Tired of driving all day along the highway in your car? If you’ve got your eye on an unusual alternative, you might want to stay in the Netherlands right away. Because in this country, the employment office pays your training to become a fortune teller. But there’s a lot more that makes this small country with a large population so lovable. Here are a few of its peculiarities.

Many tall people

The population of the Netherlands is large in two senses. With 385 people, there are more people living here per square kilometer than in any other country in Europe. And they also have a lot to offer, especially the men. They average almost 1.84 meters in length, making them the tallest in the world. But the women, with their average 1.70 meters, also make it into first place worldwide.

Although the Netherlands is so densely populated, more than half of its land is used for agriculture. In fact, only the U.S. exports more agricultural goods than the Netherlands.

Agricultural land and windmills characterize the Dutch landscape. Photo: Freepik

Color of the Dutch

Whether Dutch farmers invented the orange carrot to flatter their king, or just to make it easier for them to find the originally colorful roots in their fields – this is still the subject of speculation and research. But one thing is certain: Orange is the color of the Dutch. This is because the heir to the throne of the country is also the prince or princess of the southern French principality of Orange.

Therefore, on April 27, the king’s birthday, the entire country is flagged in orange. King’s Day is also celebrated with flea markets, concerts, picnics and competitions such as cookie-snatching and sack races. Once, the prince is even said to have competed in a toilet bowl throwing contest.

The Dutch must have thought that was really “lekker”. Because “lekker” here means everything from delicacies such as stroopwafels, licorice and Haring to the weather, weekends, items of clothing and seating furniture to attractive flirting partners. The positive all-round term stands not only for “delicious” but for everything that is pleasant, great, cozy and attractive.

No coffee in the coffee shop

By the way: If you want to enjoy a lekker bite to eat and drink here, the numerous coffee shops are not the first place to go. Coffee and cake are more likely to be found in the koffiehuis.

However, you should not miss the Frikandel Speciaal, Kaassoufflé, Kroketten & Co. from the vending machine restaurant on your tour through the Netherlands. The food from the wall may not look lekker, but it tastes so. Attention: hot and greasy!

Watch out: Instead of coffee, you’ll find other stimulating things here. Photo: Freepik

What do you see when you look out of your cabin? Windmills and cyclists! Over 1,000 historic windmills remain today, and you can visit many of them. Grain was also ground in the winged giants. But primarily they were used to drain the vast areas of land below sea level.

From Safe Cycling to Kiss-Filled Birthday Celebrations

The 17 million Dutch own 22.1 million bicycles, or about 1.3 per capita. With these, the locals are safer on the road than any other people. Despite the fact that helmets are not compulsory, a study by Rutgers University in New Jersey found that the Dutch have the fewest injuries per million kilometers biked. This is due in no small part to a good 35,000 excellently built kilometers of bike paths.

You should take plenty of time when you are invited to a birthday party. You don’t just send your congratulations to the birthday child, but to everyone who is close to him or her: Partners, parents, siblings, dog, cat, mouse … The obligatory three kisses in greeting can stretch out such a round of congratulations quite a bit.

Oops, there’s another satchel hanging on the wall of a house or even on a flagpole! Don’t be surprised, this is common here when a family member has finished his education and doesn’t need the school bag anymore.

Have you ever kissed your way through a Dutch birthday party or burned your mouth on vending machine food? Write a comment and tell us about your experiences!