"not bad" is actually a compliment in many parts of the Netherlands. People tend to say so if something isn't their thing, especially in informal situations like these. So "not bad" means you like it.
@@sierralovesdogs Especially in the North of the Netherlands, when someone says to you 'could be less' that's a BIG compliment. What they mean by it is: you've outdone my expectations and then some.
Always nice to see (parts of) your own country through foreign eyes. It makes you realize that the things you are used to, take for granted as just common parts of the scenery, are quite unique and special.
Yes, I agree. I love when visitors come because you get to 'play tour guide' and see things through their eyes. It helps you to appreciate what you have! 😍
As a dutch person I had no clue our clouds were so varied in the eyes of foreigners. They're just.. clouds. Most of the time it is one big cover of them. I typically find myself craving those clear blue skies... Thanks for sharing an insight I hadn't heard before!
The dutch words you say are spot on. And I like how you and your family injoy our little country. I think we forget to injoy most of these things because there so normal to us, but seeing others injoying it makes me re think to do these things and try to look at them from a different point of view.
Hello ❤️😍🙌🏻 Follow us for more travel and family love and adventure! We are an family from Sweden ( Gävle) who loves to travel and meet all kind of lovely people to learn about! The best is to show the girls that the World is so mutch bigger than home. Home is whatever love is! I hope you will join us! In the future we have plans to travel around beautiful Afrika! But now we have been in Thailand! See you// Elin, Kim, Lilja 9 years and Lovie 6 years! 🌴☀️🤗❤️🐘🌏
Touristy thing or not, taking a boatride in Amsterdam is a fantastic way and perspective to see the city. Most often the captain knows a lot of fun little facts and stories about the sites your're passing and it's a great introduction to the place. (FYI, your Dutch pronunciation is pretty good... I'm sure people complimented you about it).
@@shoelacedonkey yes I love all the stories and tidbits. Our guide was born and raised in Amsterdam which he shared was very unusual! Thank you for the compliment. I don’t speak it often but grew up hearing it spoken so maybe that helps! 🇳🇱
Wow, the liquorice DZ Dubbel Zout (double salt) is notorious for being the most off-putting to foreigners, yet Dutch people adore it. If they grew up eating it, it brings a strong sense of nostalgia.
Stroopwafels because they’re made of dough thats heated with a hot wafel press while flattened creates a bit of tougher out then inside which guides the knife in between the two Luther layers when stil hot. Then they get hot caramel in between and become that nice crumbly while chewy sensation with sugar and spices flavors that reminds you of Christmas.
I love it that you did not just do Amsterdam but saw actually quite a lot! The pink beer is actually Belgian and it is a modern version of a Flemish traditional beer called Kriek. When cherry farmers harvested their tart cherries (krieken) they brew every year their new edition of Kriek. It is usually as strong as Pilsener (4 - 5 %) and because of the fruity taste it is a favorite of many women in Belgium. And yes the taste is not artificial but all fruit.
You tasted Hoegaarden Rose beer, that is definitely not Kriek! Kriek is old brown beer with cherry beer, the Hoegaarden is pink light beer with raspberry, although I don’t like either of them (not linking anything that slightly tastes like beer :D ) I do understand that there is a big difference.
Love the vid! There's absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying touristy things, especially when you enjoy yourself and don't hold up traffic 😅. You've shown them a lot of the great things we have on offer, and I always get a new appreciation for our country that way. That guest loft looks amazing! Sound like you've had a fabulous time 😊
@@vexisonline well they are touristy for a reason right? People love to see them! One touristy thing I have never done is visited the tulips in spring! And yes, I agree. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone else! I think Americans are often so self important they don’t understand how they are a nuisance to others! I hope I don’t do that! 🤗🤗
Thanks for your video. A warm tour through some Dutch places. I appreciate your background stories (history) of several places. I have learned today also something about our famous clouds and painters! ❤
The houses on the canals you pointed out were warehouses. Directly beside the canal with a hook near the roof. For furniture now, for products centuries ago.
Go to a pannenkoeken restaurant for sure! And go to the Efteling. For some nature and muzeum go to de Veluwe (on a bikeride) or some muzeums in Amsterdam or in the rest of the Netherlands. And maybe a day at the waddeneilanden. Enough sugestions for now😉 Enjoy for now, have fun🤩
Loved watching your video Sierra. Although as a Dutch family we see most of this as a "tourist things" or as normal for us Dutch, it provides a great perspective on how visitors from other countries look at ours. Thanks for sharing!
The hooks on those buildings, they were not put there to lift furniture. The homes, used to be warehouses and those hooks were used to unload cargo from boats.
I love this video Sierra, 🥰 I forgot how beautiful the Netherlands are........ I haven't been there since I was 18, you have inspired me to go back ..... not sure about eating the herring though😳🙈
You, ma’am… are killing it!! Love seeing your channel grow! It’s definitely inspired me to be more disciplined and find ways to be more consistent with uploading. Keep grinding, girl!!
Love it! I’m dutch but have not been home for 17 years :( My entire family lives in The Netherlands still and hope to visit soon to see my mother who now has Alzheimer’s 🥲
@@sierralovesdogs Thank you. Yes, I grew up there. I came to the US at age 18 for one year as an Au Pair and well…. Life happened and been here ever since 😊
Very nice vlog btw, it brings me back home for a moment ( I went to Fashion school a few block away from those cubic homes). Did you go to any cheese winkel while there?
Loved your video. Bit of a ‘shame’ the weather was not that good. Although I think the weeks after that football match, it was very hot. Hope you also had that great warm weather?! Hope the kids also enjoyed the trip !!
What a fun vlog. We liked it and start following your Channel. We live just between Dordrecht en Rotterdam, near Kinderdijk. I like that you call it Football instead of soccer.
@@sierralovesdogs Probably not right? We got the fries in the cones with mayo. Saw all the vending machines with croquettes. You must have the pictures in the Dutch dress. 🥰
so nice to see our own country through the eyes of foreign people. thanks for your visit and the beautiful images! if you visit the Netherlands again, make a trip to the tulip fields. the fields are usually in bloom from the end of march to mid may but are usually at their most beautiful around mid april. this of course also depends on the weather. volendam is also a beautiful fishing village to visit. if i may give you some advice, eat a delicious portion of kibbeling.
So cool to see my hometown Dordrecht through your eyes. I've only started appreciating the city more through the eyes of 'outsiders' in recent years; I love it more now! It's the perfect blend between a city and a village for me (in Dutch terms of course, a city here is not as big as most in the US)
I've been watching with a smile. Nicely done and you really had the best 'Dutch' experience possible. I live in the area of Rotterdam and Dordrecht and I also had a relation with an American. So this appealed to me a lot. I am not a fan of haring myself, never even tasted it, but after seeing this I almost feel I have to. If these Americans can be so brave, I have no other choice... LOL
It's nice to see you keep honoring your heritage. Dordrecht is one of our favorite towns to visit. Have you ever been to Leiden? Also a nice city which has a long history of about 1200 years. Especially in summertime you can enjoy a nice cold one on one of the terrace boats along the canals.
@@briannugteren same here! We have a little hill and hike near our house that doesn’t seem so special but visitors love it. Isn’t it wonderful to share different perspectives?
What a lovely video. 😊 And doing touristy things are fine, I mean you are a tourist so why not? Dordrecht is my old stomping ground, beautiful city. I'm glad you guys enjoyed my country, next time go to Maastricht, gorgeous city in the south. Warm greetings from the Netherlands. 😊🌷
Herring: for me THE medicine against headache. Eat 2 without addition and when 2nd eaten the headache is Gone! Great to see Americans step outside Amsterdam, the real Netherlands. 🇳🇱👍
This video included the most important message for those wanting to visit the Netherlands: Get everything you want on the market where the locals buy. Don't get lured into tourist traps where they sell you fancy chocolate-covered stroopwafels etc. At the market, you can buy them fresh for 1/10 of the price. Stick to the originals. These are the best. All other flavours and add-ons are for tourists. Supermarkets with the 'AH' or 'Jumbo' logo are good spots for buying original Dutch food @ a more modest price (I won't say 'cheap'). And if you think herring is something you need to learn to eat... Try 'labskaus'. That dish on a plate contains (among others) herring, a sunny-side-up fried egg and beetroot...
Labskaus is not with fish as far as I'm used to it. My mom used to make it with corned beef, sambal, carrots onions and potatoes. Wikipedia said this: Labskaus (German: [ˈlapskaʊ̯s] ⓘ) is a culinary speciality from northern Germany and in particular from the cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck. The main ingredients are salted meat or corned beef, potatoes, and onion. Some recipes put beetroot, pickled gherkin, or even herring into it, while others have these ingredients as side dishes.
Nowadays you can buy them pre-cut in every supermarkt. Cutting them by hand is a (tedious) option, but the best way to cut them is by using a "snijbonenmolen". Just Google it.
Loved your video! Such nice commentary. Do not pay attention to all the rude and negative comments. Ofcourse it's the Netherlands but we cannot blame people or tourists as it is advertised often as Holland. I think you did an amazing job showing all the typical Dutch traditions. I'm curious what made the most impression for Conor? Hopefully you will have some more vacation days in the future, to visit other regions😅 🙏🏻
in the netherlands we don't eat herring with our hands, when we are eating at a table. we use a fork to get the herring on a piece of bread. (often with onions) only outside you can eat them with your hands. (it's not so common)
Most Dutch thing: hardcore music + hardcore/hardstyle festival. It's a must do for sure ❤ you should come live in the Netherlands with your family. Much safer for your kids and healthier and your own health. More work/life balance and kids cycling to school.
@@GabberPinda oh how fun! I love music festivals! I agree that the lifestyle is in many ways better in the Netherlands but my mom, boyfriend, dogs and job are all in the States! 🇺🇸 At least I can visit!
@@sierralovesdogswhat's much better in the usa is the music. Personally i hate electronic dance music, and during our holiday in NY state and Massachussets we saw great live music in random places.
@@MaxEngelberts-sr4lr in willekeurig welke kroeg of restaurant in de VS is livemuziek door hele goede bands. Die zijn er in NL ook, maar die krijgen bijna geen kans.... gabber oid heb ik daar (gelukkig) niet gehoord.
Happy that you not just went to Amsterdam. Netherlands is much more than Amsterdam. You should definitly visit cities like Haarlem, Volendam and/or Utrecht.
@@sierralovesdogsthere is another American vlogger who lives in Haarlem. Totally in love with the city. I don't remember the name of the channel. From Haarlem it's a short trip to the beach.
What a great video ! Well done 🙂 4 days is to short to experience the Dutch way of life, but you tried a lot. To bad the weather wasn't nice, but it was really Dutch weather: wind, rain, wind and rain again, and a little bit of sunshine. Maybe next time, you can try the sweat liquorice: my personal favorit 🙂
@@qazatqazah yes!! Hagelslag! Had it all the time growing up! A party on my toast!!! Had to look up erwtensoep…. Oh yes I have had that in my childhood too… but my fav was always vla!!!
First of all: kudos to your pronounciation of Dutch words, almost all of them were spot on :) But you explained you have Dutch heritage, so maybe you have a slight advantage there. Secondly: you did more Dutch things in a holiday than I do in a year as a Dutchman :) I don't think you missed many experiences. I was especially impressed by the family trying drop - whenever I have my American inlaws try some, the results are funny but not positive ;) One thing I think is very Dutch and I'm not sure you did, is take a bike on the train, just go somewhere and bike there. I love that combination, it offers such flexibility. And it's so impressive and funny to see visitors do this - once met a really nice Indian family who said "we put all of us on bikes, and we just take the train and then bike. It's awesome!" I loved that because you can go to small villages and hidden bike paths in the countryside that way. In general, great vlog, fun to see people enjoy my quirky country :) I always say "it's flat here, there's grass, cows, stupid windmills and smelly tulips here. Why do you like it?!", so it's great to see this. I always feel deflated when driving back home from a vacation in Italy... Oh and I think the "special clouds" are formed because we are right on the edge of water and sea, and apparently the air currents are very specific here and the turbulence causes the odd shapes. But I'm no expert.
The slicing of the stroopwafel is not that difficult, just make sure that large flat knife is in the softer middle between the two harder bakes outsides
What a beautiful family. And while there may not be an accurate English word to describe 'gezelligheid', the pictures at the end are saying the word. 🙂
I've already seen all kinds of things in commands from Coffee shop, Efteling and other Dutch cities. Which also a Dutch subculture is to go to a GabberHouse Rave. 🤪
Great video, loved it! Next time you get the chance, try the "Frikandel Speciaal"? Extremely Dutch 😊 Oh btw about the Haring? It's not really "raw"? They use an old technique called "pekelen" a proces with which the fish not only gets cooked but also gains a longer shelf life by salting it :)
