking a bit like they would react to someone taking drugs or so, it's a super no-no. I was even fine when it was allowed to smoke in closed places like the pubs, the cinemas.... what I find hypocritical is selling cigarettes and, at the same time, campaigning to prevent people from smoking, or stigmatizing them, treating them like lepers everywhere It is now also forbidden to smoke outside the building entrances or - since recently in any station in all premises, even in the open air. Again, maybe i'm a bit old-minded, but if we are not in a closed space, people should be allowed to smoke without restrictions...If the state cares about health and doesn't want people to smoke, stop selling cigarettes. If the state sells cigarettes, it is the first culprit, so stop blaming those who have taken on a vice that the state itself makes money on.

[@teddyjrofficial]

True story :)

[@koffiegast]

Not cleaning up after your dog? You'd get ashamed or even fined here, too. Amsterdam and cities around have increased a lot in prices in recent years, because there is a lack of houses and yet everyone wants to live here, especially expats/immigrants (not an offense, just an observation, not many expats moving to the Veluwe or Achterhoek).

[@nlbergsma]

Many expatriates in the NL active on youtube seem not to realise that Amsterdam is not equal to the NL. But you seem to realise this.

[@HenkPoley]

We tried out that whole pay-even-more for housing thing in The Netherlands during the industrial revolution. No thank you. We are already paying like 1.8x the amount, when comparing centuries of wages data to house prices. The rest, yes.

[@user-zf7yv7pf8v]

What i don’t like is people thinking that Amsterdam is the Netherlands

[@RH-ro3sg]

Objectively speaking, I don't think we have a great cuisine. Yet, I still love my boerenkool, hutspot en zuurkool (met worst). Why? Probably simply because I grew up with these dishes...

[@petervdveenmuis]

If you did this in Australia... That's just the crux of it: we don't do this in Australia :-)

[@trottlesnot]

Ok, we don't have anything that sounds anything close to a Kookabura, but i dont really understand you missing bird sounds (i do understand the rest of that point). The Netherlands (even city's) are full of birds.

[@HenkJanBakker]

Amsterdam is a culture on it's own. Even goes as far as big differences in culture that are limited to certain area's within Amsterdam like 'De Jordaan' and 'De Pijp' with it's 'Albert Cuyp'. Love to visit but would never want to live there.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

I don't even want to visit, lol

[@joostvm4350]

I agree on the dog poo, lots of people clean but lots of people don’t :-(. Also the lack of public toilets is a pain, I don’t get it either. You get a fine for doing your business in public, but you can’t find public toilets anywhere?? And the ones that you do find, are usually filthy ánd against payment 🤬. And remember, Amsterdam is Amsterdam. If you want space to live, there’s plenty outside of the “randstad”, that’s every country’s struggle I guess: closer to the city, tighter and crowded it gets. 17 million people on our tiny piece of land also doesn’t help.

[@roy_for_real2674]

9:00 yeah, the Dutch have also brought that up. There are gonna be more womens public toilets for sure in the future(like the free on the street ones in Amsterdam).

[@roy_for_real2674]

Also the dogpoo, not true much, but police isn't walking around to fine people who don't pick up the poo, also we had a lot of anti-smoking policies. You can't smoke at stations anymore, maybe busstops. But we're freedom-fighting people generally and all that stuff, otherwise people will think we're Germans ;)

[@ronpool6577]

Voor het grootste deel klopt het wat je zegt maar wel alleen voor Amsterdam. Amsterdam is veel te duur en vies. Elke boom moet plaatsmaken voor een (betaalde) parkeerplaats etc. Ga je naar andere steden of dorpen dan zul je een hele andere ervaring hebben.

[@brendadegroot]

Believe me, Dutch miss nature so bad as well.. and mountains! Craving for mountains.. And sun! Warmth! Friendly strangers! Why am I born here? :'D

[@Linda-hs1lk]

In normal times you can get into your car and drive a couple of hours and have that all. Don't forget that when they say they have all of that they most of the time have to drive hours too.

[@viru_zzsquad7355]

we dutchies miss the also miss the space and nature around us. But if we go live somewhere else you don't have the beautyfull culture of the Netherlands, so that's a big minus. Also your shops are so far away if there is that much space between everything so you can't let your children walk or bike to the shops to get some groceries for you. Give them some freedom ;)