The hills ah... and the cliffs, the Atlantic... sigh. Me, as a Dutchman, I went on a cycling holiday as a kid in Wales, and I found fossils, I found crystal and quartz caves, I saw spider crabs, pittoresque villages made out of rock stones, brightly coloured painted houses... I've been to London lots of times. worked in Worthing on a TV show for weeks, been to the Isle of man, Ireland, Scotland, had several courses in the UK, I love the UK, and the kindness of the people, the wonderful countryside. The one thing that would probably make the UK better than the Netherlands, especially now with ebikes, are cycling paths, proper cycling infrastructure would lift the UK to a whole other level.

I agree with you, we have to build more hills here in Netherland 😉👍

I'll never forget going for a hospital appointment and getting told I should go *straight in* for a CT scan. I spent 30 minutes convinced they had found something life threatening that might need immediate surgery. Nope, just efficiency 😂

What I found strange, working in the UK for some time, is that people arrive at and leave from the office without saying "good morning" or "have a nice evening". People simply suddenly are there at some time in the morning and gone in the evening. And about hills: When I took a ride on the London Eye I was amazed how hilly London is, I had never noticed that before. The other way around, I took an English colleague flying from my aeroclub in Rotterdam and his first response in the air was: "Wow, Holland is really flat!".

Go to the southeast to south of Limburg and you will have your hills. Around Nijmegen are also hills. Just over the border in eastern Belgium and in Germany are many hills and mountains.

YESS! Love that you pointed out polarized politics. While there is a lot left to be wanted here in the Netherlands, I am still convinced we have one of the best democratic systems in the world. How the system makes our relatively large number of parties work gives us a huge advantage compared to more black and white, more polarized countries. the more different shades inbetween extremes that are a genuine option to vote on, the better the people are represented, and in our country those votes actually do make a difference. And while you might say that it becomes hard to keep track of all the parties, well at some point it does. But there's the middle options too, and the Netherlands is somewhere there, while many other countries are way too far on the extreme of simple but bad representation. And while yes, here in the Netherlands it can kind of be hard to keep track of the parties, it isn't that bad. you only have to immerse yourself just a bit in the politics to follow it well enough. And otherwise there are so-called 'kieswijzers', quizzes you can take where they give you statements to which you can answer strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree or I don't know, and then afterwards they show you what party you agree with the most. I think a lot of countries could really learn a lot from our political system. Especially *cough* *cough* the US *cough* *cough*

@giselavaleazar8768

Жыл бұрын

A drawback is that with all those (too many) small parties it's getting harder to create a coalition with a majority in The Netherlands. I think we should create a 5% of the votes minimum barrier like in Germany, so we get less, but larger parties.

If you're getting "hillsick", go to Limburg and climb a "mountain". :) There are many amazing pedestrian paths in South Limburg, where you can enjoy the heights as much as you can, in a flat land. You can even feel your legs getting tired, when you go upwards, after a year of the bridges being the ultimate height.

thanks again for answering my dm! i am so happy i found your channel and you really helped me out!!! much much love from germany!

As a dutchman I always say sorry if I bump into someone, be it a stranger or an aquaintence. At the latter I often say "Sorry, ik kon niet harder":))

I love your video's, always interesting and fun. Thank you.

My town is called Zwolle, an old Saxon word meaning swollen place...or a mountain in a swamp...So the old centre is on a mountain, at least 5 m above sealevel..

It is normal to aPPOLogize when you run into some one like that, in most of the Netherlands, it was probably in Amsterdam...Not really the Netherlands that town...not a good place at all to be at.. move east, and people are more calm and civilized..

(with regards to hills) We actually have this sort of homesickness as well (even though our home is not in the hills). Dutch tip: when it's summer, go to Italy or Spain (or Germany/UK) and enjoy the beauty of the hills we are envious to enjoy, and when it's winter go to the alps. It will go a long way!

Enjoyed this one! Subscribed and always looking forward to your next video. I’m moving to Netherlands with my family in 6 weeks!

@EliseAcrossTheChannel

3 жыл бұрын

Awww this comment made my day :) that's exciting that you're moving to the Netherlands! Hope it all goes well!

Ah yes, hills. Apart from that anomaly in the south of Limburg, the highest point is probably less than half of the cliffs of Dover, you know, probably the first part of Britain you'll see when crossing the channel ^^ I wouldn't want to cycle up those puppies!

In Britain in most areas your vote doesn't count because of first past the post election system.Whereas the Dutch have a form of proportional representation so even if you vote for small parties your vote is recognised.The political parties in the Uk just focus on the marginal seats and in the safe seats it doesn't matter which way you vote you nearly always end up with the MP from the same party as there always has been. As for the rail and health service delays it may be down to lack of investment in public services so top rates of tax can be cut.

The boring thing about not having hills is that about 70% to 80% of everything you see all the time is the sky and the sky tends to be grey quite often. In The Netherlands you are liable to have been looking at shades of grey for days on end without being very aware of it but people get depressed by it.

Weird things Brits do: When people say 'to be honest' it makes me assume they've been deceiving me up to that point.

Hills you can find just across the border in Germany. In fact never very far away, but yeah not really here within the country.

@nienkeachternaam2938

3 жыл бұрын

There are low hills around the Arnhem-Nijmegen area and in Limburg though. But I agree that for the really nice hills we need to cross the border to either Germany or Belgium.

Meanwhile, as a flatlander who hasn't been to proper hills in like 4 years whenever pretty mountain views pop up in my feed I take a long long look and conclude "well, this just looks unrealistic" :p By the way, the region of Friesland has some spectacular views if you can get on a bit of height (like some highway dikes). But, yeah, overall to get a good view you'd need to go up like 12 floors or something..

I don't think you can vote in national elections in NL unless you are a Dutch citizen. I lived here for 30 years as a Brit and could only vote in European and local elections. Brexit persuaded me take the plunge and become Dutch so I just voted in my first national election.

@dutchman7623

3 жыл бұрын

Correct! European elections are open for EU nationalities, where you have a choice, vote in your 'nationality' country or the country where you live. Municipal elections are for all people (18+) who legally lived in the Netherlands for five years or more. National and Provincial elections are for Dutch nationals only. Hope the plunge was a warm bath!

The UK has great nature.

The teeth thing got me. Didn't think it was that much of an true stereotype. And obviously hills are rare in the Netherlands. I chuckled when I was at the three country corner between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and it said that it was "de hoogste punt" of the Netherlands at like 300m

I have travelled a lot in the past, and basically suffer from reversed culture shock everywhere at this point. Sometimes it feels a bit like I am in a somewhat no man's land if it comes down to countries and cultures. Because at a certain point everything starts to look weird and odd if you know that somewhere else they made a lot more sense about certain things. Humans are just weird, hahaha Great video! :)

Yep, polarised is right but that is easily explained: First past the post is archaic...

400 roundabouts next to each other.. you must be referring to Milton Keynes

05:00 The Dutch chose a middle ground, they knew if they went 100% through taxes there would no longer be a competition drive for prices and quality, the government can do a lot of things but is terrible at driving costs down. The model in the Netherlands is called 'managed competition', the government decides what insurance companies have to cover, check all the contracts the insurance companies offer and check in the field if they are actually covering this. The only place insurance companies can compete is in reducing the cost of healthcare and by improving their reputation with the consumer. They can't decide we aren't gonna cover drug A any more and people need to get drug B instead, this is up to the government. What they can do is figure out how to get drug A at the patient cheaper. Most of the healthcare costs are still payed by the government but in part the insurance companies need to make sure the whole system is efficient. You personally pay the insurance company €120 - €130 every month, but for every client the insurance company receives on average €5.500 p.y. in total, around €1.500 from you and around €4000 from the government. This makes the 'real' monthly cost of your insurance is about €460 per month, but as a citizen you only pay €130, the rest is through taxes. Like you pointed out, if you can't afford this these costs are subsidized as well, but as a consumer you retain the choice of the insurance company so the insurance company has a drive to be more attractive.

@MartijnHover

2 жыл бұрын

The idea that you are a "consumer" when it comes to your health I find rather distasteful. I have never needed a lot of healthare so far (touch wood), but in the Dutch system I pay an insurance company a fairly high amount every year which then is no help at all on the rare occasions that I have needed to see a doctor and/or needed medication because of the "eigen risico".

A big difference in politics is that the Netherlands has a representative system whereas the UK has this system of districts, I don't know if I say this right but I hope you understand anyway. Me too think you should sometimes apologize for example in the situation with that dutch woman, if it had been me I would certainly have done so. Leuke video trouwens, ik hoop dat je er nog veel maakt!

@mariadebake5483

3 жыл бұрын

Oh by the way, if you're looking for spectacular views, go standing on one of the bridges of the Rhine during sunset, look out over the great rivers in the western direction, watch the amazing colors when the sun is slowly going under. Preferably on a bridge nearby Gorinchem, preferably during the summer. The sight is amazing

@EliseAcrossTheChannel

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your reaction and that's a good point! Personally I'm not a fan of the council representation, I would prefer individual representation in the UK but not sure that will change anytime soon. And thanks for the viewpoint tip! I'll have to check it out 😊

A culture shock which i can think of about the UK is the schools/school system. Maybe i don't know. I don't get their school system. That's the point.

@EliseAcrossTheChannel

3 жыл бұрын

Haha funnily enough I find the dutch system pretty confusing but I guess it depends what you've grown up with. I also find it interesting that in the UK, school uniform is pretty standard and the norm and in the Netherlands that doesn't seem to be a thing

@Ned-nw6ge

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, explaining our school system is a complete nightmare.

In scotland you have "supreme leader sturgeon". In NI you have the orange order ad the IRA

Als je naar zuid limburg gaat vind je nog heuvels!,en anders hebben we nog altijd belgie en duitsland!

@euomu

3 жыл бұрын

Luxemburg, Frankrijk, Zwitserland, Oostenrijk

8:33 It is a better system. But we also need to change something. Because the winner of the elections gets to form a coalition. This way it often happens that the number 2 or 3 party is out and isn’t a factor in the end. That’s very wrong. We should make a system that the amount of parties that exceeds the 175 seats are getting into business. So the 2-3 biggest parties out of the election, that way we can skip the period of time to form a coalition and just start our new government without the bs and political debate after the elections.

This is literally the first time I hear somebody praising dutch healthcare! To me, it seems like the worst healthcare in Europe. I am scared of the UK one then :'D About getting tackled by dutch women and them not even saying sorry and almost expecting YOU to say it: it happens all the time, I really cannot stand it. It's plain rude.

Turncoat!!

Btw, little side detail, but in the Netherlands people pay a lot more for healthcare, but most people are not aware. Yes, there is the odd 100-120 euro or so per month, but on top of that there is a near 6-7% income-dependent contribution of your salary. On average that is another 150-200 euro or so per month, depending on your wage etc. So in the end you pay more like 300-500 euro per month.

@hansc8433

3 жыл бұрын

Well, in fact it’s not rubbish. An employee will pay the basic insurance (roughly 115 euro), and maybe some extra insurances. But an employer also pays 7% of your gross income (or 5,75% if you’re self-employed). So, depending on your income, the total amount paid for your health insurance is anywhere between 250 and 600 euro per month.

@ArrowRaider

3 жыл бұрын

Are there deductibles in NL? It is more expensive per month in the US and then many thousand dollar deductibles until insurance helps.

@knarf_inc4790

2 жыл бұрын

@@ArrowRaider it's 385€/year minimum, you can choose for more so that you pay less for your insurance.

We Dutchies are definitely rude occasionally. I like the English manners better. Agree with the rest though.

5:20 in most cases you get the majority back, I get more than everything back haha I pay 91 euro's a month and I get 107 a month back.

@EliseAcrossTheChannel

3 жыл бұрын

Score! Nice one haha

Well, first UK should leave the first-past-the-post system. Then, the rest will follow automatically.

I always thought the Netherlands were super organised. And then Covid-19 came...

i hear a clock ticking too loud? Very annoying...

This English politeness is actually quite of funny to me, as a Dutchman, it is a Monty Phyton kind of humor, sorry if I offend anybody. :) . By overdoing things, you make it funny, but now I realize that it is not funny at all, it is British : )

oops I think I am the most apologetic dutch person

@dutchman7623

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry! Me too...

Weirdly enough your off-tooth makes you look super cute. Nice to hear things about the Netherlands that I never thought about as a born Dutch guy.

From this I infer that the Dutch are boring and rude, concerned only with the appearance of things and people. The problem with post-election coalitions is that the compromises involved are not open to public influence. You might vote for your preferred party, and they might become part of the government, but the policies that attracted you may have all been watered down or jettisoned.

@dutchman7623

3 жыл бұрын

That's the consequence of coalitions! On the other hand, if a party has items they do not want to water down, and the coalition wants them in government, even small parties can have relatively big influence. And those who water down to much, just to be part of government, pay the price in the next elections. In a system with proportional representation that works perfectly.

@allenwilliams1306

3 жыл бұрын

@@dutchman7623 My argument is not against PR (which I support) or even coalitions per se, but specifically post-election coalitions. If parties can co-operate to produce a government, they can co-operate to produce a joint manifesto, which should be presented before the election.

@dutchman7623

3 жыл бұрын

@@allenwilliams1306 What if a political party has a successful campaign? Gets more votes than expected, should they give away their advantage to a pre-election manifesto? Should their partner, who got much less votes than expected, have the influence based on pre-election predictions and expectations? The influence of the voter is watered down with pre-election manifesto's. That is why they should not be done. We all know what a political party stands for, what their ideals are, what they strive to achieve. Let the voter decide how much of this will appear in a coalition. Furthermore a joint venture is very dangerous for a political party. What if their partner doesn't want to join the coalition, should they decline as well? Or the other way around? Freedom for a political party to fully decide for themselves to join or not to join a coalition based on election results, and after election negotiations, is the best way in an open democracy. We all know who the friends of a political party are and who they cannot cooperate with. Simply let the voter decide, that's what elections are made for.

You want more political parties, you get less done by willing so.

IK HOU VAN DE ENGELSE HUMER.

@mauritsbol4806

3 жыл бұрын

humor*, humeur klinkt zo negatief.

Please don't correct your theeths. Your nice energetic character and positive attitude makes how you are. The imperfection of your teeths are also part of it, it makes you stand out, show you're not like the standardized looks of all the others. Dutch people like the natural look and value your character more then the outside.

It feels a bit weird to hear you talk about politics in the Netherlands while at the same time admitting you don't know much about politics in general and especially Dutch politics. I think it is easy to look at a foreign system superficially and getting a positive view of it. While of course we have a lot of problems too. For example, the extreme right is much bigger here.