COSMO POLITECITY GUIDE

NOVEMBER 2009Cosmo Polite organizes social events for expatriates in Amsterdam. Enjoy life in and stay up to date about Amsterdam happenings, the best bars and restaurants and other great places in Amsterdam.

Contributors

Graphical design assistanceFrederike von Cranach

Photographer cover photo Mehul Derodra mehul@derodra.com

Blogger Amsterdam Foodie Vicky Hampton vicky@amsterdamfoodie.nl

Blogger BabyccinoEsther van de Paal esther@babyccinoblog.com

Editor Dutch News Robin Pasco editor@dutchnews.nl

Advertising & Sponsoring Get exposure within the Amsterdam expatriate market. Contact Kira for advertising opportunities: kira@cosmo-polite.com

For questions and remarksPlease contact kira@cosmo-polite.com

First editionNovember 2009 Copyright Cosmo Polite 2009

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Amsterdam, the global vil-lage that I have come to love.

Mind you, Amsterdam life was not always as enjoyable. Having lived in Cape Town, I missed the warmness of my Southafrican culture. The vibrant city feel of London is hard to find in Amster-dam. During my assignment in Hong Kong, I became accus-tomed to service standards that differ greatly to that of the Dutch. However, with my outgoing nature and a bike, I continu-ously discover bits of New York and other world cities in Am-sterdam.

As experiences are always better when shared, I enjoy keeping my friends up to date about my cosmopolitan discoveries. From good cocktail bars to authentic French bakeries, I list the best in town on my blog.

Why only share information when you can share a bottle of wine? Via my company, Cosmo Polite, I host dinners and drinks for my network of expat friends and newcomers. As long as you leave your tie at work, you are most welcome to join us for drink and bite. Our gatherings always have a informal and social ambiance, so that it easy for you to meet other like-minded individuals in town.

In this monthʼs city guide, I have listed various Cosmo Polite events, other Amsterdam happenings and extracts of my blog. I hope that with this information, you will enjoy your new life in Amsterdam.

Sincerely,

Kira

Dear AMSTERDAM Newcomer

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Dutch Hospitality

Dutch hospitality is not associated with food. Dinners are pri-vate family time, so also donʼt call Dutch people around dinner time (17h30-19h). When being invited over to someoneʼs home, youʼll be served coffee (or tea) with biscuits. It is custom to take one biscuit; only when the host offers you more biscuits, you may take another on. In other words, always wait to be served and donʼt help yourself.When youʼre the host, do offer your guests a second round of coffee as they wonʼt ask for a refill themselves.

- source: Holland Handbook, 2008.

Dutch SOCIAL Culture

The Dutch are generally friendly people. If you ask a stranger for directions heʼll be happy to help you. However, the direct way of communicating can border to rudeness in foreignersʼ eyes. Putting matters in an elegant way interferes with the Dutch values clarity and structure; surprises are not appreci-ated, rules are made in great detail and clear boundaries give great comfort to the Dutch.

The Dutchʼ social life also has clear boundaries. For starters, work and home are kept separate. Some Dutch youʼll meet are happy to teach you things about The Netherlands and have a drink with you. Still, personal space and time are well protected.

Social boundaries are not limited to foreigners and locals. The Dutch social life is circular; people keep their different groups of friends (e.g. the old high school friends and the friends from their sportsʼ club) separately. Only on birthdays may the mem-bers of the different groups of friends meet one another. The agenda helps the Dutch keeping their lives organized and well-planned. Even for a coffee meet up do the Dutch take out their agenda to make the appointment.

To get into a Dutch social circle of friends, requires an active attitude and patience. Going to a bar wonʼt help you to get in first contact with the Dutch; joining some kind of club will be a more fruitful effort to get connected. The Dutch enjoy sports, so joining a team sport might be a great way of meeting people. Friendships grow more slowly than elsewhere, yet Dutch friend-ships do characterize themselves with great loyalty and equal-ity.

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Greeting ritual for good friends & family

Good female friends greet each other and men with three 3 air-kisses on the cheeks. Men greet other men with a handshake.

The order: right cheek- left cheek - right cheek.

Ladies initiate the ritual by placing their right cheek against the right cheek of the other person.

An ʻair kissʼ is made; meaning, only the sound of a kiss is made. No lips actually touch the cheek of the other person!

Ladies kiss both the gentlemen and women.

Men shake hands with men.

DO give three kisses or a hand

friendly ambiance

chatty ● comforting ● relaxing

jolly ● vivacious ● general togetherness

cheerful ● gemütlich ● chatty ● animated

cozy ● GEZELLIG ● nice

warm setting ● relaxing ● cozy atmosphere

charming setting ● pleasant ambiance

having a good time together ● airy

kind ● sociable ● genialwarm hearted

Whatʼs Gezellig?- nice friends- spending time with nice friends- a cozy bar, especially when youʼre meeting your nice friends

- Amsterdam

Whatʼs ongezellig?- the situation when your friend needs to work and cannot meet you.

- the friend that needs to work and cannot meet you.

- a modern bar, especially when youʼre sitting there by yourself.- Rotterdam

DO be gezellig*[gurgle sound]-uh-SELL-lih-[gurgle sound]

Gezellig is an untranslated Dutch adjective that is frequently used, even amongst the ex-pats. Whatever is ʻgezelligʼ is what we like.

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✓ DO be on time when meeting your friend. It is a sign of respect to your friend, his agenda and your friendship in general.

✦ DONʼT show up unexpectedly on your friendʼs doorstep. Visits are to be announced, preferably a day in advance.

✦ DONʼT discuss personal matters as political views, salaries and religion.

✦ DONʼT take offense in the Dutchʼ humor, which often is sarcastic and or based on ʻSchadenfreudeʼ. Also, Dutch intonation and great, yet not perfect English language skills can easily make a joke more insulting than intended.

Do’s & Don’ts

✓ DO go Dutch. The Dutch really do; everyone pays their share of the bill. It may happen that the bill is completely analysed to calculate everyoneʼs per-sonal consumption.

✓ DO bring pastries or a birthday cake for colleagues to your work if itʼs your birthday.

✦ DONʼT forget to congratulate all relatives of the birthday boy/girl; say, for example ʻcongratulations with your brother/cousin/mother/etc etcʼ.

✓ DO stand when someone is being introduced to you. Give a firm hand-shake and say your first and last name.

✦ DONʼT approach someone with your question. Rather, start of with 'Excuse me, may I ask you some-thing?'

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Expats in AmsterdamThe expatriates in Amsterdam are more easy to befriend. For starters, they all find themselves in a foreign town without family and friends ʻfrom back homeʼ. Secondly, the international ways of socializing allows it to meet and befriend people more easily and quickly. Yet again: you do need to get out there and put yourself in situations where you can meet people.

There are numerous of expat groups in Amsterdam; e.g. the British society, International Womenʼs Club, Hash (running) club, etc. Google online expatriate groups and also on Face-book you can find groups of expatriates that are happy to have you amongst them.

Cosmo Polite Cosmo Polite is the only professionally run social club for inter-nationally oriented men and women in Amsterdam. Most of us are in their 30s and enjoy socializing over a glass of wine. On this page youʼll find when and where weʼre meeting up and you are welcome to join us for a drink.

Cosmo Polite HomePage

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 7

Shell to sack 800 workers in the Netherlands 29-10-2009 Shell is to cut its workforce in the Netherlands by some 800 jobs, company sources told news agency ANP on Thursday.

10 swine flu hospital admissions a day 28-10-2009 Ten people are being admitted to hospital with swine flu on a daily basis, according to new figures from the health ministry.

ING to sell off insurance on EU pressure 26-10-2009 Dutch financial services group ING is to split off its insurance activities and continue as a bank following what the Financial Times describes as 'intense pressure' from the Euro-pean commission about state aid.

Fewer free flights for royals 09-10-2009 Only queen Beatrix, crown prince Willem-Alexander and princess Máxima will be able to enjoy unlimited free air travel from now on, prime minister Jan Peter Balke-nende announced on Thursday evening during a debate on the royal finances.

Housing market shows signs of improvement 08-10-2009 Several thousand people took part in some sort of protest against the government's plans to increase the state pension age from 65 to 67 on Wednesday, says news agency ANP.

Court halts public transport strike 06-10-2009 A court in Amsterdam has banned the public transport strike planned for Wednesday morning in Amster-dam, Rotterdam and The Hague, reports ANP news service.

Brussels extends ABN Amro deadline again 03-10-2009 Competition commissioner Neelie Kroes has given finance minister Wouter Bos a new deadline of October 19 to find a buyer for parts of ABN Amro or Fortis bank.

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Read articles online: www.DutchNews.nl

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DSB bank bankrupt, two rescue bids fail19 October 2009Amsterdam district court de-clared DSB bank bankrupt on Monday morning after two last minute rescue bids at the week-end failed.

One bid involving a US financial institution, said by most papers to be Lone Star Funds, failed when the potential buyer pulled out. 'The company we were in talks with did not want to meet the conditions set by the court,' DSB financial director Ronald Buwalda told NOS tv.

A second attempt to save DSB, which would have involved a capital injection from the state of €100m, floundered because of EU rules, according to the Fin-ancieele Dagblad.

That plan required savers to switch some €100m of their savings in DSB into shares. Matched by €100m from the state, the bank's solvency would have been strengthened enough to continue, the paper said.

>> Read more online

Britain wrong to ban Wilders, says court13 October 2009

Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders should not have been refused entry to Britain to attend a screening of his film Fitna ear-lier this year, a British immigra-tion tribunal ruled on Tuesday.

Wilders had been invited to the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament, for the screening in February, but was told he would be re-fused entry on public order grounds.

Wilders went ahead with the trip and was turned back by immi-gration officials at Heathrow airport. 'This is a very black day. They are bowing down to Islam by refusing entry to critics,' Wil-ders said at the time.

The 15 minute film Fitna is a compilation of tv footage which equates Islam with terrorism. >> Read more online

Pension age increase finally agreed16 October 2009

The state pension age will go up in two stages, from 65 to 66 in 2020 and then again to 67 in 2026, ministers have finally agreed.

The hikes will not be phased in, but people will still be able to retire at 65 in return for a lower pension.

To lessen the blow for people doing 'heavy work', ministers have also agreed to amend health and safety legislation to

force employers to find them alternative tasks after 30 years. As yet, the concept of heavy work has not been defined.

Nor is it clear if the 50 year residency requirement to qualify for a full state pension will be changed. To qualify for a full pension, someone must have been resident in the Nether-lands from the age of 15 to 65. Each missing year leads to a 2% cut in pension rights.

IndecisionThe decision ends months of debate about how to increase the state and corporate pension

age. Ministers say the move is necessary to offset the greying of the population and cut the budget deficit by some €4bn a year.The state pension age of 65 was introduced in 1957 when people were expected to live into their early 70s.

According to figures released by the national statistics office CBS earlier this week, only 18% of women and 38% of men who are aged 60 to 65 have a job.

> Read more online

DutchNews.nl provides quality English-language news about the Netherlands. Every day, either online or through a free subscription to its daily digital newsletter.

www.dutchnews.nl

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BAKERIES & THE CITYThe Dutch love their Broodje Kaas, pref-erably with a glass of milk. Amsterdam of-fers more than a boterham (slice of dutch bread) though. These bakers serve you excellent crois-sants and authentic breads.

Link to BlogPost

Den Hartog has been awarded as the best bakery in The Netherlands for multiple times. The secret? Everything is made from scratch with a lot of love since 1896. In 1901Aagje Hartog realized that to make the best bread you need the best of wheat and grind it yourself. More than a century later, the grinding stones are still in use. From midnight to the late afternoon a team of bakers grind and kneed to ensure you wholesome, freshly baked breads throughout the day. It goes without saying all products are made from natural ingredients without any addi-tives. Bakerij den Hartog, bakery, milling business Ruyschstraat 56 (corner Wibautstraat), Amsterdam.

Featured BlogpostCOSMO-POLITE.COM/BLOG

After running a bakery in France for over 10 years, (French) Sébastien and his Dutch moved their oven to Amsterdam Le Fournil de Sebastien. Besides the ʻusualʼ croissants and ba-guettes, this bakery also makes breads from Sebastienʼs region, such as Brioche Vendéenne, Préfou, Canelés de Bordeaux, Madeleines and Michettes. Le Fournil de Sébastien, French bakery, Olympiaplein 119, Amsterdam.

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Croissanterie Le Mortier is a small warm bakery. ʻWarm(e bakkerij)ʼ mean that the baker makes his own breads, which is, unfortunately, a rarety in modern times. One would expect that Le Mortier excels in croissants, but the baker is more praised for his luxury breads with nuts and raisins made with a secret recipe. Croissanterie Le Mortier, bakery+lunchroom, Vijzel-gracht 49, Amsterdam.

Gebroeders Niemeyer are two Dutch brothers with a passion Pain Francais. Issa, the baker, has worked in French bakeries to find out the secrets of making baguette, croissants et pains au chocolate. Using a real stone oven, flour from a biological mill in France and real sea salt, the brothers Niemeyer serve you the crusty and light French bread in the heart of Amster-dam! Marco, the other brother, is a chef and uses the best of biological ingredients to make beautiful marmalade and chut-neys. Gebroeders Niemeyer, bakery, patisserie, breakfast- and

Bakken met Passie bakes authentic breads in a traditional way by using a stone oven. The Dutch Boulangiers even qualified themselves for the World Championships Bread Making. Must try croissants and buns. Bakken met Passie, bakery with lunch-room, Albert Cuypstraat 51, Amsterdam.

Vlaamsch Broodhuys is old Dutch for Flemish Bread house. What is Flemish about this rapidly growing bakery chain is a mystery. What is not a mystery is that the company is success-full in introducing the Dutch to bread ʻas it was supposed to taste likeʼ. No less than 7 shops in Amsterdam sell breads made from authentic wheats, sea salt from Brittany and vitalized min-eral water. As traditional-focused the bread making may be, the shops have a spacious and light interior and show case all of their breads in a modern fashion. Vlaamsch Broodhuys, most of the bakers have a lunchroom at the shop, Haarlemmerstraaat 108, Vijzelstraat 129 & 198, Elandsgracht 122, 1st C. Huygens-straat 64, Amsterdam.

Bakkerij Venekamp has been run by the family Venekamp since 1897. In the past century they have mastered the true art of making traditional breads as the Oberlander and the round flat bread “wielbrood”. Especially in December it is a hotspot; their ʻoliebollenʼ (Dutch doughnuts in the shape of a tennis ball which are enjoyed at NYE) and ʻpepernotenʼ (spiced short bread bis-cuits that are eaten at Sinterklaas, December 5) are ranked as one of the best in the country. Bakkerij Venekamp, Ferdinand Bolstraat 134, Amsterdam.

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DINING &THE CITY

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In lust with pizza

La PerlaA: Tweede Tuindwarsstraat 14

Rating .Pricing .

Oh. My. God. I used those words a lot yes-terday, for various reasons, the last of which was pizza.

Nearly ten years ago, I visited Naples. Clearly, I had to eat pizza. What I ate was the Platonic ideal of pizza, the essence of pizza, a pizza so perfect I thought I would never be able to eat regular, mortal, laymanʼs pizza again.

Over time, of course, I got over my feelings about the Neapolitan pizza, and managed to bring myself to have its non-Italian sibling – and even enjoy it. But I never quite believed I would fall in love with pizza again – not the way I had the first time…

That is, until I went to La Perla. With its large wood-fired brick oven, Jordanian Little-Italy location and genuine-article Mozzarella di Bu-fala Campana made by the Chiari family (yep, thatʼs right – they know exactly who made it) in the Naples area, La Perla looked more than promising. I ordered the pizza car-ciofo, and impatiently awaited the bubbling bread oozing with tomatoes and mozzarella, scattered with artichokes, capers and olives.

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Home sweet home: normal service is resumed

Van KerkwijkA: Nes 41T: 620 3316

RatingPricing

One of the lessons confirmed by my Moroccan travels is that drinking less alcohol and not eating bacon/chorizo/other porky goodness makes you lose weight and helps clear your skin. Distressingly but inescapably, the reverse seems also to be true.

Since my return, catching up with friends in Amsterdam has – inevitably – led to normal service being resumed. Itʼs not that I have an unhealthy lifestyle; Iʼd call it ʻbalancedʼ. And you wouldnʼt trust a foodie on a diet, would you?

So Tuesday night saw me going out for dinner and drinks with my French foodie friend (aka Scary French Lady) to van Kerkwijk – a sort of international eetcafe: cosy, yet cos-mopolitan. There was no menu as such, so we attempted to remember the list of dishes described to us by our tall, yummy, fuzzy-headed waiter (fuzzy as in hair, not hersens).

I went for the paté, which transpired to be of the smooth, chicken liver variety. It came with very fresh bread and a small salad garnish, but couldʼve used something sweet like onion marmalade or chutney. Scary French Lady had carrot and coriander soup, which was full of well seasoned flavour but mightʼve tasted a bit more earthily carroty.

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Looking for more independent reviews like these?

The Amsterdam Foodie reviews restaurants in Amsterdam and posts them on her blog, interactive map and – if they're good enough! – recommendations page.

If you're interested in meeting new people over dinner, the Amsterdam Foodie also hosts Hidden Kitchen – a quarterly, exclusive, underground dining concept. Plus, check out the website for seasonal recipe suggestions, culinary events and more!

www.amsterdamfoodie.nl

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Saturday 14 November Speed Date Looking for love? Interested in making new friends? Meet the most eligible internationals at the Expatica / Cosmo Polite Speed Dating. Upon arrival, you will receive a list of the singles you will meet that evening. Once the dating starts, you will have three minutes to find a click with each single of the opposite sex. After each session, the men move on for the next dating round. You can then indicate whether you’d like to stay in touch with your date by marking them on your list. After 25 dates, our DJ will get you into the Party Groove till midnight.

Date/Time: Saturday 14 November, 19h45Venue: Caffe Esprit, Spui 10, AmsterdamPurchase your ticket online: www.expatica.comEntrance fee: E35, includes two drinks.

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Single EVENTS

Saturday 16 January Dinner Mixer

Expatica and Cosmo Polite are excited to launch Four Course Dat-ing where you will wine and dine with groups of singles.

Your appetite is teased with an entrée, after which all men move to another table to join another group of ladies for the next course. Over the course of the night you will meet all singles of the opposite sex and will be provided with a personal folder to note down who you would like to catch up with again. At the end of the evening, hand in your folder to the host and if the feeling is mutual we will send out contact details to both parties on Monday … you take it from there!

Date/Time: 16 January, 19hVenue: Bar Barca, M. Heinekenplein, AmsterdamTicket sales are not open; e-mail Kira@cosmo-polite.com to stay up-dated on this event.Entrance fee: E50, includes dinner and welcome drink.

Current Expatica Speed Dating Matching Results

•1 Baby•2 Marriages•2 Couples Living Together•many Relationships•little less many Break ups•many more Friendships

Museum Night 2009

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Since the first museumnight in November 2000, Am-sterdam museums stay open until 2AM for one night a year and welcome thousands of new visitors. For a relatively small city, Amsterdam has a great amount of museums: 42 museums collaborate during muse-umnight and are easy to reach by bicycle or public transport.

Apart from seeing the collections and temporary ex-hibitions thereʼs plenty to see and do, also for non-Dutch visitors. On this 10th edition the programme includes DJʼs, bands, dance, performances, film, food & drinks.

The museumnight is an event where especially lo-cals explore the museums in their city, therefore most information is in Dutch. But for this year we've made an overview that's published in Time Out Am-sterdam, with recommendations in English. You can also download this overview on: www.n8.nl/english

Join us on Museum Night

Like last year, Cosmo Polite members will visit 3 different museums on museum night.

Date/Time: Saturday 7 Novem-ber, 22h-02h

RSVP on www.cosmo-polite.comand weʼll send you our itinerary, so that you can join our group.

Purchase your Museum ticket online: www.n8.nl/english

RSVP

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Who are Cosmo Polite members?

We have an equal about of men and women, mostly in their 30s, in the club. Certain events are more popular amongst women (eg. wine tastings and dinners) and others amongst men (drinks). We share a cosmopolitan lifestyle and a desire to enjoy life alongside our busy work schedules. We have a monthly event for singles; all other events are popular amongst both singles and couples.

How it works

We invite you to meet us personally and attend an event as a guest. After attending one event, if you wish to attend more, we require you to become a member (E15 pmnth).

November7th Museum Night8th Sunday Lunch14th Expatica Speed Date20th Wine Tasting28th Thanksgiving Dinner

December6th Sunday Brunch 13th Wine Mixer17th pre-Christmas Drinks

January 10th New Yearʼs Brunch16th Dinner Mixer21th January Drinks30th Cooking Workshop

Cosmo Polite EVENTS

Agenda

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Sunday Lunch Table

This is how Cosmo Polite started: with a Sunday Luncheons. Great friendships have started around our lunch table and thatʼs why weʼre gathering there again.

Date/Time: Sunday 8 November, 13h30Venue: Cafe George, Leidsegracht 84RSVP on www.cosmo-polite.com and we’ll reserve a seat for you. RSVPEntrance fee: your personal consumptions.

Saturday 28 November Thanksgiving Dinner

As an international group of friends, we can embrace any holiday we'd like. So, let's get together for Thanksgiving, enjoy a Turkey dinner and express what you're thankful for!

Date/Time: Saturday 28 November, 19h30RSVP online before 23 November: www.cosmo-polite.com RSVP

Entrance fee: E55, includes dinner and wine.

Friday 20 November Sparkling Wine Tasting

Diewke the Champagne Embassador of The Netherlands takes us on an exploration of the world of sparkling wines. We'll be welcomed with refreshing bubbles and appetizers followed by a sparkling experience!

Date/Time: Friday 20 November, 19h-23hRSVP online before 17 November: www.cosmo-polite.com RSVP

Entrance fee: E55, includes wine tasting, dinner and drinks.

Here's Holland by Sheila Gazaleh-Weevers, Shirley Agudo and Connie Moser

provides expats and visitors of all ages and interests with a unique insight into Holland's treasures and pleasures, it's culture and cus-toms. Families and international business people transferring to, or already living in Holland, will also find invaluable tips and advice re-garding life in this tiny but fascinating country.

A Dictionary of Dutchness by DutchNews.nl

Based on the popular column on the DutchNews.nl website and newspaper, A Dictionary of Dutchness is a handy-sized paperback with over 200 short and snappy entries which unravel the acronyms, abbrevia-tions and jargon of everyday life in the Netherlands.

The Undutchables by Colin White and Laurie Boucke

A very revealing treatise about the Dutch that has been self-categorized by the publisher as "non-fiction/humour". The authors have looked much farther than wooden shoes and tulips. Even the way they stir sugar in their coffee has not escaped their notice. Every-thing in it is true, and only the humor with which it is written makes it at all palatable for the Dutch themselves.

BOOKS &THE CITY

Holland Handbook by Xpat.nl

This handbook offers 256 full-color pages of essential information for the expatriate on all aspects of living and working in the Netherlands such as career, fiscal issues, health care, housing, insurance, inter-national education, registration and telecommunications.

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Excerpt from BlogCOSMO-POLITE.COM/BLOG/BOOKS

Brownies and Tea at The English Book shop. The English Bookshop is my favourite book shop in Amsterdam; it is friendly, personal and there is a bell hanging above the door, ringing happily when you step into the store. The cozy basement boasts checkered English sofaʼs, which are perfect for enjoying the chocolate brownies, freshly ground coffee or Rooibos Tea. The only thing I am missing is a fireplace and a sleeping Labrador at my feet! The Southafrican owner Liesl can or-der any book you wish, yet I am always amazed how many books she has managed to store in her picturesque shop. The English Bookshop, Laurier-gracht 71 (Jordaan). Opening hours: Tue-Sat 11am-6pm.

ABC and itʼs Treehouse.The largest ʻEnglishʼ literary institution in Amsterdam is the American Book Cen-

tre. Besides a wide range of books, they host numerous self-development activi-ties ranging from writing clinics and yoga classes to Hello Kitty book signing and

open mike nights. American Book Centre, Spui 12. Opening hours: Mon 11am-7pm, Tue-Sat 10am-8pm, Thu till 9pm, Sun 11am-6.30pm.

WaterstoneʼsIf the American style is not your cup of tea, try Waterstoneʼs, a four story bookshop with a welcoming, traditional ambiance. Waterstoneʼs, Kalverstraat 152. Mon 10am- 6pm, Tue-Fri 9.30am–6pm, Thu till 9pm, Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

The Book Exchange is specialized in used English books and has acquired quite a stock (80.000 titles) over the past 30 years. The Book Exchange, Kloveniersburgwal 58, Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun: 11.30am-16.00pm

Read about book markets on www.cosmo-polite.com/blog/books

Happy reading!Kira

Amsterdam: The Brief Life of a City

by Geert Mak

A great book about the city's soul, part history, part travel guide. This story-telling book was a huge hit among the Dutch. Based on the popular column on the DutchNews.nl website and newspaper, A Dic-tionary of Dutchness is a handy-sized paperback with over 200 short and snappy entries which unravel the acronyms, abbreviations and jargon of everyday life in the Netherlands.

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Fire Service 020.555 66 66Local Police 020.559 91 11

Medical Service 088.003 06 00Emergency road ass. 0800.08

88

ServicesAccess Expat Helpline (10h-16h,

free) 020.423 32 17

Telephone Directory 1888Taxi 020.777 77 77

Lost or Stolen CardsAmerican Express 020.504 86

66Diners Club 020.654 55 11

Eurocard/Mastercard 030.283 55 55

Visa Card 0800.022 31 10

Gas, water, electricity Essent 088.851 10 00

NUON 0900.08 08 (press 1, then 3)

InternetUPC 1580

EMERGENCY NO.

112

Cosmo Polite PHONE BOOK

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Cosmo Polite SHOPPING LIST❒ bread - brood❒ cereals - cornflakes❒ rusk - beschuit❒ pasta - pasta❒ rice - rijst❒ flour - bloem

❒ butter - boter❒ cheese - kaas ❒ yoghurt - yoghurt❒ jam - jam❒ choc. sprinkles - hagelslag

❒ salt - zout❒ pepper - peper❒ spices - kruiden❒ sugar - suiker❒ sweetener - zoetjes❒ honey - honing ❒ oil - olie❒ vinegar - azijn❒ mustard - mosterd❒ eggs - eieren❒ cream - room / creme fraiche

meat & fish - vlees & vis❒ beef - rundvlees❒ pork - varkensvlees❒ veal - kalfsvlees❒ chicken - kip(penvlees)❒ salmon - zalm❒ cod - kabeljauw❒ tuna - tonijn❒ trout - forel❒ shrimps -garnalen

vegetables - groenten❒ lettuce - sla❒ cucumber - komkommer❒ tomato - tomaat❒ onion - ui❒ garlic - knoflook❒ beans - bonen❒ potatoes - aardappelen❒ leek - prei❒ cauliflower - bloemkool❒ carrot -wortel❒ spinach - spinazie

fruit - fruit❒ apple - appel❒ pear - pear❒ orange - sinaasappel❒ banana - banaan❒ grapes - druiven❒ lemon - citroen

drinks - dranken❒ coffee - koffie❒ tea - thee❒ milk - melk❒ softdrinks - frisdranken*❒ beer - bier* ❒ wine - wijn

❒ biscuits - koekjes❒ cake - taart❒ chocolate - chocolade❒ candy - snoep❒ nuts - noten / borrelnootjes

❒ cleaning products - schoonmaak artikelen❒ dishwashing detergent - afwas-middel / vaatwas blokjes (tablets)❒ washing powder - wasmiddel❒ plastic wrap - plastic folie❒ alum. foil - alum. folie❒ soap - zeep❒ toothpaste - tandpasta❒ shampoo - shampoo❒ toilet paper - wc papier

❒ flowers - bloemen❒ candles - kaarsen

❒______________________________❒______________________________❒______________________________❒______________________________❒______________________________

*don’t forget to return the bottles to re-ceive your bottle deposit back (‘statiegeld’)

✂

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 21

Bring your own Bags

In the Netherlands, itʼs quite normal to

reuse your shopping bags.  Plastic bags are available at the supermar-kets, but you have to pay

for them  them and theyʼre not even that cheap! 

I while ago I blogged about ZPMʼs Trolley Dolly. [The Trolley Dolly is basically a little bag holding loads of super strong and lightweight, nylon shopping bags]. Iʼm still

religiously bringing my Trolley Dolly to the supermarket every week.  Itʼs SO handy!  The fifteen-or-so bags are great: big, sturdy and colour coded might you want to go that far (Iʼm too stressed about the race-packing everything to even consider colour-coding).

ZPM now also has a baby version, the Bagz, with 3 or 5 bags in a pouch.  As they state — thereʼs no excuse anymo-re to be caught without a bag!

xxx Esther

The Hollandsche Manage

The Hollandsche Manege (ʻDutch Riding School), located on the edge of the Von-delpark, is based on the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and dates back to 1882. It was meant to serve the recreational needs of the rich Amsterdam inhabitants. Membership was expensive, and you can still tell by the heavy decoration and the feeling of grandeur!

Nowadays classes are open to everybody, and you can always walk in to have a look at the horses. There is one horse, Quee-nie, who is extremely sweet towards chil-dren and is always happy to be caressed! My kids love it. My daughter is especially fond of horses — she canʼt wait until she

is old enough to start lessons! I wonʼt mind it either, because thereʼs a lovely tearoom on the first floor overlooking the arena… Or maybe I should start riding again?? Iʼm tempted!

xxx Esther

KIDS &THE CITY

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 22

About Babyccino

Babyccino is a blog of four girls in 4 cities: Amsterdam, London, Paris and Milan. To-gether they discuss life with kids, style and all their favourite must-haves. With insider tips and reviews from each city, the girls offer up the best kid-friendly restaurants, shops and activities in their four cities – a great guide for ʻhip and happeningʼ mums who are either living in or traveling to their cities.

HEMA

HEMA is one of those shops (or concepts really), that is almost impossible to de-scribe. If youʼve ever set foot in a HEMA, you understand. In fact, you get the con-cept immediately, and youʼre a fan in-stantly – no denial possible!

HEMA is a Dutch chain of shops that only sells HEMA-brand products. No luxury products, but products that are meant for daily use and that are functional yet fun.

The assortment is wide and prices are low (we like that in the Netherlands), designs are trendy and fresh, simple and colourful. The quality is good, and overall the prod-ucts are seriously so much fun that you canʼt help bringing home yet another cool notebook or cute cookie-cutter for the kids!

xxx Esther

KIDS &THE CITY

The Babysittersclub provides daycare services to families residing in Amsterdam. They also

organise babysitters for company parties, weddings, in hotels and to come along on vacations.

www.BabysittersClubAmsterdam.nl

Esther in Amsterdam wwww.BabyccinoBlog.com

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 23

Baby goods Hema, V&D, Prénatal

Biological goods Marqt, Farmerʼs markt (Noordermarkt, Saturdays)

Books English Bookshop, ABC, Selexyz DIY Gamma, Formido, Praxis

Electronics Mediamarkt, RAF

Fresh foods A.Cuypmarket (Mon-Sat), Farmerʼs markt

Garden& Terrace ʻtuincentrumʼ Intratuin

Department stores ʻwarenhuisʼ Bijenkorf, V&D

Household goods Blokker, Hema, V&D, Bijenkorf

Knickkacks Blokker, Xenos

Sports Perry Sport, Bever Outdoor Zwerfsport

Stamps AH, Bruna

Stationery Gebr. Winter, Hema, V&D

7/7 SupermarketAH on Dam and Museumplein, daily from 8am-10pm.

Tickets Amsterdam Uitburo, Lastminute ticketshop

Toy Shops Bart Smit, Intertoys

Shop

s FO

R E

very

day

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 24

Great DUTCH

Products

HagelslagChocolate sprinkles

put on buttered bread.

KaasschaafA perfect device to cut thin slices of cheese, which is put on a slice of bread at breakfast and at lunch.

BitterballenDonʼt ask what they are, whatʼs in-side, just eat it! One of the best are from Van Dob-ben, Korte Reguli-ersdwarsstraat 5

Uber-UmbrellaIn a bike-loving and rainy country having an umbrella that doesnʼt invert can be quite a necessity. The SENZ umbrella ef-fortlessly slices through the wind, from a

summer breeze to a heavy storm. Due to its smart design, the SENZ Original umbrella will not invert, and is

windproof up to wind force 10! Available at: De Bijenkorf, Dam 1, Bever Zwerfport, Stadhouderskade 4.

Dutch Inventions

1. MICROSCOPE

2. TELESCOPE

3. PENDULUM CLOCK

4. ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH (ECG)

5. CD

6. SAWMILL

7. ROAD RULE ENFORCEMENT CAMERA

8. SUBMARINE

9. ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY

10. SENSEO, 1-cup at the time coffee machine

BugabooBugaboo, headquar-tered in Amsterdam, are those trendy strollers that you see around the city streets, in the coun-try side and even on the beach.

Bike LightsThey might not be Dutch inventions, but do get them! It is compulsory to have bike lights on when biking in the dark. Make sure youʼll always have them with you by putting them on your key chain. Then they can also function as key hole finder and mini-torch. Hema, 2 for E5.50

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 25

Great AMSTERDAM Services

Dutch health care

General health care is high but non-interventionist in nature. Two health care providers that are highly popular amongst Am-sterdam expats are Dentist Practice Dennis van der Hoevewww.dennisverhoevetandarts.nl

Expat DoctorBloemgracht guy

Emergency Number 112

Expat Informationwww.expatica.com

Expatica provides daily news, features and essential information to help internationals settle into their new country of residence: how to find a job or housing, in-formation on the local health and education systems, how to start a business or deal with pension plans in your adopted country.

Annually, Expatica produces a Survival Guide for spe-cific countries to give internationals on the ground the best of the site in a comprehensive and easy-to-use format.

Rental Housing

There are many hous-ing agencies on the

market. Find below three agencies who are reli-able and provide excel-

lent service. Min. rent E1200 pm.

Intermediairies CapitalLocations.comGrandRelocation.nl

Portal for (service) apartments

Apartments-for-Rent.com

(semi) Private Language Tutors

Talencoachwww.talencoach.nl

Zoos Onderwijswww.zoosonderwijs.nl

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 26

Beauty & Relaxation

Hairfashion by LeoBest hairdresser in town

Rokin 105 T. 4232002

CybersalonHair- & Beauty salon

Gravenstraat 22,T.3300662

Spa ZuiverSpa, Saunas & Massage

Koenenkade 8T. 301 07 10

Koan FloatFloating & Massage

Herengracht 321 T. 5550333

Corpus RubMassage

Van Breestraat 72hsT. 4165055

Expat Services

Lifestyle ManagementTime of your Life

www.timeofyourlife.nl

Expat Tax Advisor

OnestopTax Patwww.onestoptaxprep.nl

Cosmo Polite Members help other Members.

Amongst our members we count a

- Guy with a sloep (Aʼdam boat)-Lady who enjoys babysitting pets during

your absence- Lady who organizing bachelorette (and other)

parties.

We also share recommendations for cleaners and handymen, etc.

Your Company in the Cosmo Polite City Guide?

Cosmo Polite is an independent company that con-tinuously looks for other service-providing quality companies. If you think your company deserves a mentioning on this page, please contact Kira at kira@cosmo-polite.com.

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 27

Cosmo Polite SNAP SHOTS

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 16

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September 19

This year is the 25th Dam to Dam run and to mark the event there will be a night run on Saturday September 19 starting at 6 pm. Sat-

urday is also the day for the 10 mile fitness ru

IINVITATION THURSDAY EXPAT

November 2009 www.cosmo-polite.com page 17