The Netherlands and beyond
For visitors in search of scenic walking routes, the province of North Holland is perhaps not an obvious choice. The landscape is famously as flat as the local pancakes and picturesque mountains, forests and waterfalls are in short supply. Head into the countryside south of Amsterdam, however, and you can find lovely walking routes amid Continue reading Rembrandt’s Amsterdam – walking the Amstel…
Recent articles and opinion pieces by Ben are listed here: https://ben-coates.com/articles/
About a year ago, I went out for coffee in the Hague with an acquaintance. We had a pleasant chat for half an hour or so, and when we parted ways my companion kindly picked up the bill, which came to about six euros. I thanked him, of course, but thought nothing further of it: Continue reading Free coffees and careful lottery winners: why the Dutch are careful with their money and how it affects…
About two weeks ago, an astonishing video from Ukraine appeared online. Russia hadn’t yet invaded at that point, but the video purported to show war breaking out in dramatic fashion. A fighter jet looped low over a town on an inky blue night and fired a missile at a target on the ground. It exploded Continue reading The Twitter War
In early and mid-October, many Dutch newspapers made for grim reading. ‘In some towns… a third of the population lies sick’, one outlet reported, while another warned rising infections meant ‘in the hospitals there is no more room to take in seriously ill patients’. In the Hague, journalists reported many nurses had fallen ill, while Continue reading Masks, ski resorts and King s Day hangovers:…
The Netherlands attempts a UK-style reopening without the UK s low level of infections In his press conference in early May, Mark Rutte sounded cautiously upbeat. “We have achieved something together” and “got the spread of the virus under control”, the Dutch Prime Minister said, with “the figures… developing in a favourable direction for a Continue reading Diet Herd Immunity
As 2010 drew to a close, the international news remained focused on the fallout from the year’s big events: the start of the Arab Spring, the Haitian earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Movie-goers were excited by recent smash hits the The King’s Speech and The Social Network, and music charts were dominated by young Continue reading The Dutch Joe Biden
Lockdowns, vaccines and how the Dutch forgot how to organize anything About three years ago, a new railway bridge was built not far from where I live, across the Amsterdam-Rhine canal outside Utrecht. The new structure wasn’t much to look at: a massive metal curve like a toppled archer’s bow, coloured the same dull grey Continue reading A Bridge Too Far
A second wave and realising I was wrong About a year ago, I started writing another book. The premise was simple: as someone who was born in Britain but has lived in the Netherlands for years, and who now has dual nationality, I’ve long been fascinated by how well things work here. When I Continue reading The New Brazil
Is the Netherlands sleepwalking into catastrophe? Visiting a Dutch city during a deadly pandemic can be a bizarre experience. Cautiously travelling to a few different places for work this week, I found the shops busy and the streets bustling. Squares and canalside terraces were filled with people drinking beer in the sunshine. Museums were open, Continue reading The Invisible Lockdown