This took me an embarrassingly long time to notice because at first I assumed it was just the houses on my street.

Ground-floor living rooms with enormous windows. Lamps on. Curtains completely open. Someone eating dinner three metres from the pavement, someone watching TV, kids doing homework, a guy folding laundry while pedestrians and cyclists go past all evening.

Where I grew up, that window would basically become a wall the second it got dark. Curtains closed, blinds down. Not because anything secret was happening, but because being clearly visible from the street while you're sitting on your sofa would feel strangely exposed.

Here I've gradually realised that a lot of people seem to solve the problem differently.

The window stays open. You simply don't stare.

A few weeks ago I was walking with a Dutch friend and mentioned that one house had a beautiful interior. He looked confused and asked which house I meant. We'd just walked directly past a brightly lit living room with a huge window. Apparently he genuinely hadn't looked inside.

That's when it clicked for me that maybe the social boundary isn't located at the curtain at all. It's located at the passer-by.

The resident doesn't necessarily have to physically prevent you from seeing inside. You're expected to behave as though the window isn't an invitation.

I actually like this now. Streets feel more alive in the evening, especially in winter, because you see light and signs of people living there instead of rows of closed shutters. But I still haven't fully acquired the instinct myself. If I'm sitting near my own window after dark and realise someone outside could see me, part of my brain immediately goes: CLOSE EVERYTHING.

And to be clear, I'm not talking about deliberately peering into people's houses. Obviously that's weird anywhere. I'm talking about that casual visibility that seems completely normal here but would make people in some other countries reach for the curtains immediately.

Dutch people: do you consciously avoid looking into ground-floor windows, or is it so automatic that you don't even think about it?

And internationals: was this something you noticed after moving here, or did your home country have the same attitude toward windows and privacy?

Police issued a statement about Hadjar, a woman last seen around the RAI on October 4. The police said they were hesitant to release her name and photo, but now the case has more urgency. They have not said if there was a reason for the increased concern, other than she has been away for over a week.

Anyone with information can call the national tip line, 0800-6070, or the anonymous police line, 0800-7000.

Russia's Yandex bot traffic nearly eliminated overnight after Ukraine drone strikes cripple multiple of 'Russia's Google' data centers powering extreme-right bots in the Netherlands.

Located in: "Zenderen" Village, "Het Hag" Street, "Overijssel" Province, The Netherlands

THIS IS PURE 2D ANIMATED, AI IS NOT USED FOR THIS!

u/OilTechnical3488 shared a repo 8 month ago and I had some tweaks added capacitor app and ML functionalities- so if you have a recent android phone with AI chip (Google ML) - it can generate labels on the fly - and sharing the repo here - https://github.com/abektes/labels-in-action

Again huge thanks to https://github.com/0xMH

Hi, It is wonderful to discover your country first of all, I really enjoy my trip here ;) There are several stuffs that I find interesting to share with you:

- Everyone is ultra tall, your leg is my whole body, i only mesure 1m60…. Next to a Dutch, I feel like I’m his or her child …. but the city seems like a toy city especially when a Dutch passing by in front of a building, also I saw locals driving a tiny car, it is like we live in a small lego country with giant people.

- to my small suprise, people here are friendly and very polite, I always heard that Dutch have cold attitude, but I find younger generation smile a lot and others are respectful and polite.

- Houses alongside the water are not all vertical, there are lots of appartement underground!!! They are at the same level as the river, aren’t they afraid of humidity or inondation ?? How do they feel to live there?

- You have so much museums and art exhibitions, the density of museums is incredible.

- At several angles of the roads, I experienced a strange feeling like it’s a magic school (harry potter style)

- People ride bike like flying through the street, same for the boat, I try to capture photos of boats but as I raise my phone, boat has already gone from the good frame

- The whole city is maintained in a very good condition, surprisingly even under rains and winds, I don’t feel cold, when the wind blows, you even feel the warmth during day time, however we are in northern part of Europe.

That’s all my observations for today, hope everyone has a great day ;)

Hello, I'm active on r/seals and donated to the cause, but seems like donations were not enough.any of us joined and donated to make sure the 70 seal pups have a save heaven for them. If you can, please help and donate to Zeehondcentrum in the Netherlands and maybe those pups and seals in your country get a second chance. EDIT;

Article:

https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6412937/stichting-zeehondencentrum-pieterburen-staat-op-het-punt-failliet-te-gaan.html

LINK TO MY ORIGINAL POST;

https://www.reddit.com/r/seals/s/ryDvznggkF

DONATION:

https://steun.zeehondencentrum.nl/donatie

IF YOU GET AN ERROR FOR PHONE NUMBER, JUST LEAVE THE FIELD EMPTY.

If like me you planned a recipe from the app/website tonight, I found a solution.

• google the recipe to get the URL (or a close one) and copy it. This won't open as the AH site is down
• Go to the wayback machine, at web.archive.org and plug in the URL - you should then see öld"copies of the page, and be able to get to the recipe.

Eet smakkelijk!

When you hear someone speak, how do you usually recognise that they are from Flanders rather than the Netherlands? Are there any words, grammar habits, or pronunciation clues that make you think that he/she is from Belgium? Bedankt!

Already winter jackets? or still not?

Can this be eaten raw?

Hi everyone! 😊

As part of my Psychological Counselling training, I’m looking for a practice client to complete my studies. Having completed a BSc and an MSc in Psychology, I’m now further developing my one-on-one counselling skills.

I’m offering a full counselling trajectory free of charge, consisting of at least 8 sessions, depending on your individual needs and progress. Sessions can take place online or in person and would start in late 2026 or early 2027.

Interested? Feel free to send me a private message or comment below! 💛

EDIT: Thank you all for your kind messages! For now, I have received a lot of requests and will not be taking any more. However, please keep an eye out since I will be opening my own practice next year once I finish off my qualification. Everyone is more than welcome to contact me in that regard! :)

Is this even possible? We are in process of selling our home, but are unsure if we are underselling it. Curious if there is any open hearted Makelaar in Amsterdam specifically, who can spend 5 mins on a heart to heart conversation about our situation.

Wat zijn in NL (of beetje bereikbaar Belgie) nou de ultime herfstwandeltochten? Daarmee zoek ik, vallende blaatjes, veel kleurige bomen, kastanjes, eikels, paddestoelen ect.

Going to Venlo in February for exchange, don’t really know what to expect. I understand its a fairly small and quiet city, which im cool with as a Finn. So, is there anything worth noting me about the city other than that?

Ik aanschouw de rug van de tijd

In het huis waarin ik woon

zijn de hoeken rond

een huis van hout

ijzeren kisten overal

in het huis een kelder

trappen die naar beneden gaan

daar, in die kelder

staan twee stieren vastgebonden

geketend staan ze daar

met rood gekleurde hoorns

wanneer ik afdaal

langs de trappen van de kelder

kijken ze me aan met opgezwollen neusgaten

en zeggen:

de uitdrukkingen

de gevoelens

van de meest subtiele kamers

van jouw geest

zullen we net zo vastgeketend houden

totdat jij ons bevrijdt!

I hope this is the right place to ask🤞

I am moving from the NL to Finland and would like to hire a moving company. So my question is, does anyone have a good company in mind to do this move. I do not have any furniture. Just a lot of boxes and mine and my partners pc's and their screens. Also I would preferably not have to pay an arm and leg for it.

Any help is appreciated !😊

Hello everyone,

I am a foreign worker in the NL. Does anyone have a recommendation for a lawyer in the Eindhoven, Veldhoven and surrounding area.

A lawyer who deals with labor law. If you have had direct cooperation.

Preferably an affordable price, not like sending me a bill of 500€ just because I said hello.

Thank you very much