Holiday in the Netherlands | American camping on a Dutch island
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Exploring the Netherlands has been a high priority since the Covid restrictions have loosened up! Recently, I went on a mini holiday in the Netherlands where I went camping on one of the Dutch islands. Video features me battling with Dutch weather.
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I like to share my experiences of an American expat in the Netherlands. I describe both the unique and everyday aspects of Dutch culture, and life in Holland while enjoying every bit of it!
Blog website: www.dutchameri...
Instagram: DutchAmericano
Get in touch: dutchamericanonl@gmail.com
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Being at the beach with cold windy weather is what we Dutch people call: 'Lekker uitwaaien', translated: 'Getting a nice breath of fresh air'.
It is mind blowing... For a few hours you cannot think of anything else but wind, sand, cold and rain.
The sand even blasts your old skin away, you are reborn!
@@dutchman7623 You're still not really selling it for me... 😋
Haha l Ike your comment. I will try to that sentence in Dutch
@@alexandergrofics1885 Good! Stay home. Makes it less busy outside. 😉
@@alexandergrofics1885 if you know you know.
The look on your face being way out of your comfortzone is just priceless. Nevertheless you are doing it and it looks like you're enjoying it.
And to collect negotiation material for the next escape, to a warm, sunny, comfortable place with luxury...
And you must have felt good afterwards and a bit proud of yourself. Having withstood the weather elements, instead of hiding away and sulking.
Outside the cities, in the smaller towns and villages people still greet each other on the street.
I live in Eindhoven and I also greet people on the street.. maybe a age thing ;)
I live in Leiden. Very common to say hello to people in the streets. ...Maybe it's just me, but I almost allways get a 'hi' back.
I think the main reason people in the Netherlands like to go camping in places like this, is to leave behind technology and concrete buildings and be in touch with nature again to recharge.
Doing this kind of camping kind of enables you to enjoy the little things and notice small details that you would normally never notice when in your normal routine life.
The main reasons are that it's nice to be away from home, it's more affordable and more fun for kids compared to going to a hotel. Leaving behind technology doesn't have much to do with it since most people have a phone and a charger.
Yes Dutch are willing to go camping in the Netherlands provided the camping site has, preferably, all the conveniences we have at home. 😊
@@gert-janvanderlee5307 I don't know why people think it's cheaper. Camping is more expensive than a all-inclusive or standard holiday in a hotel.
@@Johnnybravo.. I admit that I'm not aware about current prices. But when I was still a kid and went on vacation with my parents, camping was much cheaper than staying in a hotel.
In normal villages, people do say hi to each other, or hoi, or moi, depending on the dialect... only in the big cities they do not. Skier is the last place in the Netherlands where you still can see the stars, it is a "dark" reservation even, hence the star gazing.. Cars are not allowed on Skier. In the west the light-pollution is extreme, so no stars...:(
Mogguuh!!
I was an American student in Belgium and I don't think I ever heard hoi there. Maybe, "he'" or morgen and sometimes, "hallo" I think (?).
pheasant were introduced in the area when Almere was just founded and the Amsterdammers living there called them 'kamikaze chickens' coz they were constantly run over by cars. 😄
Well, you're the lucky one here. You chose one of the worst weeks of this spring so far and you're enjoying it!!!! Can you imagine what it would have been like when the weather was great and the temperature about 25 degrees?
Haha I like your comments
Sounds like erwtensoep and hot chocolate are in order. And you forgot to mention what makes Schiermonnikoog to stand out amongst the Wadden Eilanden: it’s almost completely car-free (besides cars of the locals, municipal services, and the busses - almost all electrical).
That's very true!
Vlieland is also car-free
@@BobWitlox Sorry, didn’t know that. It was a mesmerizing experience.
@@BobWitlox was just about to ask, went to vlieland many years as a kid and remembered it to be car free.
My grandparents had a holiday cottage on Shiermonnikoog so I growing up I spend most of my holidays on the island in the 50's and 60's. It was a magical place as a kid, the freedom to explore on our own, always the wind, dunes, forest, beach and the German bunkers we used to climb into. It makes me feel nostalgic!
Hahahaha I was almost shouting: Get your hair tied up Ava! And at the end of this video you finally listened ;-) Lovely that you still enjoy the "horrible" cold windy camping adventure :-)
Hehe, yes, it had to be done in the end!
If you want to see more pheasants, go to the Maximapark in Utrecht. It's full of them. And if it's not too busy most people say hi too.
Congratulations you are turning Dutch enjoying the Dutch weather and the beauty of the ocean During winds (storm) and rain .
Those skies at around the 8:45 mark. Gorgeous. There's a saying around my part of the Netherlands that I'm probably butchering right now: if you really want to stress test your relationship, go camping... Glad to see you've had fun. And be honest with us... that first shower back home is divine, am I right? ;-)
Just realized that I missed your videos. Couldn't help saying "oh yeah!" out loud when this popped up. 😄🤷🏻♂
Awww, that's very nice to read 😊
I love the way you are enjoying and adopting to life here. A good holiday doesn’t need good weather, but people who are enjoying themselfs. And you are simply doing that. Loved the video. We are lovers of the wadden isles.
Schiermonniksoog is lovely. My ex and I went there near the end of November ..... It's nice and quiet then. Not in a tent but in a small motel-like establishment; each room had its own entrance with no indoor hallway to the communal Dining room.
when we were there there was a pretty severe cold-snap with temperatures dropping to -12ºC. Still the sun was out (most of the time) and the wind was relatively calm. We hiked for hours with plenty of thermoses with tea and coffee in our back-packs. We were well dressed for the cold weather but our Jack Russel really didn't appreciate the walk. During one of our rests she climbed into my backpack and refused to come out, so I carried it around for hours. I think she appreciated the little heat radiating from the thermoses on both sides.
Dont blame the wind, the wind is lovely.
You are a natural when it comes to vlogging - Great quality always entertaining and always leaving a thirst for more in me.
Exactly that makes these less-than-perfect sounding vlogs so engaging. ✌
Please keep them coming.
Waddeneilanden. Been there four times. Wonderful experience. I had to get used to the wind (and rain). I’m from the south where it’s usually much warmer, much much dryer and much less windy.
Best way to explore the smaller islands is by bicycle.
Haha, it's the other way around for me. I used to live in West-Friesland and now live more inland and man I miss the wind!
Just hilarious! Wind, wind and wind, then a few words, then more wind.😆
that tent right behind you at the start of the video is the same tent as my father got. amazing tents. typical dutch tents build for typical dutch weather.
De waard...
Expensive and high quality tents.
@@Snaakie83 Correct ..... and heavy too :-) Perfect tents.
50 years ago, camping was a fashionable fad in America, even for non-outdoors types. I went camping in the Netherlands in Brielle, Zeeland. I took the tram and the bus from Rotterdam to get there.
With this trip your' inburgering' has been completed ! 🥇 Nothing more dutch than a camping... " op de camping lala lala laa op de camping ". 🎹🎺(YMCA tune ..). You had really 'hondeweer' on Schier. See it as relation bonding, just as with enduring winter bivouac in the miltary or hazing in fraternity clubs ! 😉
Thank you for sharing. I can so much understand, being a Dutch citizen, that being on a Wadden Island shines a new light on the phenomenon of joy.
Keep on following your heart in updating us. ❤️🔥✨👌😎
Nice video again Ava. Kinda missed them lately, but hey, you're still with us!
The skies are typical in the Dutch paintings, now you know why!
I love going out to one of the islands once a year if possible. Terschelling is my favourite. We usually rent a cottage though.
Well done. It was really the case of "Now for something completely different". Well with that wind you would not be bothered with any flying insects. Enjoy it.
There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes, but with a hot chocolate or a cup of Frisian tea, it quickly gets warm again. The camping community is like a family,you always greet each other,you sit together and drink something, talk and learn from the experiences of others. You enjoy life.
About the weather: this is why a lot of dutch people go to Southern Europe on holiday :-)
To get washed away in the Rhone valley: At least the rain is warm!
@@dutchman7623 And the local wine is good!
@@alexandergrofics1885 with this weather , you don't drink wine but Beerenburg , a herb liquor ..😉
Glad you’re back.. love your vlogs.
Some day, when you're lucky, you'll experience camping in nice weather with only a light breeze bringing some cool wind and the smell of plants and flowers.
De Marlijn! Fijne zaak, met veel plezier gezeten. Binnen, lekker warm..
In most of rural America, people say hi to one another quite frequently. You should have left the city more frequently while you were still here. However, many times the friendliness is a facade and there is no true kindness behind it. That aside, I really enjoy the joy you find in simple things.
I love those windy beeches way better than a blistering hot beach (anything above 20C)
One of my best times was spent on the lovely island of Texel
Bij te horen dat je kan genieten van je vakantie daar!
No way. I'm actually on Texel for a holiday myself. If you're still here (which you're probably not) and I see you walking around, just know I'm gonna high-five you!
Yeah... Dutch weather can be a challenge... but it's so beautifull on the Wadden Eilanden... Good to see you're still there making video's.
Het maakt niet uit waar ik in Nederland ben
Jullie zijn er altijd aanwezig
dat betekend dat jullie heel NL voor mij over mij hebben geïnformeerd
Hi Eva. Nice to hear from you. I live in a very small place in Limburg near Roermond. Leeuwen. And we also say hello to each other here. And even on Roermond as well( only the ones that look into my eyes. Have a nice holyday together with your friend.
I am glad you had a great time!
As far as I am concerned you have just become a Dutch native ;-). Did you know that most Dutch people have never visited any of the Waddeneilanden? I for one, would be a tourist in my own country!
Hahaha nice! Me and my family have visited "Schier" for years (mom and dad still go every year for some tranquility, long walks and bird-seeing), and I can now instantly recognize most of the locations in this video! I really love that you are visiting a place that is so familiar to me. If you have the time, make sure to pay a visit to the cafe in hotel Van der Werff (or "Saake" as my parents call it), the mood is pretty great for a drink, snack and chatting later in the evening!
For those who are wondering: yes there is 4g internet reception halfway towards Schiermonnikoog, either on foot or by boat.
You are a very positive person, nice to watch your funny video's!
Oh yeah, Schiermonnikoog, I love it. We stayed at a small house there a few times that is owned by family, very near the white lighthouse. Should you have been a bit more lucky with the weather, trust me, it can be quite nice and will give more of a summer holiday feeling. I don't mind the windy 🍃 and more cold weather, but when you also stay in a tent, and it also rains, it is a bit too much perhaps. Nevertheless it will still recharge you in ways you'd probably not expect.
What a trooper!! Kudos to you my friend! I did it once with my dutch hubby....never again🤣🤣🤣
I was on Texel barely a month ago, so I can attest to the wind and the cycling. Especially that time when I was cycling against the wind on an upward slope at the dike. I really felt my legs the next few days.
Cool, last weekend I was on Ameland, and indeed the wind was a bit too much, but still had a very good time. Fortunately I was not camping but on a nice cozy hotel.
We're hoping to go to Ameland as our next Wadden island!
I think you are starting to grow that Dutch resilience :)
You are on route to become a true Dutch woman, woman!
We all had to explore Terschelling or Schiermonnikoog as kids, not being supervised bij any adult while learning to enjoy to live in a damp tent and trying to sleep knowing that your soaking sleeping bag is probably invaded by spiders which can grow out to unimaginably big proportions in a state of half-sleep. And I don't even mention the many mosquitos, desperately fighting over every last drop of blood while you unconsciously are scratching a growing amount of muggenbulten (stings) on places you never even thought possible. We've all been there. It's a typically Dutch thing.
Absoluut geweldig. Vooral wanneer een zeldzaam schuchter zonnetje vanachter de wolken z'n bleke gezicht even liet zien. De beste inburgeringscursus die je maar kunt voorstellen.
Oh ja, ik kwam je trouwens nog tegen op Koningsdag. Op de Stadhuisbrug. Maar je was niet alleen en ik besloot maar om je verder niet lastig te vallen... 😇
Lekker uitwaaien heet dat :-) I love Island holidays, always go to Vlieland for a week in autumn.
i also visit the usa on a regular basis and i've noticed that it became popular to go uitwaaien as the dutch would do.
I remember going to Texel with my brother. And on the ferry, this big ass seagull stole an ice cream cone out of my brother's hands. Later another seagull took a shit on my brother's head. As I laughed I said to him: "Well, at least you got your ice cream back, hahaa. Been to Schiermonnikoog as well. Lovely small island. Rented a bike, toured the whole island in a few hours, then went back to the mainland.
Very nice! So much to enjoy on Schiermonnikoog! Last year me and my wife went there on a bike holiday. Riding from The Hague!! I brought a kite and flew it in strong winds!
Tents at multi-day music festivals is also a common thing.
Nice to see you at Schiermonnikoog. That bar you orded your drinks and cheese i made that back in 2006 . Good to see you at Paal 3. I worked there for 16 years . you shoud go camping some near Utrecht there are some beautiful campsites . thank you for bringing me back to schiermonnikoog. bye
Brave lady.
Personally my favorite island is Vlieland. Been there as a kid for holidays many many year. We actually stayed there in the house in which Michiel de Ruyter was born (Famous Dutch Admiral)
Amazing little island, basically car free like Schiermonnikoog and a beautiful little town to boot.
And now you better understand the word "uitwaaien". To me it has multiple meanings. First, the wind blowing so hard you blow out of your shirt. Second, the wind blowing so hard it not only blows you out of your shirt, but out of your troubles as well ;-) "to blow the cobwebs out of one's brain/heart/soul".
I've been to Ameland, right next to Schiermonnikoog, several times. Schiermonnikoog is one of the islands were you're not allowed to bring your car to the island. It's to preserve the nature and culture of the island.
The weather is ful of surprises !!
You spotted a nice fresh dinner behind the tree!
Now go 'wadlopen' it's also the most Dutch thing ever. My legs and toes still hurt from last week but I had so much fun.
Even though I love the waddenislands, I think you should only go there when the temperature is way above 20°C, which means about 30°C on the mainland, ´cause it is always a lot colder over there. I once made the mistake of thinking it would be nice to have New Years Eve on Terschelling. Worst idea ever. Never go to the islands in wintertime. But they are beautiful and for some reason it seems that the ever-present wind blows away all every-days troubles and worries.
De Marlijn's fish soup is so delicious! 👍
Enjoy!
yay :-D ! long time no see !
Nice vid again Eva/Ava. Why don’t u try ur next vid in Dutch with English subtitles? I guess your Dutch language skills are much higher than we can imagine. Grtz. Arjen
On a camping the weather is always nice
Poor girl, you must love her so much
So nice on 'Schier' 👍👍 I see only "stormtenten" (as expected) Are all other ordinary tents blown away by the storm?? 🤣
It can be very nice in the summertime.
I highly suggest next time u go camping, u visit Limburg/South of netherlands, Less wind for sure and mostly bit warmer then up north :) way better visuals aswel. Info from a local ;)
Btw, I once was camping (tent) in The Netherlands. The place had small man-made mounds sprinkled around the site. I guess it was for use in case of high water levels.
In a campsite in Italy on the other hand there were tall trees 🌳⛺🌳⛺ all over the site. And a storm hit us hard resulting in thick branches breaking off and dropping onto some of the tents. Different cultures...
Good to see you're enjoying the Netherlands 👍:D Maybe visit the Dutch Caribbean islands , its less windy :p
So cool bicycling while filming. I would've crashed
You made me a little homesick for the Netherlands. My mother was from a small Groningen village and said when I moved to Amsterdam: How can people just pass each other in the street and not greet each other. My mother could never enter an elevator and not talk with the other people inside. And I'm the same. To the deep deep embarrassment of my kids.
Hi Ava, I used to go to Vlieland for Christmas holidays. Cold, Cold. So: hotel. Have fun.
Hello Dutch Americano,
I think I saw you at the Albert Cuyp market today!
Very nice story about your camping experience, keep on your good work
Loved this, as usual. And so recognisable! I only have experience with Texel and Terschelling but if I remember correctly it isn't even possible to take a car with you to the smaller islands, or at least there is a limit to the number of cars allowed. And the weather on the Wadden, wellllll, you are either lucky, or not. But good for you to try and make the best of it!
You have to visit Vlieland its so much fun
Thank you for all the infos. Was thinking of visiting NL. Not sure now lol. Keep the videos coming
You certainly look excited about this holiday, i bet you're give it another go next year when it's even colder 🤣
It takes a while for the Waddeneilanden to get any real summer warmth. They lag behind the rest of the country. August is great, September too.
Otherwise, I can advise Vlieland. Also nearly car-free, and very pretty.
I am Dutch and I love the islands, in all seasons. But I'm not the camping type of guy... so not all Dutch enjoy to go camping. If you happen to be on the islands when it is like really hot summer weather: they are divine... you don't need a tropical island then. The only thing is we never know when or if there's going to be good summer weather.
We say Hallo all the time here in Ridderkerk (across the water from Rotterdam). It was also normal in The Hague too (mostly Dutch people, though, immigrants tend to be rude and not reply or say anything to start with).
12°C? That's T-Shirt weather 😁
I wonder now how campingholidays in the USA look... I got the impression that when it isn´t blistering hot, that than the holiday is kind of... messed up and has gone wrong (to put it mildly). You can be really sure of just a couple of things in life, and one of them is that 'There will be weather...!' You may like it or dislike it: it won't change a thing. So you'd better enjoy!
It seems kind of weird to make mindset depend on the weather... especially since we live in the Netherlands.
I must add to that that cooler weather (wind or no wind) is also more pleasant because people tend to go out much more... But maybe that is preverence thingetje...
Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.
You need a special permit to drive there, so that's partially why everyone bikes. Normally only residents are allowed to drive on Schiermonnikoog.
that was awesome ,glad u had fun , i just came back from a weekend on vlieland , its left of terschelling, i hope u will go there aswell in the summer when its less windy , but even now the temperature was at 15 c and i was sheltered from the wind so it was already super nice and warm ,take care :)
I haven't been there for years. Have been there al lot as a Child because my grandparents had a farm there. Would love to go again soon.
You can have a very good fish (lekkerbek) near one of the bike rental bussinesses
Next camping vacation I would suggest Zeeland if you love beaches and so, or if you like woods go to the Veluwe. Both are not as cold and windy as the Waddeneilanden. Btw, you pronounce all those Dutch words perfectly. Kun je Nederlands net zo goed spreken als lezen?
Did you specify the island? Anyway, De Marlijn is on Schiermonnikoog, which is totally hardcore as the waddeneilanden go. Also, google 'sunneklaas Ameland', no really, go straight for pictures :). Sinterklaas op Ameland! Nuvere minsken! :)
I do specify the island at some point, and OH WOW-I didn't know what to expect when I googled "sunneklaas Ameland" but it wasn't that.
@@DutchAmericano Missed it, sorry :).
Today I was in this huge factory of a hospital of a big Dutch city and countless other people, also patients, said hello to me.
The story about the flying food was a bit cheesy... Badum tss 😋
The one time I went to the US, we went camping. Camping in the US is *much* better than here! I think that is just a consequence of having preserved natural ecosystems an area the size of our entire country.
We camped at the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which is 89000 km2 of practically untouched and mostly protected (national parks and national forests) nature. The Netherlands is 42000 km² in total.
I wouldn't like it not remote enough too many people. Camping in the western USA has no people same weather problems windy sometimes. Bike packing is a thing in the USA and you can get away from the crowds no matter what you want I personally like alone time but you can find camping with people if you want.