Weather in Netherlands in May?
Ravi Rao
>}>on a couple
>}>of business trips there and most everyone spoke English. Language was NOT a
>}>problem.
>}>
It looks as though I might have to take a trip this coming May in
connection with presenting a paper. I have a few questions, hopefully some
folks will respond either by posting/e-mailing directly. Thanks in advance..
1. What's the weather like in early May??
2. What about places to see in Holland? I probably will have 1 day/2 days set
apart for sightseeing. Are there any organized tours which give one a
crash course on popular tourist places?
3. How difficult is it to get to/do sightseeing in neighbouring countries like
Belgium, Luxembourg(sp?)? etc.
4. Is a Business/tourist visa a problem or is it a non-issue?
As background info, CompEuro'92 is being hosted by Delfts Univ, my guessis this is fairly close to Amsterdam, Rotterdam??
5. Any other info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks once again
Ravi Rao
--
____________________________________________________
Ravi S. Rao
SP1-82 Intel Corpn, Chandler, AZ
e-mail: rr...@hopi.intel.com, rr...@pima.intel.com
____________________________________________________
Rosana VanDerGrinten
Subject: Re: Weather in Netherlands in May?
In article <82...@inews.intel.com> you write:
|> >}>The Dutch are known for being able to speak many languages. I have been
|> >}>on a couple
|> >}>of business trips there and most everyone spoke English. Language was NOT a
|> >}>problem.
|> >}>
|> It looks as though I might have to take a trip this coming May in
|> connection with presenting a paper. I have a few questions, hopefully some
|> folks will respond either by posting/e-mailing directly. Thanks in advance..
|>
|> 1. What's the weather like in early May??
As I recall, it's cool- not hot, not cold. You may need a sweater at the most. Maybe some showers.
|>
|> 2. What about places to see in Holland? I probably will have 1 day/2 days set
|> apart for sightseeing. Are there any organized tours which give one a
|> crash course on popular tourist places?
To name a few:
a. Keukenhof (check spelling) to see hundreds of tulip varieties- usually in May.
b. Maduro Dam in Den Haag.
c. Museums (VanGogh, Rijksmuseum ,etc) in Amsterdam and other cities.
d. Volendaam - where there are a lot of little souvenir shops .
e. Take a canal boat ride in Amsterdam.
f. If you want real bargain shopping, go to Albert Kuyp in Amsterdam or find out what is market day in the town you will be in.
Plus a lot more- 2 days will not be enough though.
|>
|> 3. How difficult is it to get to/do sightseeing in neighbouring countries like
|> Belgium, Luxembourg(sp?)? etc.
From Amsterdam to Belgium took me about one a half hour drive. I didn't have much time in Belgium but was able to go to Waterloo.
|>
|> 4. Is a Business/tourist visa a problem or is it a non-issue?
If you hold a US passport, you don't need any visa anywhere in EEC.
|>
|> As background info, CompEuro'92 is being hosted by Delfts Univ, my guessis this is fairly close to Amsterdam, Rotterdam??
You can get almost anywhere in the Netherlands in about two hours drive.
|>
|> 5. Any other info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks once again
Drivers in the Netherlands and surrounding countries are very good. I enjoyed driving there- most of them are defensive drivers and seems to know what you are going to do. If you are driving, stay on the right lane as much as possible .
Dutch people are very friendly as long as you don't demand. They will try to understand and help you willingly if you ask nicely.
Get ready to pay for mayonnaise and ketchup when you go to McDonalds or Burger King.
I haven't been to Neth. for 10 years till last summer so maybe other news members will give you some more info. I haven't had any bad experience so I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay there.
Maarten Sierhuis
1. Weather in May?
There is a saying in Dutch: "Mei regen maakt dat ik groter wordt" (transl: "May rain will make me bigger"). This tells you that:
a) It rains in May, b) The May month is the start of spring, and when it rains flowers, etc. start to grow, c) nobody ever knows what kind of wheather you will get ... but expect the worst, then you will never be caught by surprise!! If May happens to have a couple of hours of sun (during the day), it will be pleasant spring wheather.
2. places to visit?
Go to the VVV. This is the Ducth triple A (AAA). There is one in almost every city (especially in A'dam). They can give you the best advise of what to do in May, and what is possible in your limited time. My advise: Stay in Amsterdam, there is enough to do, and of course to drink!! Don't become a "Do Holland in 2 days" tourist, you'll spent too much money, and will sit in a bus most of the time!!
3. Visit other countries?
Antwerpen (Belgium) is a great city. It is about 45 minutes driving from Rotterdam (I know I lived there!), and A'dam - R'dam is about 1 1/2 hours. So with the car from A'dam about 2 hours (if you know where to go of course, and you probably won't). However you can take the train from A'dam to Antwerpen. I expect that'll be about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
Of course you can also go to Germany. Aken is not too far out of Holland, but still about 3 to 4 hours driving from A'dam.
If you want to go abroad, I suggest to go to Antwerpen (bring a couple of Belgium beers back for me, if you do!)
4. Visa?
As far as I know Americans don't need a visa (probably just a retour ticket). I do know that a couple of years ago (let's say 1988) Americans needed a tourist visa to get into France, but I am not sure if that's still the case. But, since you didn't mention going to France, don't worry about that. Belgium doesn't require a visa either, so you will be just fine (just don't bring back a Dutch girl, or boy for that matter, (s)he will need a green card !!(ha ha))
Enjoy your stay, and greetings to Bea and Claus, if you run in to them!
Doei ... Maarten Sierhuis
My name is...
>
>3. How difficult is it to get to/do sightseeing in neighbouring countries like
> Belgium, Luxembourg(sp?)? etc.
>
Ravi,
I'd recommend that you spend a day (or even better, stay overnight) in
Antwerpen, Belgium. It must be the best city around for night life, the old
part of the city is very attractive, and people are very friendly and open.
I lived there for 2 years, and enjoyed every moment of it. Other cities in
Belgium of interest are Ghent and Leuven in the Flemish part, and Namur in the
French part. Brussels is not particularly interesting, except for the superb
seafood restaurants in the area of the Grand Place. Don't forget to sample
the beers, and to bring home the chocolate.
Luxembourg city is nice, but very, very quiet.
Hope this helps,
Paul
Shun Yan Cheung
>
>1. What's the weather like in early May??
April doet wat het wil... Rains a lot in April, extrapolate ?
>3. How difficult is it to get to/do sightseeing in neighbouring countries like
> Belgium, Luxembourg(sp?)? etc.
Easy, just hop on the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen).
They are suppose to check passports at the border but they rarely do.
The only thing they really check is the ticket.
>4. Is a Business/tourist visa a problem or is it a non-issue?
I think as a US citizen, you don't need a visa to visit.
Now, Europeans do not need a visa to come visit the US either...
> As background info, CompEuro'92 is being hosted by Delfts Univ, my guessis this is fairly close to Amsterdam, Rotterdam??
>
Yes, my alma mater is just 10 min away from Rotterdam. It's right between
Leiden and Rotterdam. Amsterdam is 30 min by train.
>5. Any other info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks once again
Buy a strippenkaart at the airport's trainstation for taking train and bus.
Take the train from Schiphol to Delft. Watch out, not all trains stop
at Delft, some intercity trains just run by to go to Rotterdam. In Delft,
you could take line 63 (COULD because that was back in 1984 :-)) to
the TH wijk (Delft Univ of Technology used to be Technische Hogeschool Delft
or TH Delft or THD or simply TH, and wijk means neighborhood).
Delft is an interesting place to visit. Take a look at the Oude Kerk and
climb the tower. You can see whole Delft (it the highest point in downtown).
There is a tour through the grachten in Delft.
--
Shun Yan Cheung | che...@mathcs.emory.edu | Office: (404) 727-3823
Emory University | che...@emory.bitnet | Fax: (404) 727-5611
Dept of Math and CS | "Question authority, otherwise one day it will
Atlanta, GA 30322 | question you".
Engelsma Jonathan
sier...@erasmus.nynexst.com (Maarten Sierhuis) writes:
>2. places to visit?
>
>Go to the VVV. This is the Ducth triple A (AAA). There is one in almost
every city (especially in A'dam). They can give you the best advise of
what to do in May, and what is possible in your limited time. My advise:
Don't become a "Do Holland in 2 days" tourist, you'll spent too much
money, and will sit in a bus most of the time!!
I saw quite a bit in three days, but my travel companion had relatives who knew
just where to takes us. I think a good way to see any country is to develop
acquaintances there and let them show you around. You can always return the
favor when they visit your country.
>4. Visa?
>
>As far as I know Americans don't need a visa (probably just a retour
ticket). I do know that a couple of years ago (let's say 1988) Americans
needed a tourist visa to get into France, but I am not sure if that's
still the case. But, since you didn't menti>on going to France,
You won't need one for France anymore.
>don't worry about that. Belgium doesn't require a visa either, so you
will be just fine (just don't bring back a Dutch girl, or boy for that
matter, (s)he will need a green card !!(ha ha))
Tell me about it... my Dutch gal and I have just commenced our battle with the
US immigration office. But of course they always told me when I was
growing up
that if she wasn't Dutch she wasn't much, so I'm sure its worthwhile! :-)
Jonathan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan R. Engelsma Michigan State University
Department of
E-mail: enge...@cps.msu.edu Computer Science
uunet!frith!engelsma
uunet!frith!jresys!engelsma (home)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Kirschen
|> From Amsterdam to Belgium took me about one a half hour drive.
I know it's not very far, but you sure drive fast ....
Daniel
Rosana VanDerGrinten
Rosana
MICHAEL JONES
>|>
>|> I know it's not very far, but you sure drive fast ....
>|>
mile stretch or so around towns). I drove from Amsterdam- Belgium- Paris
- Zurich- Dusseldorf- Amsterdam in 5 days. That's why I mentioned how good
the drivers are out there-
Rosa, I don't when the last time was you were in Europe, but 'autobahns with-
out speed limits are a thing of the past. The Germans now have 100 KM/h speed
limits for cars without catalytic converters- having decided their trees are
more important than their ability to drive at any speed- and the rest of the
countries you mention have always had speed limits. I'll grant you that
enforcement of speed limits may be another matter, but you should be aware that
in the Netherlands at least you need not be pulled over by a policeman to
receive a speeding ticket. They have neat little vans on the side of the road
that take pictures of your car's license plate- your ticket will be mailed to
you at home. How good the drivers are over there is a matter of opinion.
As to the original poster and the question of Dutch wheather, it's not a bad
idea to expect rain all year round.
As to what to see in two days while you're there- I agree with whoever it
was who suggested you don't try to see everything. Decide on a few places and
relax and enjoy. The tulip fields should be coming into bloom around May so
that could be something. You could easily spend two days in Amsterdam, The
Hague, Antwerp, Bruges (or Brugge). Another interesting place is the open air
museum in Arnhem. It consists of acres of park land on which historic dutch
buildings from all over the country have been rebuilt. There are working paper
mills, windmills, farms, etc. it really is worth your while. Another thing to
note is that you shouldn't expect to do any shopping on Sunday. All shops,
except gas stations, restaurants and bars are usually closed. All of these
Cities are within easy reach by train or car from Delft. Luxemburg on the
hand would be quite a hike unless you have something special you'd like to see
there.
____________________________________________________________________________
Michael A. Jones (V087...@UBVMS.Bitnet) University at Buffalo
School of Law
FUN IN BLAHSVILLE: SPRING ALONG 'TIL APRIL
Jan. 11, 1981. by Mike Royko
So the question we face is how to glide through January, February and
March as painlessly as possible; how to find a way to brighten our
spirits and keep busy and make the time fly by until spring arrives.
BROODING: Brooding is so often overlooked as an absolutely great way
to pass dull time. And it's something you can do any time by yourself.
Just pick out all the things that you hate about yourself; or think back
to all the terrible mistakes you've made with your life, things that
make you feel guilt and shame. Or think about all the cruel and
thoughtless ways your friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors have
ever hurt your feelings. Then sit in front of the fire or in a dimly lit
room and dwell on them at length. Go over them time after time, reliving
each awful and shameful detail. The hours will just fly by. (You can
combine your brooding with drinking and have one heck of a time.)
there.
Mark S.
In article <1992Jan8.2...@nynexst.com>,
sier...@erasmus.nynexst.com (Maarten Sierhuis) writes:
>2. places to visit?
>Stay in Amsterdam, there is enough to do, and of course to drink!!
>Don't become a "Do Holland in 2 days" tourist, you'll spent too much
>money, and will sit in a bus most of the time!!
Cannot agree more about the "American Tourist Syndrom". So many people
I meet seem to be so focused on getting the most mileage out of their
vacations ...
But anyway, try Utrecht (Utreg) instead of Amsterdam as a home base in
The Netherlands.
It is NL's fourth city, dead center, half an hour by train from A'dam
(trains do not run from 4 am to 6 am). It is not as cosmopolitical as
A'dam, but very nice, like an open air museum, and very compact with a
real center which you can discover on foot. Very quiet compared to the
capital and more Dutch (all big cities look alike in a certain way).
kristus, wat doe ik naou: 'n bietsie al die yanks lope vertelle waor
ze ons mooie staatsie kenne vinde, wa bennik nou voor een aachtelijke
dakhaos?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Soekarjo Living in a postcard
postcards to la Maison Rose e-mail to k...@litsun.epfl.ch
Ch. des Clos 53 fax +41'21'693'41'11
CH-1024 Ecublens voice +41'21'693'37'02
****europe*****
Dan Kirschen
|> |>
|> |> I know it's not very far, but you sure drive fast ....
|> |>
|> |> Daniel
|> That what's nice about 'autobahns' with no speed limits (except for
|>about a mile stretch or so around towns). I drove from Amsterdam-
|>Belgium- Paris- Zurich- Dusseldorf- Amsterdam in 5 days. That's why I
|>mentioned how good the drivers are out there- when |> they see that
|>you are faster than them they go out of your way (or go in the right
|>lane). I do felt I was going fast but when about a third of the cars
|>on the highway are overtaking me then I knew I'm doing just fine. |>
|> Rosana
You are too kind. People get quickly in the right lane because they
are afraid that if they don't the driver who wants to pass will move
up to about one foot of the rear of your car. I grew up in Belgium
and I was used to that behavior. However, after 12 years in the
States, I can't stand it. Belgians certainly deserve their reputation
as the worst drivers in Europe.
Daniel
Maarten Sierhuis
>kristus, wat doe ik naou: 'n bietsie al die yanks lope vertelle waor
>ze ons mooie staatsie kenne vinde, wa bennik nou voor een aachtelijke
>dakhaos?
Kijk daar hou ik nou van he`, Zo'n aachterlijk Utrechts schoffie who
first talks about his wonderful city, and then blames himself for telling foreigners to come and dirty his streets. That's Holland,
that's Utrecht.
I cannot agree more about Utrecht; What a great city. And so centrally
located. To all Dutch tourists: Go to Utrecht!!
Doei ... MXS
BOGSTAD Mark IMHEF DME EPFL
I would like to to give a warning to foreign drivers in Belgium...
Just before Xmas, I was driving on the Belgian motormay just 10 km
south of of Brussels (Overijse) when I saw a policecar turning on
the motorway.. As I was speeding very slightly (=130kmh), I decelerated
slowly because I was weary to overtake the policecar who was driving 120kmh.
The police car was driving in the right lane and I stayed about 30 meters
behind the car in the middle lane. After about 1km the stop sign flashed
and I had to pull over. They gave me a fine (=ticket) because I was driving
too long in the middle lane WITHOUT overtaking anyone. They said that I was
not a very sociable driver and I should stay to the right in future. I was
to astounded to argue and accepted the ticket and drove on....
As it was the end of the year they obviously needeed to reach their annual
budget
So you are warned, stay on the right on Belgium motorways and only use the
lanes to overtake !!!!
Mark Bogstad
Rosana VanDerGrinten
t. Maybe someone can educate me in what that means. The distance between Amsterdam-Antwerp is approximately 120 miles. It does make a difference if you are coming from north ,east, west or south side of Amsterdam on your driving time. For the record, I was there last July 1991.
Rosana
Maarten Sierhuis
This is the law in Belgium and in Holland, and police will stop you
for it. As I said before, in Europe they like 'social' drivers!!
During driving lessons in Holland you're constantly be made aware of
this 'rechts blijven rijden', and during your final driving exam (if you
ever get that far) you will fail if you don't enforce this rule.
Doei ... MXS
Maarten Sierhuis
NYNEX S&T
White Plains, NY
USA
e-mail: sier...@nynexst.com
Marc Veeneman
>Mark Bogstad
That was the law in Michigan until about 1975, as well. Check
your local regulations, folks.
--
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Veeneman Marcal Systems Corporation Cary, Illinois U.S.A.
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible we leave to programmers.
Daan Sandee
>................... About speed limits- it's true that Germany do post a speed
>limit but in other parts of EEC highways as I can remember, they would post a
>100 kph limit then after a mile or so, another post will show 100 with a slash
>in what that means.
(Don't know what kind of software you were using, but it arrived here as a
couple of 512-character lines.)
The speed limit on motorways in The Netherlands (and Belgium) is 120 km/h,
nationwide. This is posted at every border crossing *and* when you drive away
from Schiphol Airport. Therefore, it does not have to be repeated everywhere.
Locally, the speed limit may be less, like 100 km/h. At the end of such a
stretch they have this sign with 100 crossed out indicating return to default.
Daan Sandee san...@think.com
Thinking Machines Corporation
Cambridge, Mass 02142
Dave Taylor
>I would like to to give a warning to foreign drivers in Belgium...
>Just before Xmas, I was driving on the Belgian motormay just 10 km
>south of of Brussels (Overijse) when I saw a policecar turning on
>the motorway.. As I was speeding very slightly (=130kmh), I decelerated
>slowly because I was weary to overtake the policecar who was driving 120kmh.
>The police car was driving in the right lane and I stayed about 30 meters
>behind the car in the middle lane. After about 1km the stop sign flashed
>and I had to pull over. They gave me a fine (=ticket) because I was driving
>too long in the middle lane WITHOUT overtaking anyone. They said that I was
>not a very sociable driver and I should stay to the right in future. I was
>to astounded to argue and accepted the ticket and drove on....
>As it was the end of the year they obviously needeed to reach their annual
>budget
>So you are warned, stay on the right on Belgium motorways and only use the
>lanes to overtake !!!!
Boy, I wish they enforced this law in the U.S. There is nothing more
infuriating than driving on a two-lane highway behind two cars driving
mile after mile side-by-side, not letting anyone pass. They amazing thing
is they don't even drive the speed limit!!
DaveT
--
Dave Taylor UUCP: ...!{uunet,boulder}!stan!davet
Solbourne Computer, Inc. Domain: da...@solbourne.COM
1900 Pike Road (303) 772-3400 (Longmont)
Irene Marquez
Taylor) says:
>Boy, I wish they enforced this law in the U.S. There is nothing more
>infuriating than driving on a two-lane highway behind two cars driving
>mile after mile side-by-side, not letting anyone pass. They amazing thing
>is they don't even drive the speed limit!!
trips or do a lot of driving actually do this, as a courtesy.
Unfortunately, living in Chicago, you don't see much of that.
That was a great story. =)
>DaveT
>--
Irene Marquez
University of Illinois at Chicago Phone: 312 413-3125
SFS and CO - Systems Fax 312 413-1972
809 S. Marshfield Ave M/C 557 E-mail: U37...@uicvm.uic.edu
Chicago, IL 60612
Verhagen Andre
>>NOTE; THIS STORY IS TRUE !!!!!!!
>>I would like to to give a warning to foreign drivers in Belgium...
>>Just before Xmas, I was driving on the Belgian motormay just 10 km
>>south of of Brussels (Overijse) when I saw a policecar turning on
>>the motorway.. As I was speeding very slightly (=130kmh), I decelerated
>>slowly because I was weary to overtake the policecar who was driving 120kmh.
>>The police car was driving in the right lane and I stayed about 30 meters
>>behind the car in the middle lane. After about 1km the stop sign flashed
>>and I had to pull over. They gave me a fine (=ticket) because I was driving
>>too long in the middle lane WITHOUT overtaking anyone. They said that I was
>>not a very sociable driver and I should stay to the right in future. I was
>>to astounded to argue and accepted the ticket and drove on....
>>As it was the end of the year they obviously needeed to reach their annual
>>budget
>>So you are warned, stay on the right on Belgium motorways and only use the
>>lanes to overtake !!!!
Don't even try to think of doing this on the Autobahn in Germany. If you are
lucky you get a fine (very expensive ) and if you are unlucky you get a
car up your back at +200 km/h
What also sometimes happens is that other drivers get so upset about cars not
driving in the most right lane that they will try to cut you into the right
most lane.
Just stay right unless overtaking (except in England ofcourse).
Louis Verhagen
v...@waves.ce.adfa.oz.au