People of Utrecht: in English do you guys call your country Holland or The Netherlands?

I'm studying in Utrecht and just got back from an exchange at Queens University in Kingston ON so I know a bit about both Canada and NL now :). Couple of pointers:

  • Netherlands is the whole country, Holland (north and south) are two provinces only, albeit the most populous ones
  • Utrecht is not in Holland

  • Cycling in Canada and NL are two different things; there are special cycling lanes on most routes in the cities so you don't have to bother looking out for cars passing by, but they are heavily used and dutchies tend to cycle fast

  • Pro tip: buy a cheap (30-100 eur) bike. You don't need gears (no hills) but some workable brakes might be nice. Do get bike lights so you don't get fined. Also, lock it up properly as loads of bikes get stolen

  • Leave your Canada Goose and Sorel's at home; it doesn't get very cold in winter, with minima around -5

  • Taking a course in Dutch is probably best done in NL; my faculty (University College Utrecht, Liberal Arts & Sciences) offers a Discover the Dutch course for exchange students and I am pretty sure it will be possible to take something similar at other faculties but it might be best to ask them directly

  • However, note that learning Dutch can be a frustrating exercise, both because of grammar and idioms that are hard to understand and the fact that real-life practice might be hard because people will notice you are foreign and talk back in English (over 90% of the Dutch speaks, although heavily accented, English)

  • Try our amazing Dutch cuisine: Kroketten (croquettes), Hollandse Nieuwe (raw herring), Kapsalon (its like a poutine except it actually tastes good and doesn't immediately give you a heart attack) and Stroopwafels (heavenly wafers with syrup) are must-haves!

Lastly, Utrecht is amazing, its like a smaller Amsterdam with less tourists. I'm sure you'll have an amazing time!

/r/Utrecht Thread