There are relatively few Russians in Holland, that is, Soviet ones, no more than 40 thousand.
The king was the first to order a Russian bride. This was the daughter of Paul I, Anna Pavlovna, or as she is called here, Anna Palovna, with an emphasis on O.

She is the great-great-great grandmother of the current Queen of Holland, Beatrice.

Well, about women.

1. Self-sufficient and independent.
The Dutch woman pays for herself in the restaurant, yes, that’s true. But for the time being, as soon as the relationship becomes more serious, it is the woman who manages the entire budget. This has been the case since ancient times.

2. The main principles of women
Holland is a Protestant country and, moreover, adheres to the most radical direction in Protestantism - Calvinism, which means Modesty, Efficiency, Unpretentiousness and aversion to Luxury! So, modesty in clothing was elevated to the rank of virtue, and by the way, it was the Dutch who laid the foundations of American society, where these principles were also observed. All these Vanderbilts and Roosevelts were of Dutch origin.

3. Appearance.
Dutch women prefer to cut their hair short or wear it completely long hair, because the wind makes the hairstyle unusable in two minutes.
Due to the wonderful humid climate, Dutch women, as a rule, have good, clean skin, but it is very delicate; many, especially the older generation, don’t give a damn about it; about 20 years ago, everyone was scorched in solariums.

Now the fashion has passed and only the lower strata of society smoke in the solarium; naturalness is in fashion.
Dutch women are neat, especially in villages, their favorite stores are household goods, they know the exact purposes of all these brushes, rags, sponges.

4. Hobbies.
Dutch women love to garden and on Saturday, when all the New Yorkers are sitting in manicure and pedicure salons, the Dutch woman stands with her back to the top, in the garden and everything blooms on time, all the flowers are planted according to the rules, they say about this one here: Green Thumb !


Dutch women are terribly creative, they love to decorate their homes, and they are not lazy in changing the displays every week.
In Holland there are a huge number of different courses, master classes and shops for home decoration. Dutch women love flowers and buy bouquets for the house every week, and more than one at a time!

5. Cloth. When I first arrived here, there weren’t so many clothing stores yet. Women dressed differently, but the clothes were of better quality. Nowadays a lot of cheap stores like Zara, Mango, H&M have proliferated and the Dutch are silently suffering, because by their mentality these people like to buy just one expensive thing, but good.
Dutch women prefer sportswear, but such that good brands, windproof jackets, jeans, durable shoes.


By the way, they love to buy shoes and everyone mostly wears expensive, high-quality shoes. They practically don’t wear hats, even in cold weather.
Everyone wears jeans here.
A Dutch woman from the middle class is terribly stingy and in a store the first thing she looks at is not the style of clothing, but the price tag.
Every morning a Dutch woman must put on fresh clothes, even a cheap T-shirt, but clean!

6. Treason.
It’s more difficult with women; it turned out that Dutch women, according to statistics, cheat quite often, practically in the forefront among Europeans, second only to Italians. Dutch women, despite their Calvinist upbringing, are frankly shameless. From childhood they are instilled with the idea: Think only about yourself.

7. Education and culture.
They read very little, there are no literature lessons in Dutch schools! In high school something like extracurricular reading and then only Dutch literature.

8. Rest.
Instead of fashion stores, the Dutch woman loves forays into nature, and she would prefer to travel to some exotic country over buying an Armani dress. Many people think of Armani as a drink.

9.Character.
Dutch women are very calm, polite, smiling, and sincere and friendly.
Sometimes from the outside it seems that they are closed, but this is not so, when, for example, you work with them side by side, they will tell you everything about themselves, even sometimes very intimate things that Russians do not talk about out loud.
Dutch women know how to be friends and sincerely, they, despite all their stinginess, love to give gifts, a Dutch girl or guy is, first of all, very well-mannered young people and behaves in a public place very reserved.

10. Smoking.
The older generation almost all smoked. There are no young people, only the children of workers smoke.

11. Sport. Dutch women love sports and not only cycling, every family member has some kind of sport that he is interested in, but his special passion is skating and swimming. There is a lot of water in the country and by the age of 7 every child already has a swimmer’s diploma, this is mandatory!

12. Wealth.
The wealth of Dutch women is an end in itself, a bank account is dearer to them than a mink coat, rich woman She can easily ride her bike, snot like a fan, in the cold, and tell her friends that she saved a lot on gasoline.

13. Mothers.
They are good mothers, sometimes it seems to us that they are cold, but no, this is most often worldly wisdom.

Listen to the story:
An old friend of Mike's has three sons, the two younger ones did well at school and went on to study further, and the eldest, having received the profession of a cook, got a job, but continued to live at home.
And although she and her husband earned good money, they told their son:
-You live at home, use water, electricity, gas - pay!
The son had nowhere to go, every month he gave for public utilities parents receive half their salary.
Of course, I was angry, 500 € to my mom and dad for a shower and food, but there was nothing to do.
The rest, as expected, he spent on himself, on clothes and skipped.
Two years passed, he decided to separate from his parents and got an apartment.
It was necessary to buy furniture and make repairs.
The guy was worried about where to get the money?
And mom and dad were here and returned all his money to him safe and sound, and added a little of their own.
She tells me that her son said:
-Sorry, mom, I was so angry with you then, but now I only realized how wisely you acted, because I have a girlfriend. And this money came in handy for us, otherwise I would have just wasted it on drink!
Here is a parable about Dutch women, women close to us in some ways and at the same time completely different.

Photo from the Internet

Who are they - Dutch women... What makes Russian men, living in Holland for several years, persistently harass their compatriots and shy away from Dutch beauties like the devil from incense?
For those interested, I suggest downloading and listening to the Dutch version of the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” (MP3 file 6.21 MB). Pay attention to the manner of conversation and behavior of the Cap. If you compare a Dutch fairy tale with its Russian counterpart, you will understand the difference between Dutch and Russian women 😀
However, in order to understand this phenomenon more deeply, I decided to conduct my own investigation. The first thing that interested me was -

ORIGINS- and as many rightly note, these origins lie in emancipation. Until the 60s of the 20th century, a woman in the Netherlands who got married was automatically fired from her job. A married working woman was a rare phenomenon and only in very poor families. But society condemned this. In ordinary families, one father did the work, even if there were seven or more children. Of course, in large families, the woman is first and foremost a mother and housewife. But for young, educated and active women, such a situation with job loss was simply unbearable.

WOMEN— Experience with the older generation in Holland shows a huge difference between women different ages. Those who matured before the 60s retained their feminine nature, adjusted for Dutch system values, of course 😉 Those who grew up after the 60s tried to gain complete independence and assert themselves in society, at work, in the family, and as a result they lost something called femininity.
The older generation is softer. In Holland you come across simply stunning women of 60-80 years of age! Calling them grandmothers or old ladies is hard to come by...

GIRLS— This is a generation of young Dutch women under 35 years old and it is very diverse both in terms of culture and level of education. Now in Holland, more and more young people are unable, due to the peculiarities of the local system of primary and secondary education, to study at higher education institutions. educational institutions. This means that there is a huge gap between people not only in the level of education. In Holland this affects culture, language and behavior.

Of course, the level of education is not yet an indicator of a person’s “interestingness,” but add to this “home” education, which often does not deal with the child’s development, so the average Dutch girl has little chance of being an interesting conversationalist. For Russians, interesting communication still remains important. Many Russians find it difficult to imagine friendship with young Dutch women.

Of course, girls are needed not only and not so much for “smart” conversations. 😀 Personal qualities also play an important role. Consider yourself lucky if you have met a pleasant person who is ready to support you. friendly relations. What about the rest? The rest are largely superficial, intolerant, and do not try to understand the problems of those around them, including men. For some reason, it is believed that to compromise means to lose your independence and show that a man is stronger. Emancipation, in a word! 😀

Since there are more girls and women who do not strive for a career, and also due to the characteristics of the local system of kindergartens and after-school programs () the percentage of workers married women in the Netherlands is still small compared to other countries. But as for women with higher professional or university education, here you will see the exact opposite picture. Career and money are the number one goal. But what if you want kids too? That's right, there's a dad for that.

DUTCH DADDY- I’m telling you this, not just dad. This is a super dad (read more in the article ““). He's fiddling with infants, walks them, organizes leisure time when they grow up. Dad must take time off from work to look after the children when they are sick. He does all the shopping, including groceries, feminine hygiene and cosmetics, washes dishes, cleans the house, cooks, washes and irons. At the same time, the wife is engaged in business, appears at home only in the evening and... completely denies her husband sex. The logic is simple: “Well, you and I already have two children. Why do we need sex?

BY THE WAY ABOUT SEX- What do ladies do in bed? It depends on which ladies we are talking about - Belgian or Dutch. Judging by the results of a survey conducted by the mattress manufacturer Auping (published by the newspaper de Volkskrant, July 2002), ladies have different preferences other than sleep.

The majority of Belgian women (60.7%) did not hesitate to say that in bed they prefer to make love. Which is normal, you say... Not for everyone! The majority of Dutch women (69.8%) prefer... a book to their partner! There are fewer lovers of bed reading in Belgium, only 54.3%.

Are Dutch women really that indifferent to sex? No, 54.3% still do this in their bedrooms, they just like reading books more, as well as watching TV - 49.1%. In Belgium, TV is still not entertainment for the bedroom; only 17.9% click the remote control while lounging under the covers.

Since Belgian women are so active in bed, they should change their bed linen often... But they guessed wrong! 2-3 times a month is quite enough, says 42.1% of Belgians. Dutch women are more clean - 55.6% of women lay down clean sheets once a week, and changing linen 2-3 times a month is enough for 29.9% of Dutch women.

RELATIONSHIPS“I don’t know about you, but I have the impression that some Dutch women have a real art of suppressing men.” This is probably how emancipation manifests itself - from equality to superiority 😀 How else can we explain the persistent feeling of guilt that Dutch men have towards the female sex, expressed in endless concessions, softness and the inability to defend their opinion. At the same time, men are often not caressed and disliked even by their own mothers. Probably sentimentality in relationships is not welcomed in many families.

Or reverse side medals - venting out one’s grievances received with Dutch women on girlfriends and fiancées brought from abroad.
And now I’ll give you advice from a women’s magazine entitled “How to regain an intimate relationship with a man”:

• Ask yourself if I still think positively about him;
• Stimulate positive thoughts about him, remember the moments when you felt good with him;
• Set aside half an hour a day to talk to him;
• Ask yourself - how do I imagine an ideal relationship, what will we do in 10 years;
• When you talk to him, look at him, sit next to him and touch him.

It's kind of sad, isn't it? Have relationships between men and women really become so crushed that anyone can take such advice seriously?

CHILDREN- are often born. As I already wrote, people start thinking about children late (by Russian standards) - around 30-40 years old, when there is a trusted partner, a good income and decent living conditions. What is considered a large family in Russia (three children) has long become the norm in Holland. It is very rare for families to settle on one child because he needs a “playmate.” And since the Dutch family is a rather closed formation, such a comrade should be a brother or sister.

For the sake of having children, ladies are ready to do anything! You can often see a mother carrying two children on a bicycle to kindergarten, and nearby, the eldest child, five years old, is riding to school on a tiny bike. Many public places, cafes, shopping centers and just big stores have special toy rooms, a TV with cartoons, or at worst a table with a puzzle toy for children. That is, parents can make purchases or arrange their affairs without worrying that the child will be bored or get in the way.

APPEARANCE — interesting question. The majority of Dutch girls are unremarkable, unflirty, and do not strive to please. Like, love it the way it is! And what’s most interesting is that they are loved, they marry them and have children with them. In Holland there is no such discrimination against women based on appearance as in Russia. Dutch men are accustomed to their women to such an extent that when they see a long-legged, made-up, Slavic woman in sexy clothes, the first thought that comes to their mind is “Prostitute...”.

But for Russian men, such a “Dutch” attitude towards their appearance seems wild. As one young man complained, in Russia he often turned around with bated breath in the wake of beauties, but here, they say, there is no one. (Although, of course, there are beauties in Holland, thanks to the mixing of blood!) In former Union men are very picky about female beauty- so that she is thin and slender, her legs have molars, her breasts are beautiful, and her face is not ugly. That is, a girl with an ordinary appearance, and even more so overweight, has little chance of finding a life partner there.

Holland is a paradise for overweight people. Firstly, men do not hesitate to take fat women as wives. Secondly, here you can buy women's clothing in incredible sizes. So even if you are size 60, you can dress fashionably and tastefully. However, ladies prefer simple and practical clothes. Trousers are the number one garment. Skirts, unless of course they are extremely youthful, have turned into business clothing (the exception is girls and women from religious Protestant families, they always wear skirts). They don’t wear dresses at all, except in the heat of summer. Heeled shoes are only for a certain age category - for ladies over 50 who gladly take advantage of every opportunity to look amazing and please men. This also applies to cosmetics.

JOB— the desire to demonstrate their independence and be on an equal footing with men sometimes reaches the point of absurdity among Dutch women. No one here can be surprised by a female police officer or a bus driver. But women firefighters appeared. Why not?! But these are still flowers! How do you like the article in the magazine about what was designed and put on sale due to popular demand!!! 😀 And this is not a joke! I saw THIS in the store...

And finally - romantic story from life:

A husband sits with his Dutch wife in the garden in the evening and says to her:
“Darling, look how beautiful the red sky is in the west!”
She replies: “How do you know that it’s west THERE?”

I think that says it all! 😀

Netherlands- a very small and very peculiar state. A sort of multi-layered “matryoshka” with surprises. But our conversation, rather, is not about the Netherlands, but about the men there. And I must say that the main quality of the Dutch is reasonableness. And reasonableness in everything: from the family budget to love relationship and education of the younger generation.

Kingdom of tulips and cheese

The Netherlands is a very small and very peculiar state. A sort of multi-layered “matryoshka” with surprises: the European Netherlands are integral part Kingdom of the Netherlands, including several other islands special status, and Holland, in turn, is two of the 12 provinces in the Netherlands, Holland North and South. Even the Dutch language is not synonymous with Dutch - it is just one of its varieties.

But we are not talking about geography, but about love, and therefore we will not make a difference between Dutch and Dutch men: it is difficult to expect that people living in the same country an hour's drive from each other will differ significantly in character. And this is exactly what the Netherlands is like: 41,000 square kilometers, two and a half hours by train from border to border from north to south and an hour and a half from west to east...

If you set out to draw a symbol of Holland, it will look something like this: a happy cow with a smile from ear to ear, holding a circle of amber-sunny cheese under her arm, against a background windmills and blooming tulips to the horizon. A realist will definitely add a bicycle somewhere in the corner - the main personal vehicle in Amsterdam, and the avant-garde - the interior of a cafe with blissful weed smokers and the perspective of the "red light street".

Reasonableness as a national Dutch virtue

Yes, Holland is a country of wonderful tulips, environmental energy technologies and legalized drugs. This is one of the most highly developed and democratic countries in Europe. And the lifestyle here is determined by the main national trait Dutch - rationality. Reasonability in everything: from the family budget and public policy to love relationships and raising children. Here they do not make decisions “headlong”, but do it with a sober and clear head. Therefore, do not expect that your chosen one will perform feats of recklessness in the name of love: rather, as proof of his feelings, he will present to you detailed plan improving the well-being of the family, designed for a couple of years.

About an unexpected aspect of emancipation, orTOHow to marry a Dutchman

It is very easy for a Russian woman to marry a Dutch man. The fact is that Dutch men... are afraid of their women. This phrase, no matter how harsh it sounds, reflects reality. It is difficult to find more emancipated and independent ladies than the women of the Netherlands - this time. Same-sex lesbian love is also widespread in Holland.

No, you won’t see hugging female couples on the streets, everything is decent and orderly, but two women living in the same apartment and not interested in men - the situation for the Netherlands is as common as a standard family of mother-father-children.

And the “feminophobia” of Dutch men does not stem from external factors, but from a deep, genetic, natural misunderstanding: no matter how zealous the media and defenders of sexual minorities are, no normal man can ever take for granted a FAMILY of two women...

Make it clear to the Dutchman that you want to get married in the truest sense of the word: to be “for your husband”, to honestly and joyfully fulfill the most ancient duties of a wife and mother - and he is yours, along with your hand, heart and bank account.

Citizenship and love

Dutch law is very sensitive to personal relationships. This is great for lovers: you can come to Holland and live with your beloved man in a civil marriage as long as you want, without wasting time and money on formalizing the relationship. But for “hunters of foreign citizenship,” the laws of the Netherlands are inconvenient: even if you officially marry a Dutch man, this will not give you any advantages to become a citizen of the Netherlands. And there's one more sacrifice you'll have to make to marry a Dutch man: knowledge of the Dutch language is a must. You will need to pass an exam at the embassy, ​​but this is not even the main thing: without knowing the language, you will remain an “emigrant” whom those around you tolerate, condescendingly help in all matters, but never take seriously. In other words, on good job, position in society and a decent circle of friends without knowledge of the language cannot be expected.

The state gives you a guarantee that as a Dutch wife you will not end up in poverty: in order to “discharge” a girlfriend from abroad, a Dutchman must earn at least 1,700 euros monthly, this is established by law. But make no mistake: for Holland this is not great money at all, but rather a “living wage”.

Honey, are you frugal or stingy?

You've probably heard that the Dutch are stingy. But you didn’t believe it? And rightly so: we're talking about just about rational savings. And even with national characteristics: invite your husband to put the salads that you didn’t finish for dinner in the refrigerator - and you will receive a silent reproach: are we so poor that we can finish yesterday’s dishes? But if you splash around in the shower for five minutes over the limit, you will be blamed for wasting your paid resources. Residents of the Netherlands do not like to buy cheap clothes or give up entertainment on weekends (especially if there are children in the family). Saving here is aimed at giving up everyday excesses, but not deserved pleasures and things that can benefit health.

It’s interesting, but with this approach, almost any Dutch family by the time of the holidays has a sufficient amount in their budget to purchase trips to the most prestigious world resort. Family financial problems in Holland are resolved on a parity basis; this topic is not considered sensitive, much less “indecent.” A husband and wife can have a common wallet, or they can spend money independently of each other, without reporting income and expenses. A typically Dutch picture: a couple is having a wonderful evening in a restaurant, and when the waiter brings the bill, the wife opens her purse and says: “Darling, last time you paid for dinner, today it’s my turn.”

And this is by no means indifference or “misbehavior” of the spouse: a normal Dutch man would rather understand if his significant other is offended that he took on her expenses. And if the wife is independent, successful at work and can fully support herself, why should she be a dependent? All questions about such upbringing should be asked to Dutch ladies, who are very prone to emancipation: boys here absorb the idea of ​​female independence from a young age. For payment state taxes A little less than 40 percent of family income is spent, but the Dutch give this money carefully, on time and... with pleasure. Why?

Yes, because they are confident that the funds will eventually return to them: good roads, full payments for children, benefits for education and so on. And there is no misconception here: in the Netherlands one of the most advanced social protection systems on the planet has been formed and is successfully operating.

Scheduled family life: pros and cons

For the Dutch, everything is strictly regulated. Work, a visit to the dentist, a visit from mom... yes, yes, don’t be surprised! Even the arrival of the closest and loved one will be scheduled to within 15 minutes. The main attribute of the Dutch is notebook, most convenient for daily recordings. There is no other way here.

Indeed, at first it is shocking. But after a while you begin to understand that such a measured life is CONVENIENT. The more clearly your relationships with the outside world are regulated, the more time you have for yourself. And if on Friday from 19.00 to 23.00 you have planned to lie on the sofa in front of the TV with a glass of good wine, rest assured that neither a random visit from a friend, nor an urgent call to work, nor reproaches from your husband “but the dishes haven’t been washed yet!”

Men who love children and don't know how to lie

The Dutch adore, care for and cherish children. But there is one “but”: local men prefer to have natural rather than adopted sons and daughters. The Netherlands is very densely populated, and most families have one child at a time; Of course, if you want to become a mother for the second time, no one will interfere, but also ask “Honey, give birth to a second one!” the Dutch husband most likely will not.

However, all the disadvantages have their advantages: pregnant women are surrounded here with the most tender care, their husbands are ready to carry them in their arms, carry slippers in their teeth and fulfill every whim. And if it is difficult for you to manage the baby, just give a hint to your spouse, and he will agree on a four-day schedule at work and with great pleasure will help you with the pleasant chores of raising a child.

As for personal relationships, Dutch men have one interesting feature: They basically don’t know how to tell a lie. If the question “Where were you before midnight?” a Russian will immediately make up a story about an emergency at work, a Frenchman will tell a romantic tale about a lost stranger (with whom he had nothing!), and an Italian will inspiredly come up with a detective story about the arrival of his second wife’s second cousin stepbrother, then the Dutchman will blush and lower his eyes. Therefore, carefully monitor your husband’s reaction when discussing provocative topics... and don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to! However, as we discuss further, you won’t have much to worry about.

About "weed", prostitution and family well-being

“Oh, the Netherlands is the same country where you can buy coffee and drugs with equal ease in a cafe, and prostitution is considered a common profession! Do you want to have a drug-addicted husband?!” - you may well hear such words from “well-wishing” friends. Never mind: in Holland the principle “what is available is not interesting” works perfectly. Particularly curious young men try weed in their teens and forget about it forever; the same applies to professional priestesses of love: well, what's the point of visiting the “red light district” if it doesn’t carry a hint of forbidden fruit?

And the notorious Dutch freedom of morals, about which foreigners talk a lot, is practiced mainly in the capital, and in provincial areas moral standards are very strict and regulated.

To each his own - this principle has worked and works at all times. And if you want a calm, prosperous life without stress and surprises, serene as the sky over the green plains of the Netherlands - marry a Dutchman and be happy!

Our reader Natasha Permyakova writes: So, having lived in Holland for almost 1.5 years now, I decided to collect all my observations and compile a list of facts about the country and its inhabitants.

1. The Dutch are famous for their excellent health. Almost everyone dresses very lightly even in winter; at -3, no one wears hats, not even small children.

2. Most of Holland is below sea level. The most low point is 6.7 meters below sea level.

3. Bicycles are the most popular means of transportation in the country; there are about 16 million of them. Every resident of the country has a bicycle. In Amsterdam, the number of bicycles exceeds the number of city residents.

4. Bicycles are often stolen, especially in Amsterdam. Therefore, a bicycle lock often costs twice as much as the bicycle itself.

5. The Dutch do not eat hot lunches. They can get by with a couple of cheese or peanut butter sandwiches.

6. Almost all Dutch people speak English well. Films on central and cable channels, as well as in cinemas, are shown in the original language with subtitles. In addition to English, many Dutch people speak German and French - the languages ​​of neighboring countries.

7. Contrary to popular belief, the Dutch are not big fans of weed at all; it's mainly a hobby for tourists. However, the Dutch government is trying to combat the use of weed, and since 2012, a pilot program has been introduced in one of the cities where only local residents can purchase weed in a coffee shop.

8. In Holland, you are allowed to grow up to 5 cannabis plants at home for personal consumption.

9. Flowers in Holland are very cheap and of excellent quality. A fresh bouquet of 50 tulips can be bought for only 5 euros (about 200 rubles).

10. Holland exports 2/3 of the world's volume of living plants, flowers and roots. The Dutch agricultural sector ranks third in the world in terms of profit after the United States and France.

11. Prostitution is legalized in Holland, and representatives of this ancient profession are required to pay taxes on an equal basis with other citizens.

12. The Dutch are the tallest nation in the world. Average height in Holland it is 182 centimeters.

13. Locals don't close their curtains and you can always see what's going on in their houses. This habit remains from war times, when open windows were a symbol that the residents of the house had nothing to hide.

14. People in the country live by the rules and under no circumstances violate them. Even if the bus is still standing, but the doors are already closed, you are unlikely to be able to get inside.

15. The Dutch are a very sporty nation. Many people run or cycle almost all year round.

16. Schools and universities use 10 point scale ratings, instead of the usual 5-point rating. 10, however, is almost impossible to get, so 9 is the equivalent of our five.

17. The weather in Holland is very rainy, windy and very changeable. Therefore, talking about the weather is one of the favorite topics of conversation for local residents.

18. Almost all shops in Holland are open until 18.00. Once a week, however, on the so-called shopping evening (koopavond), the shops close at 21:00 and you have the chance to buy everything you need.

19. In addition to house and land taxes, the Dutch pay an annual tax for the maintenance and construction of flood control systems.

20. The highest point in the country, which the Dutch call "the mountain", is only 323 meters.

21. In Holland it is very high density museums. There are about 1,000 museums in a country of 16 million inhabitants.

22. The population density of Holland is the highest in Europe - 391 people per square kilometer.

23. The Dutch live according to a schedule. Even close relatives plan meetings in advance - several weeks and sometimes months in advance. If you happen to be nearby and decide to ‘drop in’ on a Dutch friend for half an hour, you are unlikely to succeed, since, most likely, her day was already planned long before.

24. One of the local delicacies is herring. You can buy it right on the street - in one of the special kiosks. Locals eat herring generously sprinkled with onions and held by the tail, or like a hamburger - in a white bun.

25. The second Dutch delicacy is French fries with mayonnaise (Vlaamse fries). For many Dutch people, this can also be an everyday lunch.

26. Holland is one of the largest beer producers in the world. Brands such as Heineken, Amstel and Grolsch were born here. Heineken is the 3rd largest beer producer in the world. However, contrary to this, Dutch beer does not taste very noticeable. The best beer is brewed in Germany, the Czech Republic and Belgium.

27. Dutch vodka is called Jenever. It tastes like a cross between Calvados, schnapps and cheap whiskey.

28. The Dutch are very straightforward. They are unlikely to stand on ceremony and beat around the bush, and most likely will tell you everything as it is.

29. The Dutch are very informal in their communication. On business meeting, for example, the director can easily offer to make coffee for everyone.

30. If you do not show up for work claiming to be sick, a doctor may be sent to you to check whether you are really sick.

31. Instead of Father Frost, familiar to us from childhood, the Dutch meet Sinterklas (St. Nicholas) every year, arriving from Spain on his white horse. Sinterklas is quite similar to our Father Frost, but instead of the Snow Maiden he is accompanied by black assistants - Petes. When celebrating the Sinterklass holiday, children put down their shoes, putting carrots there for Sint's horse, and receive gifts in return.

32. The Dutch love to sprinkle their toast with a kind of chocolate chip called Hagelslag. This refers to the kind of shavings that children sprinkle on ice cream, but in Holland adults sprinkle it on bread that has been previously buttered.

33. When Dutch children finish school, they hang the Dutch flag and school bag outside.

34. The Dutch kiss each other on the cheek 3 times when they meet, instead of the usual 2 times.

35. 40% of the country's population are atheists. There are more Protestants in the north of Holland, and more Catholics in the south.

36. In those winters when the rivers in the country freeze, the Elfstedentocht, beloved by the Dutch, is organized - the famous speed skating marathon through 11 cities of the Dutch province of Friesland with a length of 200 kilometers.

37. The Dutch are one of the most well-travelled nations in the world. At the age of 20–40, they often work/live for several years in other countries. In most cases they return back to Holland.

38. The main reason for Dutch emigration from the country is bad weather. Due to the maritime climate in the country, it often rains and cold winds blow.

39. Many Dutch people are not officially married, even if they have children together.

40. All pets are equipped with a special microchip, which greatly facilitates the search if the animal is lost.

41. The color of Holland is orange, due to the fact that the name royal family literally sounds like “House of Orange”.

42. April 30 - Queen's Day - is considered the main holiday of the Netherlands. Local residents dress in all orange and organize street celebrations. On this day, it seems that all the inhabitants of the country took to the streets, where one half of the population sells all sorts of things orange color, and the other one buys it. The streets of Dutch cities are decorated with orange lanterns. Orange garlands of balloons, ribbons, flags are visible everywhere, and even people's faces are painted orange.

43. Holland is the unofficial name of the Netherlands, which is not very popular with local residents. Holland is the region in the west of the country.

44. To see a doctor, such as a cardiologist, you first need to get a referral from a GP. No doctor will see you just like that, without a referral.

45. Medicine in Holland is paid and covered by insurance. Everyone should have insurance; its cost is about 100 euros per month.

46. Fireworks in Holland are only allowed in New Year's Eve: from 10 am on December 31 to 2 am on January 1.

47. In Holland it is not customary for a man to take initiative towards a woman. This is partly due to the fact that women want to be independent and regard male initiative as an attack on their self-sufficiency.

48. Because it rains most of the year, the Dutch have learned to enjoy even short spells of good weather. As soon as a ray of sunshine appears, local residents pour out into the streets, drink beer on open roads, even if it’s only +5 outside.

49. A special category of the population consists of Surinamese, Indonesians, Turks and Moroccans. Their stay in the country can be characterized as coexistence with the local population. They have created their own closed subculture, reading newspapers and watching films in their own language. The official number of immigrants in Holland is more than 1 million people.

50. The Dutch are a very well-read people. There is one bookstore for every 2,000 inhabitants.

51. In Holland, you can drink alcohol from the age of 16.

52. There are 1180 mills in Holland.

53. The Keukenhoff Tulip Park is 32 hectares of land planted with flowers and is the most photographed place in the world.

54. Public toilets are paid (from 20 to 50 euro cents), even in some nightclubs, which also have an entrance fee.

55. In Holland it is not customary to give expensive gifts. Even for a wedding, as a rule, the budget is limited to no more than 50 euros.

56. 30% of Dutch children are born at home. At the same time, do not be surprised if, a few hours after birth, neighbors come to your house to inquire about the mother’s condition and look at the baby.

57. Dutch girls don't give any attention a lot of attention your appearance. Many people don’t wear makeup, style their hair, or wear heels. They wear what is comfortable. In the morning, Dutch girls go out with wet hair without having time to dry it.

58. However, unlike the British, Americans and other representatives of Anglo-Saxon countries, the Dutch have a sense of taste and look very neat.

59. Dutch men pay much more attention to their hair. Most Dutch people have semi-long blond hair, and they all have hair styling products.

60. If a police officer stops you for a traffic violation and you try to offer him a bribe, most likely he will return the money to you, being sincerely convinced that it came to him completely by accident.

61. In Holland they love football. Here they either play football, or watch, or, if there is nothing to watch, they re-watch old matches.

62. The Dutch are quite stingy and do not like to show their wealth. On the other hand, they have a highly developed feeling of envy.

63. Very popular in Holland dance music techno or trance. Don’t be surprised if, walking along the city streets, you see people 40–50 years old rocking out to trance. DJs Armin Van Buren, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten - all come from Holland.

64. Every August, Amsterdam hosts one of the largest gay pride parades in the world, attracting around half a million visitors. The parade itself is very similar to the Queen's Day celebrations and is a parade of barges through the canals of Amsterdam.

65. In Holland you can be fined for not having lights on your bike. dark time days.

66. “Dutch disease” is the name given to the syndrome of dependence between an increase in natural resource extraction and a decline in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. In 1959, the largest natural gas field in Europe was discovered in Holland. Due to its exports, the Dutch guilder greatly increased in price, which negatively affected other export sectors of the economy.

67. During the Second World War, the German army exported a very large number of bicycles from Holland. For this, the Dutch really don’t like the Germans and still make fun of German tourists, saying: “Bring back our bicycles!”

When I worked as a guide-translator in Moscow, foreign tourists often asked me what Russians are like, what are they like? I never wanted to answer this question. Which ones? Different! 140 million, and not everyone dances the Cossack dance and drinks vodka with bears. How can you tell about the character of a people without using hackneyed templates?

What I mean is that everything I write here about the Dutch is terribly subjective and, perhaps, will seem far from the truth to someone, which, in principle, does not exist.

It's easier to start with an objective fact. The Dutch are the tallest nation in the world. The average height of men is 183 cm, women - 173. In the original, the Dutch are tall blonds. I live in Amsterdam, in this city representatives of 180 nationalities live, so here indigenous people diluted, but in other cities rosy-cheeked giants are often found. Once, while discussing Dutch women with a friend, I said that a tall blonde is very attractive, and therefore Dutch women should be successful with men. What does my friend (also Russian, a real beauty), wide open brown eyes exclaimed in surprise: “What? These horses with weathered faces!?”

Dutch women are often not graceful, stocky, take little care of themselves and are emancipated to the extreme. Let me make a reservation right away that this does not in the least prevent them from being very nice and pleasant ladies to talk to. Dutch women - the opposite of Russian. Sometimes it seems to me that in the morning they don’t even think about what to wear, but just grab the first thing that comes to hand: as long as it’s comfortable. And this makes sense. Imagine riding your bike to work for about forty minutes in the rain. What kind of makeup is there, what dresses. When I worked in an office, we always had a hairdryer, duty pants and towels ready. These duty trousers often helped me out, and with a towel I more than once smeared the running mascara on my face, cursing “this is a swamp.” For the same reason, they don't dry out your hair. Why? I washed it, shook it, and went: it would dry on its own.

Without waiting for Sobyanin to be appointed mayor of Amsterdam, the Dutch themselves paved the city with paving stones, making it completely impossible to walk here in heels. And if you’re under 180 tall (the most popular women’s shoe size is 40), there’s no need.

Local ladies have an independent character. They don’t try to tie up a guy, drag him into the registry office and keep him on a short leash. Here, couples maintain independence for as long as possible, each living in their own apartment, each paying for themselves in the restaurant. One young man I know, in response to my question whether he pays the bill if he invites a girl on a date, said that in general this is not customary, but he personally, when he wants to impress, makes the girl fall off her chair from admiration , amazed at what a noble heer (gentleman) he is, pays himself. But girls find that there is no point in letting a man think that since he paid for dinner, he now has the right to invite you for a cup of coffee with all the ensuing consequences, and they prefer to pay for themselves.

So in Holland there is complete equality of the sexes, no discrimination.

Dutch men - not macho. Not macho at all. If you want to feel beautiful and desired, go to the south. Northern people characterized by restraint and composure. Here you will not be undressed with their eyes and presented with bouquets of tulips; even sitting at a bar, a Dutchman will wait for the woman who has chosen him to take the first step towards acquaintance. Maybe that's why Dutch girls like hot brunettes from southern Europe so much?

Dutch very open, good-natured and direct, sometimes even shockingly direct, people. They, in contrast to the French, will always say what they think to your face, and will not play around and be hypocritical. They are amazingly tolerant, you will never hear from them: “We’ve come in large numbers here, Holland is not rubber!” A nation of traders, they always knew how to find common language with people of a different culture, respect their traditions, do not impose yours. Of course, when it comes to the traditions of hospitality, they are far from the Russians, but even if they don’t set the table for you, they will listen to you in a friendly manner over a glass of wine and snacks and will help you in any way they can.

The Dutch are known for their thriftiness. To the broad Russian soul they may even seem like misers. And they have paid toilets in McDonald's. This is understandable: Holland became one of the richest European powers in the 17th century precisely thanks to trade and loans (while others were fighting, the Dutch sailed under the white flag, lending to both ours and yours), so a commercial spirit, and therefore the ability to save and not missing out on your benefits is in their blood.

In short, they are great guys: hard-working, honest, independent and tolerant.

And even shorter - different.