Transportation

Whirlwinds (Or: Running to the bus stop)

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Niki

Today’s work day was punctuated by moments of craziness sandwiched between long hours of…relative calm? I knew it would be an interesting day when I came back from donating blood and found out that someone from Kaplan test prep wanted to hold a presentation about the NCLEX nursing exam. That’s the licensing exam for nurses in the U.S.

Due to some miscommunication between them and their nursing student representative, they ended up downstairs in one of our group study rooms… which is designed for about 10 students max. More than 20 showed up and (somehow) squeezed into that room. It was quite impressive but not the ideal place to be. Thankfully the actual presentation was only about 20 minutes, or I would have told them to go back upstairs to the lab.

And then the student I was supposed to see at 5:45 arrived early, so I was able to squeeze in everything we needed to do by 5:55 and then dash outside to catch the 6:19 bus that tends to come at 6:04. I barely made it, but I still made it! It’s the difference between getting home at 6:30 or getting home at 8PM.

That’s one thing I am looking forward to in the Netherlands, though I am sure it’s not that easy everywhere in the country. But I don’t have to worry as much about buses (or trams) which run only on the hour. Though I do have to say that the system I use right now is fairly reliable – In my 2 1/2 years at this job I figure the bus hasn’t shown only 5 or 6 times.

Here is a picture that I took of the inside of a tram (including the swipe pad for your OV chip card). I mentioned it back in this post.

Dutch tram door

On the left side you have the OV chip card machine which says Kaart hier. Like I said, I always forget to check out by swiping my card there before I leave. On the door itself, the pink part says Check uit, or check out. The white lettering on the reverse side of the door warns people that the door opens outward and extends outside (outside = buiten).

The nice thing about trams is you can enter them from any available door. For buses you need to enter by the bus driver, even if you have an OV chip card. And of course there are still people who get in trouble for trying to cheat the system. I am just glad there is no more strippenkaart! I am not sure how much longer that link will work, since the strippenkaart has been phased out completely, I believe.

Categories: Transportation | 3 Comments

Trains (Or: Riding the rails)

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Niki

Today’s first two pictures come from Roger, Amsterdam’s #1 train commuter! It’s a long commute too: first biking to the Hague bike station, dropping off his bike, getting on the train, praying it’s not 15 minutes late again, and then sprinting from Amsterdam Centraal Station to catch is ferry to get across the river IJs. Crazy times.

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Categories: Amsterdam, Transportation | Tags: | 2 Comments

Airplanes (Or: Flying British Airways & KLM/Delta)

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Niki

The first time I flew to the Netherlands was also the first time that I flew out of the country. I remember how cool it was go to the post office and get my picture taken for my passport, and waiting for it to arrive in the mail. (And nervously waiting for them to return my birth certificate, which they did.)

The first time I had a very short stop in London to visit another friend, so each way I flew British Airways. On the flight to London I secured an exit row seat, which was nice for the sleeping aspect. On the way there, flights generally take 6 1/2 or 7 hours from NY. On the way back to the States, it takes a bit longer due to head wind. I like to take a red eye flight (6:10PM or 9:30PM are the choices) when heading to the Netherlands and on the way back I take a late morning flight.

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Categories: Transportation | Tags: | 3 Comments

Rijswijk (Or: Where I act like a confused American)

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Niki

First, I want to mention how amusing it is to be subscribed to a dozen or so Dutch blogs and see how most of them talk about the weather. Snow, cold, and the prospect of elfstedentocht (elf-steden-tocht, 11 city tour). It’s a rare event where the canal ice freezes up enough for ice skating through 11 cities to take place. It hasn’t happened since 1997.

Over here, I am just glad we’ve only had two snowstorms: the Halloween one which knocked out my power for 5 days — just a few inches of snow — and one a few weeks ago, about 5 inches.

Today’s topic is de bogaard in Rijswijk, a shopping area near the Hague which you can get to by bus. I visited it twice. The first time I had someone with me, the second time I traveled there alone.

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Categories: Rijswijk, Transportation | Tags: | 3 Comments

Bikes (Or: Controlled chaos on wheels)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Niki

One thing that struck me was how many fietsen (bikes) there are in the Netherlands. The Dutch boast almost one bike per person. In the Hague, bike paths seem to take precedence over even the roads themselves. Generally the transportation is as follows: roads (for cars, buses, and the occasional tram), bike paths, and pedestrian paths. Bikes also have their own traffic lights at most stops. Interestingly, mopeds also seem to ride on the bike paths, which can make crossing them a bit dangerous at times…

Picturesque Delft canal bordered by homes, and a few bikes to complete the scene

The Netherlands is, as a whole, very flat. I found one “hill” in the Hague — which turned out to be a man-made bridge that was only a few feet high. In the country itself, the highest hill (the Vaalserberg) is just over 1000 feet tall.

A parking lot for bikes in Amsterdam

Categories: Amsterdam, Delft, Transportation | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Fireworks (or: Blowing up a small piece of the country)

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Niki

One of the cooler New Year’s Eve (oudejaarsavond, lit: old year’s eve) traditions is setting off fireworks at midnight. When I visited last year in December 2010, the Dutch spent about 65 million euros on fireworks (vuurwerk, singular and plural form). This year it was estimated to about 70 million euros.

part of the set of ground fireworks we purchased

The only way I could describe it in the part of the Hague I was visiting was loud, unexpected noises at every turn, huge flashes, and the need to be very, very careful.

Because there could be unexpected surprises around every turn…

a burning couch on a random street corner

Fun facts: the country’s entire public transportation system shuts down around 8PM that night to avoid issues. Mailbox openings are closed off to prevent “incidents” with lit vuurwerk being placed inside. Christmas trees used to be collected before New Year’s, but now residents are asked to keep their trees inside until after that date, because enterprising souls would take them and burn them on oudejaarsavond.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague, Transportation | Tags: , | Leave a comment

12 months before the Hague move

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Niki

Having moved from Chicago to New York with only two suitcases to my name, I look forward to the move even further eastward to the Netherlands — the Hague to be exact! The move date will be around Christmas 2012.

tram at a street corner (pssst...turn right for the "bibliotheek" or library!)

This blog will detail life before and after the move, including immersing myself in a culture that seems alien but also shares a lot of Americanized features — there’s even a New York Pizza joint just up the corner from the apartment I will be moving to!

Categories: Moving, The Hague, Transportation | Tags: | 1 Comment

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