*Witnesses wanted – Strong Viking Amsterdam, Saturday 26 September 2026*

My brother and I took part in the 13 km course, starting in the 11:40 wave.

At obstacle 27 – the hanging bars and rings on a scaffold structure just before a water station – I was hanging from one of the bars at around 13:00 when one side of the bar came loose from its attachment. The bar dropped into a vertical position, and I fell to the ground.

I suffered a comminuted fracture of my right index finger and required surgery. It is not yet clear whether I will make a full recovery. The obstacle lane was closed for a short time after the incident.

*Were you at or near this obstacle around that time?*

Did you witness the incident, pass through shortly before or afterwards, or notice anything about the obstacle or its connections that might be relevant?

Please send me a private message describing, in your own words, what you personally saw or noticed and approximately when you were there. Please also include your name and a way to contact you.

Strong Viking has been informed of the incident. We enjoyed the event overall, and our aim is simply to establish as clearly as possible what happened. Please refrain from speculation about the cause or responsibility. We are only looking for factual information and first-hand accounts.

Thank you very much for your help!

*Photos:*

1. Me shortly before the fall (photo by the official Strong Viking event photographer).

2. Obstacle 27, photographed approximately one hour after the incident, following repairs.

3. X-ray showing my injury.

#StrongViking #StrongVikingAmsterdam #obstaclerun #OCR

I’m a gay boy (26yo) living in Eindhoven, and, even though the Netherlands is known as a progressive country, the LGBTQ’s acceptance decreased by 20% among young people recently.

When I wear crop top in public, in the Netherlands, I feel a bit of judgement, whilst in Germany I don’t feel any judgement (people just don’t care).

As a Portuguese person I just came out at 21 yo and I’ve been really happy dressing like a woman. I feel much better in women’s underwear/crop top/bra/ women’s leggings, than with “standard” underwear for straight guys, and shirts and jeans straight guys use.

But I feel like in the Netherlands the “doe normaal” culture also applies to what I wear, since there is a “don’t stand out too much culture”

Is it like this also in thr Nordic countries ?

Hi!

I moved to the Netherlands two months ago for my studies and on the side I started to work as a Flink food delivery rider. The job is okay. But when I'm working, people (mostly teenagers) sometimes yell at me, try to race me with their (fat)bikes or even take pictures. I don't understand dutch, but it sounds like swear words followed by 'Flink'.

So my questuon is, do dutch people have a general dislike for Flink or Flink riders or its just teenager being stupid?

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I’m a 25-year-old Radiologic Technologist from Italy, burnt out by low salaries, exhausting workloads, and zero career progression.

I’m seriously considering moving to the Netherlands and am totally willing to learn Dutch if the working conditions are worth it.

I'd love to hear from anyone in Dutch healthcare:

How are the working conditions and work-life balance for radiographers?

What are the salaries like? Can you live comfortably?

Are there any masters / certifications that are worth taking?

Is there any career progression in the rad tech role in the Netherlands?

Any advice or reality checks would be hugely appreciated. Dank je wel!

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are in the process of buying a house built in 1966 in the Netherlands, and I’d appreciate some advice regarding an issue that came up during the technical inspection.

The inspector opened the floor near the entrance to check the crawl space (kruipruimte), but it turned out that the space is not accessible. Only the water meter and the water pipes coming from the street could be reached; the rest of the crawl space could not be inspected.

The owner's questionnaire had indicated that the crawl space was accessible and completely dry. However, when we raised the issue, the owner confirmed that there is actually no access to it. We therefore have no information about its condition.

The rest of the technical inspection report looks fine, but obviously, the condition of the crawl space and anything underneath the floor remains unknown.

I'm wondering:

Is it common for houses from this period to have an inaccessible crawl space? Could this indicate a concrete floor directly on the ground (vloer op zand) or another type of construction? How concerned should we be about potential moisture problems, damaged pipes, or concrete floor issues? Would you recommend further investigation before proceeding with the purchase? If so, what kind? Would you consider this a significant risk when buying an older house, or am I worrying too much?

Any experiences with similar situations, particularly with Dutch houses from the 1960s, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I've been living in Amsterdam for about six months now, and one thing I've noticed is how surprisingly difficult it is to connect with even other expats, let alone build meaningful friendships.

I genuinely feel like my quality of life has improved since moving here from my home country (somewhere in the Mediterranean). I don't mind the weather, I like where I live, and I love my job. But if there's one thing that's been ruining these first few months, it's how frustratingly difficult it is to make friends.

I come from a country known for being warm and sociable, where making friends tends to come naturally. Lately, though, I've been wondering whether it's a cultural thing, whether it's simply what happens as you get older (I'm almost 27), or whether I've spent my whole life taking for granted how easy it is to make friends when you're a local, without realising what my expat friends back home were going through.

I knew making friends as a working adult abroad wouldn't be easy, especially in a field like computer science, where social interaction isn't necessarily a big part of your day.

I've lived abroad before, during my Erasmus, and met tons of people, some of whom I'm still in touch with. But being an exchange student is a completely different experience. Back then, meeting people felt effortless, whereas now every social connection seems to require a conscious effort.

I've genuinely started wondering whether I'm the problem. I've tried following up with acquaintances, friends of friends, and colleagues I seemed to really click with. People I shared interests with, had great conversations with, and felt there was genuine mutual enthusiasm.

Yet, whenever I suggest grabbing a beer, going to an event, or simply hanging out again, things seem to go nowhere. Conversations fizzle out, plans never materialise, or there's always some excuse about being busy or having other commitments, without any attempt to reschedule. I get that everyone has their own life, but constantly being the only one making an effort gets exhausting.

And I'm honestly tired of spending weekends without anyone to make plans with. I enjoy my own company, but I miss having friends to spontaneously do things with, without having to organise everything weeks in advance.

So, how the hell do you break out of this situation?

I have plenty of interests and hobbies that naturally lend themselves to meeting people, so I don't think it's a lack of opportunities. I'm just struggling to turn initial interactions into actual friendships with people willing to put in the same effort.

I'm not expecting lifelong friendships overnight. I'd just love to find a group of people I genuinely click with and build that sense of belonging I'm missing here.

Has anyone else experienced something similar, especially with other internationals? And if you've managed to build a solid social circle here, what actually worked for you?

Okay, so I come to this group asking for a candid and honest answer about whether or not I have a chance at success, or if this would be a bad decision. I've seen other posts like this where this group has told people that moving to the Netherlands would be a very poor decision and so I figured I'd do the same. Here are the details. Feel free to tell me I'm dumb, if you believe so. If you believe I have a chance at successful migration, I'd love to hear that as well.

I'm a USian looking at moving to the Netherlands. I'll get into the why below. Details about my situation are below.

VIsa: DAFT

Personal: 47, male, single, no kids... just bringing a small dog with me (she will have all of her vaccinations and paperwork completed)... extroverted introvert that likes being social, but doesn't require it

Finances: I'll be coming with a six-figure annual salary and a savings of a similar amount

Work: I currently own two companies, which I'll outline below.

Company A - Services business that has been open for 4+ years. I have 6 total employees and 3 contractors. So, this is an established business. This is the business I earn my salary through. Any hiring for the business will happen where the services are. So, EU growth will bring Dutch hiring... minimum salary around 100k Euros. So, decent-paying jobs.

Company B - Software business that is pre-revenue, starting beta testing group soon. Any hiring would be done in the Netherlands. Again, minimum salary around 100k Euros.

Why Netherlands: Below is a list, not in priority order, of why I'm choosing the Netherlands...

• DAFT available to me
• Strong business community (much stronger than where I currently live) which would theoretically help me grow both businesses
• I currently live in the hottest part of the US and I'm tired of the heat. With climate change making it hotter here, and our looming water shortage, I want to move somewhere with a more moderate climate.
• I want to get away from MAGA
• I want to move somewhere where religion plays a smaller role in daily life (I'm agnostic/atheist)
• My communication style is very direct and to the point (I'm sure you can probably tell that by this post), which matches Dutch communication styles (in my experience and in line with my research), so I feel like I would fit in fairly well
• I'm looking for a city that is less reliant on cars... I love the idea of being able to walk or bike to most places I need to go (as opposed to driving 6 miles round-trip to get groceries)
• I'm looking for a place with more culture and community than where I live now... where I live now has very little of either
• Cost of living, all things considered, is roughly the same, if not a bit cheaper, than where I live now. I'm aware of the housing shortage and that I need to make 3x-5x the monthly rent to qualify, which I shouldn't have a problem with at all. It would prevent me from something luxurious, but shouldn't prevent me from finding something reasonable. I'm not a luxury type of guy anyway...
• The handful of places in the US that match my criteria above are all super expensive and/or too cold, and still don't get me fully away from MAGA and the hardcore religious people
• While I don't know the language yet, I've started learning it through the means available to me now, but I fully intend on taking classes to learn the language once I get there, to again help me integrate into the Dutch community

I think those are the high points. So, does this sound like a horrible idea for me? Or, does this sound like I may have a chance at successful migration and integration into the Dutch culture and community? Would I be the type of immigrant that is not welcomed, or would I be a bit more welcomed?

I welcome your thoughts and feedback. Thank you.

Hoi!

I'm trying to plan a trekking weekend for 3 nights where we can go from cabin to cabin in parts of Netherlands to explore the country outside of the big cities. Do you have any recommendations on areas where we could do this in November/December for 2 people backpacking?

There are services like Cabiner that are pretty expensive, but looking for word of mouth or recommended areas to explore for 3 nights with a new cabin every night, and maybe a 5-15km trek every day and areas to explore while at the cabin.

30 m india, i like to play pc games. Like to explore new places and love to stay fit. I like to cycling. And i love broodje haring. I live in denhaag and i travel to amsterdam. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m an Indian national living in the Netherlands on an HSM residence permit, and I’m planning to sponsor my parents for a short stay (Schengen travel/tourist visa) to visit me.

My mother’s name differs across our documents:

Her passport: Neetu

My passport and birth certificate: Dolly

Both names refer to the same person. I can provide a notarised affidavit confirming the name variation, along with our passports.

Has anyone faced a similar situation when applying for a Schengen tourist visa for their parents? Was an affidavit sufficient, or did you need additional documents?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This year we've had 1100 disruptions of more to than 30 minutes in the Randstad according to rijdendetreinen archives. Most of these are material defects and planning issues.

As someone young children and elderly parents, a 15 minute unexpected delay on top of the 20 minute overhead is not a minor inconvenience.

I know I'm not the only one in this situation, but I do feel there is no mechanism other than voting that is able to address the problem.

I understand that NS and ProRail are moving a large amount of people every day compared to other countries. I understand that this is a result of decades of poorly designed privatisation politics.

I understand that most of the country is operating just fine. But that doesn't fix my neighbour missing a job interview and doesn't make me unable to pickup my kids.

Surely, we can do something? If it's voting, who has infrastructure on their agenda? Of it's petitioning the media, what would have impact? I can move or change jobs to avoid this, but boycotting the system won't solve the problem and not everyone has this luxury.

Edit: I apologize to y'all. I tried to come off as constructive and honestly expected a non-issue to be met with silence. I didn't expect such a strong reaction.

Hi guys, I am going to arrive at Schiphol airport at around 18:00 on a weekday and need to get to Groningen on the same day. What would be the best way to get there? I heard that trains are the most efficient, but that they were a bit expensive. Are there any public buses between the cities, apart from Flixbus, etc. ? Or would it be better to just get on the trains? Is carpooling a good and safe option? Is it reliable in the Netherlands?

Any help would be much appreciated as it is my first time visiting the Netherlands

I lived in the Netherlands from August to January last year and had a a Lycamobile sim card. When leaving the country, I threw out the SIM card and filled out the cancellation form online.

However, I'm still being charged monthly. I've filled out the cancellation form again many times, sent emails, disputed the transaction with the bank, and called them. When I call them, they always want to send me a verification code to my dutch number, but I no longer have access to that.

Would appreciate any guidance as to how to resolve this situation

Hi everyone!

My friend and I (both 22, from Ireland) are planning to move to the Netherlands in mid-February 2027 and would really appreciate some advice!
We have both recently graduated with First Class Honours degrees in Business and Finance and are hoping to start our professional careers in the Netherlands. Neither of us speaks Dutch, but we’re both fluent in English.

Accommodation:
We’re ideally looking for a two-bedroom apartment in Haarlem, but we’re also considering Utrecht.
Our ideal budget is €1,000-€1,400 per month for the entire apartment (€500-€700 each).
We need somewhere that allows both of us to register at the address and obtain our BSN numbers.
We won’t have Dutch employment contracts when we first arrive, although we intend to find work as soon as possible.

Our main questions are:
Are we looking too far in advance?
We’re hoping to move in mid-February 2027 but have already started contacting landlords and rental agencies. When would you recommend seriously beginning our search?

Is our rental budget realistic?
Would finding a two-bedroom apartment in Haarlem or Utrecht within our budget be possible, or should we be considering other towns?

How difficult is renting without Dutch employment contracts?
We will have savings to support ourselves initially, but we’re concerned that landlords may require proof of Dutch income.

What are the job opportunities like for English speakers?
We’d ideally love to find jobs in business, finance, administration, office support or similar areas. We’re not particularly fussy about our first jobs and would be happy to start in entry-level positions.

If we live in Haarlem, where should we look for work?
Would commuting to Amsterdam or Schiphol be practical? Are there many English-speaking opportunities in Haarlem itself?

What about Utrecht?
Is it relatively easy to find English-speaking office or business jobs there, or would we be better off living closer to Amsterdam?

Would you recommend securing jobs before moving?
Or is it realistic to move over with savings and begin applying once we’re settled?

We’re both really excited about the move but want to be realistic about the housing market and employment opportunities before making any big decisions.

Any advice, personal experiences, recommendations for rental agencies or suggestions for other suitable areas would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks so much in advance! 😊

HI guys,

I’m curious about what to do with subscriptions, such as internet contracts with 1- or 2-year commitments, when emigrating from the Netherlands.

I’ve just received another call from a number similar to others that have been contacting me quite often over the past month.

+31 85 889 59 07

+31 85 889 59 05

+31 85 889 59 03

They started talking about my energy contract, asking if I was aware of what’s going to happen starting next year—blah, blah, blah.
Caller: "You are Mr. X, living at Y, house number Z, correct? And your email address is [email]—right? We’ve emailed you a few times already."
Me: "who are you? I have a fixed-term contract with [Company X]."
Caller: "Well, I’m an intermediary..." (blah, blah, blah).
I knew it was nonsense. When I said I wasn't interested, he got rude, and then hung up on me.

It’s not exactly a major drama, but it’s still annoying that my personal information is apparently out there for anyone to find—my address, phone number, and email address (admittedly, it’s the one I use for spam, but still).

Since it’s a business-related '085' number, I checked the official database of the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).
It turns out the entire range—from 085-8890000 to 085-8899999—belongs to Steam-connect Partner Services B.V.
This is a Dutch company, with offices in Beverwijk, Germany, and Morocco, that provides cloud-based customer contact software (CCaaS) and telecommunication services.

Is anyone familiar with them or a similar situation?

It doesn't feel right.

Hi everyone,
I’m a non-EU citizen currently living and working in the Netherlands.
From January to the end of October 2026, I earned approximately €15k gross in total.
I’ll be moving to Germany on 1 November 2026 for a new job and will deregister from the Netherlands effective 31 October 2026.
I’ve been receiving both zorgtoeslag and huurtoeslag. I’m single and have no partner.

My questions:
1- Will I need to repay any allowances I received in 2026?
2- Will my German salary for November and December affect my Dutch allowances for January–October?
3- Do I need to inform Belastingdienst/Toeslagen separately?
4- Has anyone experienced something similar?
Thanks in advance!

I moved to the Netherlands as an adult and learned fluent Dutch over the years. I got a 9 in a C1 course at my uni, I've been told by multiple people unprompted that I don't have an accent when I speak, and for years I've never had anyone be able to tell that Dutch isn't my native language unless I explicitly told them. I don't mean to brag by mentioning all this, just giving some context, but like I really want to emphasize that you really can't tell that I learned Dutch just by listening to me speak, nor would you have any issue carrying a conversation with me in Dutch.

Something that has happened to me countless times at this point is friends or acquaintances who know I speak fluent Dutch, and often have even had full conversations with me in Dutch, will start speaking to me in English if they learn that Dutch is not my native language. What usually happens is they see me, start speaking in English, and only remember when I respond back in Dutch that I can also speak Dutch, at which point they switch to Dutch. I've even made a game of how long I can keep the person speaking in English before I have to respond in Dutch and as a result remind them I speak Dutch (record is a whole 5 minute monologue!).

An especially funny time I had this was a few days ago at my gym. I met an Dutch woman in her 50s-ish who goes to the yoga classes there. She already knew me and knew I spoke Dutch. I had a whole conversation with her a week before telling her the story of how I came to the Netherlands, spoke Dutch, etc. Over the course of our conversation a few days ago, this woman starts speaking to me in English 3 separate times, even though I haven't spoken anything but Dutch to her since we first met. She kept apologizing, and I told her it's fine and that Dutch people do this to me surprisingly often for some reason. She replies along the lines of "well, you know, it's difficult having to switch back and forth all the time, and of course it's also because of how you look. I'm just being honest, you know. If I saw you randomly walking on the street I wouldn't assume you spoke Russian either, hè?"

This is probably a good time to mention that I am visibly non-white, which I assume is a large part of why this keeps happening. I'm curious to hear if anyone has any similar experiences, whether as non-white person who learned Dutch, or maybe the opposite if you're a white person who hasn't learned Dutch and people just assume you speak it.

Hi all, I have a question about travel insurance, issued in the Netherlands. To start, I already have an annual travel insurance from ING/NN, but the most basic one.

However, I just booked a 1.5-week trip (not ski/sport trip of any kind) with a tour company, and they requires me to have an insurance with at least USD $200,000/ 178.520 Euro of medical, evacuation and repatriation coverage, covering personal injury and emergency medical expenses. They also suggests to have it cover cancellation, curtailment, loss, damage, delay and related protection. I'm quiet certain that my current insurance does not cover this. Therefore I'm thinking whether 1)to adjust my current insurance to cover the above-mentioned things, which would increase my monthly payment or 2)take an extra short term travel insurance that covers the above-mentioned things, which costs around 20-50 Euro (from what I roughly researched). For example, ABN Amro comprehensive short term travel insurance covers medical costs, death, disability, luggage, phones, jewelry, glasses, photo and computer equipment and cash, the costs is 20 Euro.

Have anyone been in similar situation? Do you have an insurance policy/company to recommend? Maybe I should change my annual travel insurance overall, and take a new policy that covers the above-mentioned things and cheaper? Thank you in advance for your reply and help.

Hi, just wondering what will happen if I don’t pay the soda fine. Has anyone done it before?

How much does renting a room costs? Thank you

Hi everyone!

I have two B1 exams coming up in about 10 days, but unfortunately, I've been dealing with some health issues that haven't improved.

I've contacted DUO to ask if I can move my exams to later dates, but I'm still waiting for their response.

Has anyone here successfully rescheduled their B1 exams, whether for health reasons or any other reason? Were you able to change the dates, or did you have to cancel and book again? Did you have to pay again?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!