Posts Tagged With: Summer

Dodging the summer storms (Or: A bit of rain would be nice, folks)

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Niki

The highlight of the day was a predicted storm that would dump a lot of rain on the Netherlands. And it did… just not that much in The Hague. Booooo. Although I suppose that is for the best, considering if it rains too fast the ground wouldn’t be able to soak it up anyway. But except for a bit of rain a few nights ago, it’s been at least a month since it has rained in NL. The plants and grass are definitely starting to turn yellow! Or are completely yellow, in some cases.

Urgent Code Orange storm warning issued for floods, hail, wind, & lightning from nltimes.nl

Dozens of flights delayed or cancelled at Schiphol as storm approaches the northeast, also from nltimes.nl (Glad I am not flying today!)

Ik heb zin in de zomer man #regen @omroepzeeland #middelburg #codegeel pic.twitter.com/oMLZ7M1Jrc
— Carmen Wisse – Omroep Zeeland (@carmenwisse) June 20, 2023

(translated as “I’m in the mood for summer, man”)

In other news… ‘Dutch by default’: Netherlands seeks curbs on English-language university courses from theguardian.com. It is indeed quite easy at the moment to follow an education in this country without knowing any Dutch at all.

And, just for fun, here is a photo of a flower on Vondelstraat, a street on the way to Kelly’s expat store:

They definitely caught my eye as I walked past.

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Flowers, Summer, Weather | Leave a comment

Basking in the warmth (Or: A walk through Koekamp)

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Niki

As noted, the Netherlands is currently experiencing a bit of a heat wave, with temperatures around 30C or 86F. I decided to take a walk and visit the Koekamp today. It is an area not far from the Central train station, complete with a handful of deer. Of course, they were all hiding in the shade…

I also took a photo of the area from the Koekamp bridge:

The bridge itself is also quite pretty – see a photo at haasnootbruggen.nl. It is for cyclists and pedestrians.

One good initiative that has popped up more and more recently: it is a lot easier to find free sunblock at beaches, festivals and gyms (article in Dutch, from nos.nl).

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Summer | Leave a comment

Eye catching (Or: BlowUp Art in The Hague)

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Niki

This past May The Hague was host to an art festival called BlowUp Art. The festival was an initiative of Pulchri Studio. I previously wrote a blog post about the sculptures they had placed on the Lange Voorhout.

Here is a look at one of the six creations featured in the BlowUp Art festival:

This piece is called “Crested” and it was created by Steven Messam.

In other news, the Netherlands will get to experience its first mini heat wave this weekend! Temperatures are expected to be around 30C or 85F here in The Hague. Time to find my sunscreen…

Dit weekend zomerse temperaturen: meer openbaar vervoer naar stranden from nos.nl. Translated: This weekend summer tempatures: more public transportation to beaches. For instance, HTM here in The Hague will be running the Strandexpress tram (=beach express), with limited stops between the Holland Spoor train station, Centraal Station, Madurodam and the beach. And of course it won’t be enough as everyone will descend on the beach with their car, bike or feet!

Categories: Culture, The Hague | Tags: Art, Summer, Weather | 2 Comments

Summer heat (Or: The Netherlands begins to sizzle)

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Niki

Not wanting to be left out of the heat wave that has been occurring across southern Europe for more than a week, The Netherlands joined the fun yesterday and today, with temperatures here in The Hague around 31C/87F yesterday and temperatures today around 37C/99F. Technically that is nothing compared to what the rest of Europe has been going through, or what other parts of the world have been going through, but still.

I went to work this morning as usual (climate controlled office for the win), and it wasn’t too bad at that point. But on the way back…oh my. I felt like I had been smashed against a wall of heat, as if someone had thrown a heavy blanket around all of my being. Still, as long as you find the shade where you can it works out.

Speaking of finding shade…

LIVE | Geen parkeerplek meer op Scheveningen – Centrumring van Naaldwijk later open om hittehttps://t.co/wWbMfS4joS
— Omroep West (@omroepwest) July 19, 2022

As you can see, a lot of people went to the beach in Scheveningen. A smart choice, but if you’re smart you either need to bring an umbrella… or you find a spot directly under the pier for shade. Although then you have to wonder what is the point of going to the beach just to sit under the pier, but to each their own.

Luckily the temperatures will drop again tomorrow, so it really was a mini heat wave. Check out some other photos of Scheveningen over at indebuurt.nl (in Dutch, but scroll down for the photos).

Categories: News, Scheveningen | Tags: Beach, Summer, Weather | Leave a comment

Storms are coming (Or: Finally! Rain!)

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Niki

The thermometer reads 30.5C or 87F. I know it’s probably not the actual temperature, but it does make me pretty glad that rain will finally be coming tonight after an 8 day heat wave. Lots of records were broken in the Netherlands this week. The seven day average temperature for the country was 33.1C, with the previous record of 32C back in 1976 (about 91F).

Another record broken: the Netherlands had 8 straight days of temperatures above 35C (95F) somewhere in the country. De Bilt, a small town in the centre of the Netherlands saw temperatures above 30C for 8 days in a row. That is significant because De Bilt is the official site for average temperatures for the country (and also home to KNMI, the Dutch metrological service).

Of course, it will probably take a while before the apartment cools down, but hopefully not too long. I’m crossing my finger a lot while saying that!

And for some news regarding the corona crisis:

Over 4,000 Covid-19 tests booked online on first day of website launch – nltimes.nl. Previously you needed to call to set up an appointment, but that number was not available 24/7. It’s still available, of course. Making an appointment digitally is a supplement to that.
Dutch blood bank’s Covid medicine could be ready for October – nltimes.nl. Sanquin, the Dutch blood bank, has been collecting plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients to make it into a medicine for newly diagnosed patients. As a blood donor myself, I can see the value of this one.
Covid-19 testing at Schiphol from today – also from nltimes.nl. That is of course Schiphol airport. Any travellers coming from high-risk countries can get a “fast” Covid-19 test done upon arrival in the Netherlands. At the moment this testing is voluntary, although strongly encouraged.

Stay cool, everyone… ☀️

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Summer, Weather | Leave a comment

Landscaping around the Grote Kerk (Or: A bit of nature in the city centre)

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Niki

Today’s photo is of the landscaping round the Grote Kerk, taken sometime last week. In this weather I’d be surprised if half of it wasn’t drying out.

Due to weather, water companies in the Netherlands warned there could be water shortages (article from nltimes.nl). The issues are due to the warm weather and the fact that a lot of people are staying in the Netherlands for vacation this year.

What else does excessive heat bring? People who want to go to the beach. However yesterday and today the sea was rated as ‘extremely dangerous’ with rip tides reported (nltimes.nl). And that is sadly true: four swimmers lost their lives yesterday.

Oh, and the beach in Scheveningen has never been busier (article from omroepwest.nl), with roads in that direction shut down by lunchtime yesterday for a while. The heatwave is here to stay for a bit longer, so buckle up. It’ll only get warmer! ☀️

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Beach, Summer, Weather | Leave a comment

Today’s special guest star (Or: The sun)

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Niki

As you know the Netherlands is experiencing a bit of a heat wave this week. This is the first one of the year (the other two times it was warm it only lasted a day or two).

Here’s a look at all of the sunscreen and similar products by Etos, which is a drug store like Walgreens or Rite Aid in America. No food products or prescriptions, though.

That is a lot of sunscreen! But a lot of people are heading to the beach this week (nltimes.nl), so it is needed.

Marco made some lovely sour lemonade yesterday. Lots of lemon slices, lemon juice and water. Yum yum yum. Not to be confused with the Dutch “limonade” which is water with concentrated syrup. I actually had no idea until I read a post from another Dutch blog, Invading Holland, where the writer accidentally orders a limonade. And while I’m here, I’ll also link to his post from yesterday entitled What would it take to melt hagelslag? Hagelslag being the Dutch chocolate sprinkles that are usually put onto buttered bread.

Now I want some chocolate…

Categories: Everyday purchases | Tags: Drinks, Summer | Leave a comment

Walk to the right, keep your distance, … (Or: Grote Markt)

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Niki

Today’s photo is of the directional signs placed on the Grote Markt, one of The Hague’s busy shopping streets.

The city is trying their best but I don’t think the signs are always that clear. Part of the problem is that the Grote Markt isn’t split evenly – one of the sides is about as twice as wide as the other. Does that mean the wider side has traffic in two directions but the narrow sign is only in one direction? There are also stickers in the ground that seem imply that the wider side is all one direction, just like the narrow side, but good luck with people following that (I’m also guilty of being on the “wrong” side sometimes).

Good weather is coming: 30C (85F) to 35C (95F).

Crazy! But who knows if it will stay like that.

Today’s random story, with one very adorable cat: Cat that went missing on Scottish holiday found 12 years later (theguardian.com).

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Centrum, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Summer | Leave a comment

A different view of the skyline (Or: Centraal Park)

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Niki

You learn something new every day. Marco and I took a short walk before dinner and I took a few photos of The Hague’s skyline, not far from Centraal Station. I’m a fan of Malieveld, but apparently the small park on the other side of the street is called “Centraal Park”. At least, that’s what Google Maps calls it.

Here’s a look at The Hague’s skyline from this angle.

The weather is good, as predicted. There is a lot of sun. Of course, that means: Traffic jams and road closures as the heat drives Dutch to the sea (dutchnews.nl).

The Dutch city of Arnhem also made the news with their plan to tackle global warming: Dutch city redraws its layout to prepare for global heating effects (from theguardian.com). The city plans to replace 10% of they asphalt with grass. I can get behind that – cities can use a bit more green these days.

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Centrum, Summer | Leave a comment

Gray clouds above, flowers below (Or: Buitenhof scenes)

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Niki

Earlier this week Marco took this photo of the Buitenhof for me. What do you think?

Of course you probably notice the flowers first, but the clouds above do deserve a glance as well. A touch of gray.

There was a press conference earlier this evening. The main topic was whether or not there be a country-wide requirement to wear a face mask at all times when outside. At the moment you are only required to wear a face mask when using public transportation.

The government announced that there will no national requirement to wear one, although regions will have more power to take action locally (article from nltimes.nl). The government also looked into whether or not the quarantine policy for holiday travellers should be strengthened if they were returning from an area with a high number of coronavirus cases.

And another article, this one from Omroep West: Terrassen mogen uur langer open tijdens warme Haagse nachten. It’s an article about how terraces can stay open longer during the summer if the temperature is over 25C/77F Thursday through Sunday. The city government will look at the upcoming weekend’s temperature every Thursday and announce if terraces can be open longer that weekend. ☀️

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Binnenhof/Buitenhof, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Flowers, Summer | Leave a comment