TRAVEL: An insider's guide to life in the Netherlands

When I met my now husband I couldn’t get him to travel outside of Australia. It took four long years before we set off on our first overseas adventure together but somewhere in Europe something clicked. Over the next few years we traveled some more (Mexico, Cuba), saw our friends get married (Hawaii), got engaged (New Zealand), honeymooned (Jamaica, Panama) and conceived (Miami). So it seemed perfectly logical with a 2 year old and another one cooking to decide to move overseas. Our preference was somewhere in Europe, preferably non English speaking.

And that’s how we arrived in the Netherlands on Christmas Day 2008 with Ruby, who had just turned 3, and Lily who was about to celebrate her first birthday surrounded by the seven boxes that held all our possessions.

Our vague plan was that we would stay for a year, maybe two, enough time to experience a different culture and travel as much as we could. Now our 3 year anniversary is fast approaching and we have no plans to leave any time soon. The girls are in a Dutch school, we’ve bought a house and added another bundle of pink to our brood – even going native with a homebirth.

The difference between traveling and actually living somewhere has been marked. Some days I have to pinch myself that we are really here on this huge adventure. Other days are just difficult and frustrating and most weave between the two.

To see me through the days I’ve taken to keeping a running list of the top 3 and bottom 3 things about living in the Netherlands. Some things don’t budge from their position (#1 on both lists), while others can change daily.

The list as it stands today:

Best things about living in the Netherlands:

#1 Bike Riding

This hasn’t moved from number one position since I learnt to ride a bike six months after we arrived. To my husband’s mirth I needed a couple of lessons to get going but today there is nothing better than zipping around town, wind through my hair, on the bakfiets, the three wheeled box bike that can carry all the kids, stroller and shopping. On date nights the regular bike gets a whirl as we cycle off to dinner with none of the worries of traffic, car parking or designated drivers and pretty much anywhere you would want to go in town is no more than a 15 minute cycle away. Sound idyllic? It is.

#2 New traditions

Being exposed to a new culture is invigorating and a little bit addictive. It feels like a privilege to be able to take part in the celebrations that mark the passage of the Dutch year. The family favourites are Koninginnedag, the Queen’s birthday celebrated in April with street markets and carnivals, Sinterklass, the man with the white beard who arrives by boat from Spain with his politically incorrect black helpers Zwarte Piet to leave presents for the children and New Year’s Eve where fireworks are let off in every street- it’s like living in a festive war zone.

#3 The Travel

When things get a bit dull there’s nearly always some sort of travel to look forward to, and it hasn’t lost any of its appeal (although traveling with 3 kids often does). Whether it’s driving a few hours to Germany for the Christmas markets, popping down to Antwerp for some shopping or planning a kid-free weekend in Istanbul while the grandparents are visiting, it doesn’t get any better. And to top it off Amsterdam is only a 45 minute drive away.

Worst things about living in the Netherlands

#1 The weather

It’s now the middle of summer and it hasn’t stopped raining for two weeks. It’s one thing suffering through a long grey winter, it’s quite another when summer only lasts a few weeks. Luckily I’m from Melbourne or else I’d be really pissed off.

#2 The food

Most Dutch national dishes have one thing in common – the deep fryer. Good when it’s chips but not so tasty when it’s unidentified meat, deep fried and posing as food (bitterballen, croquetes).  At the other extreme is raw, salted herring- the poor man’s sushi. On the plus side, the cheese is good, the alcohol cheap and the culinary delights of France and Germany are just a few hours away.

#3 The Language

In the defence of Dutch, or Nederlands, I do not have a good ear for languages. To add insult to injury my 5 year old picked up the language in a few months. Her doctor asked if it’s strange not to understand your own daughter? Yes it is. Very. To make matters worse, pretty much everyone here speaks flawless English which makes it very hard to explain to them that you find their throat disease of a language so bloody hard. Thank the cyber lords for Google translate.

What are your top 3 and bottom 3 today of where you live?   Have you lived somewhere completely different from your home town?