Escaping the average small town in the north of the Netherlands.
Created | Updated Dec 8, 2007
So you have found yourself to be in the Netherlands all of a sudden? More specifically in the northern half? Even more specifically in a place that is not a decent size city?
Well then, you'd better make up your direct priorities and goals, and figure out what you want the oncoming years of your life to be like. Think fast, decide whether and, if yes, how long you want to spend here. Because life in this place may well be as strange to you as spoon eating is to a coral crab. In time you might be able to manage it, but there is a definite chance that you will go mad and start foaming at the mouth.
If, after careful deliberation, you have chosen to embrace this way of life and want to spend your remaining earthly days here, congratulations. Have a moment or two to bask in your newfound glorious lifestyle, while we focus on getting the others out. Because a lot of you will have probably already raced through town, seen nothing of interest to you and decided that you really want to leave. You see, for people unaccustomed to rural life, the sudden change of environment can be shocking. So here's the routine to getting to the big city;
If, by no particular reason, you have to travel by means of public transport, you might just find yourself in a sticky situation. Especially if you're in a really small town. You see, the major buss corporations in this part of the world have a simple equasion for scheduling their buses, so as to cause as little harm as possible to the fragile macro-biology in the surrounding nature, and it intrinsically involves the size of towns any particular buss has to visit on its round. Basically, the smaller the town you're in, the less buses you will encounter.
If you're within the 08:00 - 18:00 time window, you're probably lucky, since a lot of school kids use buses to get to where they're going. The companies practically earn their living off schools, so they will usually have buses going about when schools are in. It's why the 'major' buss routes have at least 4 stops alongside a school. However, the downside of this time frame, is that invariably, you will likely be traveling with a pack of school going children.
This is always a bad thing.
School going children are not like (other) people, especially in this part of the world. They are loud, loud mouthed, considered by most outsiders as offensive and evil. And they never, NEVER, travel alone. That's why I feel I have to warn you to avoid buss travel between 08:00 and 10:00, and after 14:00 -from 2-6pm schools continually spawn students, keeping buses filled, and after 6pm it's unlikely buses will continue to drive- because it is at these times that you are most likely to become crammed into the buss with the giant hordes of bloodyminded teens. At rush hour, there will be NO space left in the buss for such things as backpacks, guitars, or legs, and the sound produced by the mob will be staggeringly awful. Every person in the buss will have someone to talk to, because the chances of encountering someone you know are just too great. The buss will probably rush through 5 or 6 villages, and everyone knows everyone in a village, including everyone in that buss. Rush hour is just a dangerous time to travel by buss, think of your own safety. Also keep in mind the chance that you might have to take another dangerous buss drive, since there is a distinct possibility that the place the first buss takes you, is still a village. Not very small, but small enough not to have direct routes into the cities. Beware of this when you plan your trip.
Now, if you are unlucky enough to have to travel after diner time, you just can't count on public transport to take you anywhere. The typical thing to do is to see if you have any relatives or (good) friends living nearby, to fall back on - of course, the aboriginal Dutch would have tried to avoid this situation completely by changing traveling times or modes of transportation, but were one to find himself in this particular situation, he would count on others - to hustle transportation, or in some cases even arrange a sleep over. But you want to get out, so you ask for wheels. It is not uncommon to give friends a ride to their point of destination. This is most commonly done by car, especially in the evening or with distances of over 15 km. If the recipient of the ride plans on going to safer property (nothing public, but private residence) it could well be the case that the friend has a spare bike to lend. This saves gas money, and it's easy to pick a bike back up after lending it to someone. It's even probable that the bike will be returned by the tendant!
If, on the off chance, you don't have any relations nearby (which leads to the question why on earth you went into the middle of nowhere without any connection) all hope is not lost. If you travel within reasonable hours, and you don't look too scary or weird, hitching a ride is definitely an option to consider. The best chance you have for this is round about 19:00 in summer time. That's after diner, so people will probably be in a friendly frame of mind and there's not much to do after diner, so there's a good chance people are getting bored anyway. If you're really feeling lucky, put on some puppy dog eyes and ring some doorbells, asking for a ride.
If you do get a lucky ride with a stranger, pay the driver afterwards. It is seen as good manners, since you have taken up their valuable time and - more importantly - their petrol! These people don't like spending money on gas unless they really have to. The car is an expensive form of driving. So paying your share of the expenses is not more than usual around here. Payment can fall anywhere between €.25 through €1 per kilometre, for travels between 10 and 30 km. So, for a 20 km drive, €5-€20 is acceptable, often rounded off to the nearest (combination of) bill(s). Don't fumble with coins, you'll look silly, and it will probably be seen as an insult, as if you're paying a hobo with petty change. At distances over 30 km, you are really unlikely to get a ride (you could try in stages), for less than 10 km payment will usually be waved off.
Mind you, after other rides payment will probably also be declined at first, but it is purely routine.
You hitch a ride, say thanks afterwards and offer money, they say they really couldn't, you say you must insist, they take the money and leave.
It makes them feel good about having first proposed the trip an offer of Samaritan goodness, and even better about having done such a splendid job that you insisted they be payed. That way everyone wins;
They get their pay, and you save a lot of money on cab fares.
The cab, of course, is your very last resort, as they are rediculously expensive. Especially in these green parts of the world, where you can easily find yourself on a street looking out into nothingness for miles on end in every direction. It is not in the least unlikely that you have to pay €2 per km for a cab... Rediculous. It is far better to walk, than to take a cab. Alright, it takes its sweet time, but look on the upside; You have some of the most beautiful sceneries on the planet at your fingertips, and it costs you absolutely nothing!
And besides, you could do with a little exercise.
Well then, you'd better make up your direct priorities and goals, and figure out what you want the oncoming years of your life to be like. Think fast, decide whether and, if yes, how long you want to spend here. Because life in this place may well be as strange to you as spoon eating is to a coral crab. In time you might be able to manage it, but there is a definite chance that you will go mad and start foaming at the mouth.
If, after careful deliberation, you have chosen to embrace this way of life and want to spend your remaining earthly days here, congratulations. Have a moment or two to bask in your newfound glorious lifestyle, while we focus on getting the others out. Because a lot of you will have probably already raced through town, seen nothing of interest to you and decided that you really want to leave. You see, for people unaccustomed to rural life, the sudden change of environment can be shocking. So here's the routine to getting to the big city;
If, by no particular reason, you have to travel by means of public transport, you might just find yourself in a sticky situation. Especially if you're in a really small town. You see, the major buss corporations in this part of the world have a simple equasion for scheduling their buses, so as to cause as little harm as possible to the fragile macro-biology in the surrounding nature, and it intrinsically involves the size of towns any particular buss has to visit on its round. Basically, the smaller the town you're in, the less buses you will encounter.
If you're within the 08:00 - 18:00 time window, you're probably lucky, since a lot of school kids use buses to get to where they're going. The companies practically earn their living off schools, so they will usually have buses going about when schools are in. It's why the 'major' buss routes have at least 4 stops alongside a school. However, the downside of this time frame, is that invariably, you will likely be traveling with a pack of school going children.
This is always a bad thing.
School going children are not like (other) people, especially in this part of the world. They are loud, loud mouthed, considered by most outsiders as offensive and evil. And they never, NEVER, travel alone. That's why I feel I have to warn you to avoid buss travel between 08:00 and 10:00, and after 14:00 -from 2-6pm schools continually spawn students, keeping buses filled, and after 6pm it's unlikely buses will continue to drive- because it is at these times that you are most likely to become crammed into the buss with the giant hordes of bloodyminded teens. At rush hour, there will be NO space left in the buss for such things as backpacks, guitars, or legs, and the sound produced by the mob will be staggeringly awful. Every person in the buss will have someone to talk to, because the chances of encountering someone you know are just too great. The buss will probably rush through 5 or 6 villages, and everyone knows everyone in a village, including everyone in that buss. Rush hour is just a dangerous time to travel by buss, think of your own safety. Also keep in mind the chance that you might have to take another dangerous buss drive, since there is a distinct possibility that the place the first buss takes you, is still a village. Not very small, but small enough not to have direct routes into the cities. Beware of this when you plan your trip.
Now, if you are unlucky enough to have to travel after diner time, you just can't count on public transport to take you anywhere. The typical thing to do is to see if you have any relatives or (good) friends living nearby, to fall back on - of course, the aboriginal Dutch would have tried to avoid this situation completely by changing traveling times or modes of transportation, but were one to find himself in this particular situation, he would count on others - to hustle transportation, or in some cases even arrange a sleep over. But you want to get out, so you ask for wheels. It is not uncommon to give friends a ride to their point of destination. This is most commonly done by car, especially in the evening or with distances of over 15 km. If the recipient of the ride plans on going to safer property (nothing public, but private residence) it could well be the case that the friend has a spare bike to lend. This saves gas money, and it's easy to pick a bike back up after lending it to someone. It's even probable that the bike will be returned by the tendant!
If, on the off chance, you don't have any relations nearby (which leads to the question why on earth you went into the middle of nowhere without any connection) all hope is not lost. If you travel within reasonable hours, and you don't look too scary or weird, hitching a ride is definitely an option to consider. The best chance you have for this is round about 19:00 in summer time. That's after diner, so people will probably be in a friendly frame of mind and there's not much to do after diner, so there's a good chance people are getting bored anyway. If you're really feeling lucky, put on some puppy dog eyes and ring some doorbells, asking for a ride.
If you do get a lucky ride with a stranger, pay the driver afterwards. It is seen as good manners, since you have taken up their valuable time and - more importantly - their petrol! These people don't like spending money on gas unless they really have to. The car is an expensive form of driving. So paying your share of the expenses is not more than usual around here. Payment can fall anywhere between €.25 through €1 per kilometre, for travels between 10 and 30 km. So, for a 20 km drive, €5-€20 is acceptable, often rounded off to the nearest (combination of) bill(s). Don't fumble with coins, you'll look silly, and it will probably be seen as an insult, as if you're paying a hobo with petty change. At distances over 30 km, you are really unlikely to get a ride (you could try in stages), for less than 10 km payment will usually be waved off.
Mind you, after other rides payment will probably also be declined at first, but it is purely routine.
You hitch a ride, say thanks afterwards and offer money, they say they really couldn't, you say you must insist, they take the money and leave.
It makes them feel good about having first proposed the trip an offer of Samaritan goodness, and even better about having done such a splendid job that you insisted they be payed. That way everyone wins;
They get their pay, and you save a lot of money on cab fares.
The cab, of course, is your very last resort, as they are rediculously expensive. Especially in these green parts of the world, where you can easily find yourself on a street looking out into nothingness for miles on end in every direction. It is not in the least unlikely that you have to pay €2 per km for a cab... Rediculous. It is far better to walk, than to take a cab. Alright, it takes its sweet time, but look on the upside; You have some of the most beautiful sceneries on the planet at your fingertips, and it costs you absolutely nothing!
And besides, you could do with a little exercise.
