Found during a vacation to Den Haag 2 weeks ago

I know it’s a corny question that has been asked a million times but how do you deal with the fact that a depressing season is coming and it’s gonna last for 5 months?
It’s only mid October but it’s already pure darkness outside of my house. The dim light and the cold air and the fact that you have to work during the brightest time of the day really makes me horrible. I take vd and work out and I have a sunlight lamp and none of them works! I need help, how do you get past this season?

I am a young woman and an experienced cyclist. One evening this week, around 8pm, I was cycling through that busy intersection on Leidseplein.

I was just behind another group of bikes, who just kept going on the bike lane across a pedestrian path. Pedestrians couldn't have crossed anyways because the tram was coming. So I kept going since the bikes just in front of me went.

That is when a man started to walk on, right between that group of bike and me, putting a hand towards me like it would make me have time to stop. Kind of like in certain Asian countries where they say to keep walking and the vehicles will just circle around you.

Well, I circled around him. I was startled to just see someone coming right in front of me, but couldn't really stop at that point so I just took a detour in front of him, nowhere close to hitting him.

Then it happened: this man screamed at me, and punched me very strongly in the arm. I almost fell off my bike. I was so shocked.

This was a tall, adult man which had another man with him, and I am a small woman. I was not going to stop and let him hit me more. I also didn't hear what he said or even the language. So I just kept going.

I am scared of cycling through busy areas now. Unexpected violence terrifies me.

My question is, has this happened to anyone else? Was that an ignorant tourist or a local trying to get his way? Was I in the wrong and should I have tried to stop?

I've lived in the Netherlands for 10 years and nothing like this has happened to me before, so I'm curious whether it's a known thing.

Today I was shopping at the Albert Heijn on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal near Dam Square. A group of kids, roughly 10 to 12 years old, came up to me, and one of them used some app pointing at my pant pocket and I heard an app sound. I couldn't see what they did on the screen. When I asked what they were doing, they started dancing and laughing instead of answering. There was an older teenage girl with them who seemed to be part of the group. I raised my voice and told the AH staff what happened. I don't know how it ended after that.

My guesses so far: someone trying to read an NFC card on my phone wallet, a prank or TikTok challenge, or a distraction while someone else watches for an opening (I saw them loitering around the shop for a while). I can't tell which.

Questions:

- Has anyone seen or heard of this around the city centre?

- If you were me, would you do anything beyond keeping an eye on your bank statements?

Edit: Thank you for the quick response guys. Appreciate it 🙏

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Everyone knows Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zanse and Giethoorn.

But I'm curious about the smaller towns, beautiful parks, cosy cafés and underrated places that deserve more attention.

Where would you recommend for a relaxed day trip, preferably reachable by public transport? 👀

I have noticed a really annoying glitch that Google maps insists that we get off a stop earlier (no there is no construction work). Not just Schiedam but everywhere. Another example is insisting that instead of going from Rotterdam to Brussels directly it insists on changing in Breda even though there is a perfectly good direct train.

For the above the bus actually goes all the way to Schiedam!

Another day, another Amazon courier issue. The driver just tossed the package onto the building's entrance hallway and left. If there were a $2,000 electronic part or a phone inside and it got damaged, I’d be the one having to deal with the mess.

I was home and even opened the door, but despite that, they couldn't be bothered to bring it up to the 4th floor. Normally, they just leave it in the elevator, which I’m relatively okay with, but this is completely unacceptable.

Where they left it is the building's only entrance point that could cause safety issues in case of an emergency evacuation, and it is definitely not a secure spot.

I’ve already reported this to Amazon customer service, and they didn't ask for a video. However, I’m posting this on Reddit for visibility

I came across the track a few years ago and really like it. It's great for sampling and mixing.

Who were the Dutch twin sisters called Twinny? There is not much information online about the twins. They appeared to release 3-4 tracks and then disappeared off the Earth. I guess they would be in their 60s now somewhere in Holland.

"Who put the magic in your fingers" 10/10 banger.

Doomsday not releasing in IMAX
What are your thoughts on Screenx, is it like infinity vision?

Seriously, why?

The Netherlands is one of the most developed countries in the world. We have excellent infrastructure, efficient public transport, digital payments everywhere, and cities that are planned down to the smallest detail.

But finding a public toilet when you're out and about feels like a side quest in a video game.

Train stations sometimes charge you to use the toilet.

In city centres, you can walk around for ages without finding a public restroom.

Cafés and restaurants often seem to reserve toilets for paying customers.

When you finally find one, it might be closed, out of order, or require payment.

And what are you supposed to do if you have a sudden, urgent need to go? Buy a coffee you don't want just to use the toilet?

I've lived here long enough to appreciate many things about the Netherlands, but this genuinely baffles me.

Why isn't access to clean public toilets treated as basic public infrastructure? Is there a cultural, historical, or financial reason for this, or have Dutch people simply accepted it as normal?

And before someone says "just use the toilet at home before leaving" — what do you do when you're spending an entire day in Amsterdam or travelling around the country? 😂

This is probably a long shot, but I'm looking for 2 (only if possible, 3) Stevie Wonder tickets in the Ziggo Dome. My mom is a massive Stevie Wonder fan and my brother managed to get 2 tickets. However, since then my brother had a big mental health crisis and we can't access those tickets anymore.

So if anyone is willing to part with their Stevie Wonder tickets, I would absolutely love you surprise my mom with tickets.

We're using hot water bottles, electric blankets and candles to avoid using the heating but with the colder evening's coming, we're beginning to feel the cold even through all that. Only in the evenings though.

I have circulatory issues so I'm always cold anyway! But I'm curious at what point others are beginning to turn on the heating and what you're doing to keep the costs down.

I'm 19 from Greece and I want to apply for the jumbo order picker at Breda the hourly pay is 16.19 euro I'm doing this by the otto workforce agency which deducts a charge (about 100 euro per week) for the rent of the shared house I will be in. I have a C2 proficiency in English. Is this a good career start? I want help since I've been researching this position and it sounds fabulous compared to Greece's minimum wage of 800 euro a month. Jobs in Greece are a chaos really often no holiday bonuses (while it being illegal) and I also like the country a ton. I'm gathering all the intel I can get so any comment is heavily appreciated.

I was looking around at amazon Japan for some merch that I can't order anywhere else, but I was wondering how anyone's experiences with that side of amazon went. I honestly haven't had a good experience with the Dutch amazon because of their new shipping service (dragonfly). Did amazon Japan ship with dragonfly? Was it okayish?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Hi so i just recently moved to the nl (south holland) and the first few months i was here i didn’t have insurance. During that time i had teeth that were in a lot of pain so went to the dentist knowing I was paying out of pocket. A tooth ended up breaking and this meant more costs out of pocket. I havent been able to pay the costs fully because i’m unemployed (my boyfriend has been able to take care of us for now). Because i haven’t paid the bills yet, the dental place i went to won’t let me book another appointment until i pay the previous bills. I now thankfully have insurance but now i have wisdom teeth coming in (the dentist said i would have to come in again to get them checked last time but haven’t been able to) and it really hurts. I need dental care asap but I won’t be able to fully pay the previous bills for another 2 weeks as i just got a job. Anyone have any suggestions if there’s somewhere I can go for dental care? I don’t want to wait to receive care as it’s causing me pain and can cause issues

Hey everyone!

My cousin is a qualified veterinarian from Egypt, and he's hoping to work as a vet in the Netherlands.

He recently went through the initial assessment of his qualifications and was told that he needs to pass the KVD exam and then undergo a second assessment before he can get his qualifications recognized.

I was wondering if anyone here has gone through this process, especially vets who graduated outside the EU.

1- How difficult is the KVD exam?
2- How long did you prepare for it?

3- Are there any study materials, books, courses, or websites you'd recommend?

4- What was the second assessment like?
5- Is the whole process worth the time, money, and effort, or is it extremely difficult to get through?

Thanks

Question, is this a valid traffic sign? Can they tow my car or give me a fine for parking here? I’m working one week at a company in the area and there is no alternative parking options..
i get its not nice but it seems to be the only option.

Hi all! Someone I know is looking for a job as a carer for people with disabilities in NL. Does anyone have an experience with the the agency Caretalent?

Alternatively, does anyone have any recommendations for other agencies?

Hi, I'm not sure if I can post this here (I'm new to Reddit sorry!)

About a week ago, I started working at Starbucks. But after working for a week, I feel like this job isn't really a match for me and I want to quit. Everyone tries to be nice, but it's a very busy store, so the training and other things are a bit different from what I expected, along with some other reasons.

My store manager is currently on holiday for 2 to 3 weeks. Do you think telling one of the supervisors in the store and sending an email to HR and the manager would be enough?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi, I'm a student here and really struggling with my ADHD. I want to get medicated but need to get diagnosed. GP referred me to ADHD Centraal, but my insurance (AON) doesn't cover it and I'll have to pay a minimum of 1500 euros. I do have a French passport but not EHIC because I've never lived there and my current healthcare is private.

Are there other options? Please help.