Netherlands

[dreamcrisp1]

Anyone in the Netherlands here? We’re going to be moving there in August and wanted to see if anyone lived there.

[loira]

oneslybookworm lived there for a bit, I believe.

[oneslybookworm]

Hi dreamcrisp1! I lived in the NL with my husband as expats for 3.5 years! Happy to answer any questions you might have, feel free to PM me or page me!

[woodenshoes]

Hi! I am an American who has been living in the NL the last 9 years.

[dreamcrisp1]

Ah, so great. I will probably PM you both!

[dutchgirl678]

I am a Dutch person who lived in the US from 2001-2014, then back in the Netherlands again until now and we are currently in the process of moving back to the US. Feel free to PM me to ask questions.

[dreamcrisp1]

Maybe I will just post here then!

We’re going to be moving in August. I got into my Master’s program at UvA and my H will be transferring with work. We’re both Canadian.

Any tips? Advice?

How hard is finding housing with a dog? We have a 19 lbs shih tzu who doesn’t bark but I know it really doesn’t mean much and dogs are dogs in the housing world.

Will it be hard to find housing prior or is it possible? Or should we wait till we’re there? What are the best areas to live?

Help!

[jennybee1018]

loira,oneslybookworm,woodenshoes,dutchgirl678,

I know this board is quiet - didn't want you miss dreamcrisp's questions!

[oneslybookworm]

dreamcrisp1, some of the housing discussion will depend on where you are living. What city are you living in?

We brought our cat with us and found plenty of pet friendly apartments. I think you’ll be fine with a shih tzu...honestly, we had more trouble finding an apartment with a bedroom big enough for our King size bed!

We did a “house hunting” trip prior so that we could take care of it before moving. But, there are some hotels that offer apartment studios you can rent short term until you find a place.

[loira]

dreamcrisp1, probably the only thing I could help with is the "being Canadian" part. Although probably not because I hate Tim Hortons and don't care about hockey. Am assuming you've got it covered, anyway.

[dreamcrisp1]

Jan 4, 2018 12:23:48 GMT -5 oneslybookworm said:

dreamcrisp1, some of the housing discussion will depend on where you are living. What city are you living in?

We brought our cat with us and found plenty of pet friendly apartments. I think you’ll be fine with a shih tzu...honestly, we had more trouble finding an apartment with a bedroom big enough for our King size bed!

We did a “house hunting” trip prior so that we could take care of it before moving. But, there are some hotels that offer apartment studios you can rent short term until you find a place.

We will be in Amsterdam. Sorry, should have mentioned that!

[dreamcrisp1]

Jan 4, 2018 17:06:14 GMT -5 loira said:

dreamcrisp1, probably the only thing I could help with is the "being Canadian" part. Although probably not because I hate Tim Hortons and don't care about hockey. Am assuming you've got it covered, anyway.

I hate Tim Hortons and hockey as well! Solidarity!

[oneslybookworm]

dreamcrisp1, ahh...ok! We were in Eindhoven, further south! I don’t have a lot of advice about Amsterdam, but I’ll ping a few friends to come answer on the board!

[totziens]

I lived in Amsterdam from 2008-2012 with my husband, son, and two small Yorkies. To answer some of your questions:

1. Finding an apartment that allowed dogs was not difficult. Finding a ground floor apartment with a garden was difficult. We ended up finding one but had to give up a lot of other things we wanted to get it. It ended up working out in the long run. I highly recommend getting a realtor to help you negotiate the process. You can look for apartments on funda.nl but it's pretty standard there to have someone help.

2. Apartments in Amsterdam come fully furnished, semi-furnished, or not furnished. Not furnished means no flooring, no wall converings, no appliances, empty closets with nothing to hang your clothes on, etc. Semi-furnished means no furniture but you get things like appliances, walls, floors, etc. We ended up with semi furnished and ended up buying everything from ikea or other expats leaving the country trying to unload their stuff cheap and quick.

3. We lived in the Oud Zuid. It would be in between City center and Amsterdam Vu. I loved it. We paid about 2000E for a semi-furnished, two bedroom, garden apartment. If you want cheaper, you will need go further out which will put you closer to the Vu. The city isn't that large so it isn't that big of a deal to live further out and still get to city center.

4. We moved over and lived in an apartment for two weeks while looking for an apartment. It sucked but it went fast. It also meant we could only look at apartments that were move in ready. Our hotel also let dogs stay but we couldn't leave them in room alone. Where we went they went. That was a pain.

5. I loved every single minute of living there. I miss it every day but there were many moments of frustration. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I had a few friends who went through MBA program there and they became very close with their classmates. Good luck. I am jealous and would move back in a heart beat if it was possible!

[totziens]

I just took a trip down memory lane . This is an apartment on my old street which looks identical to mine (except this kitchen is much nicer).

www.funda.nl/huur/amsterdam/appartement-49350616-tintorettostraat-11-hs/

[loira]

Jan 4, 2018 18:33:57 GMT -5 dreamcrisp1 said:

Jan 4, 2018 17:06:14 GMT -5 loira said:

dreamcrisp1 , probably the only thing I could help with is the "being Canadian" part. Although probably not because I hate Tim Hortons and don't care about hockey. Am assuming you've got it covered, anyway.

I hate Tim Hortons and hockey as well! Solidarity!

OMG thank you! All I ever heard from (most) other Canadians abroad was "I miss Tim Hortons coffee!" Bitch, please, we live in (insert France, Brazil, London, hell even Korea) and you want to drink something that tastes like diluted motor fuel? Unsurprisingly, I did not make friends with many compatriots abroad... then I married an American. I only brought shame to the maple leaf, haha.

[dutchgirl678]

We are not in Amsterdam but one thing we did experience is that it was impossible to find a place to live before we were actually there. I do have some colleagues who live in Amsterdam, I could ask whereabouts they live to give you some recommendations.

[dreamcrisp1]

This is all so helpful- thank you! We may try to go earlier then to find an apartment but it sucks because our best friends are getting married and we will likely have to miss their wedding.

[dreamcrisp1]

I am bringing this thread back up so hopefully now that we’re closer I can get help.

What short term apartments do you recommend to stay in while we find a place?

Dog food - will they have the same brand there?

[lovebeingmama]

May 17, 2018 10:01:13 GMT -5 dreamcrisp1 said:

I am bringing this thread back up so hopefully now that we’re closer I can get help.

What short term apartments do you recommend to stay in while we find a place?

Dog food - will they have the same brand there?

Hi!We don't have a dog, so I really can't answer for sure, but this is from the website of one of the major grocery store chains here. Perhaps looking through here will help you find if they have the same or similar type: 

www.ah.nl/producten/huishouden-huisdier/huisdieren/honden

**I suggest viewing the site using Chrome, because it will translate it to English for you!

ETA: My guess is that they won't have the same, but you can start looking at what they do have.

[dreamcrisp1]

May 22, 2018 16:47:51 GMT -5 lovebeingmama said:

May 17, 2018 10:01:13 GMT -5 dreamcrisp1 said:

I am bringing this thread back up so hopefully now that we’re closer I can get help.

What short term apartments do you recommend to stay in while we find a place?

Dog food - will they have the same brand there?

Hi!We don't have a dog, so I really can't answer for sure, but this is from the website of one of the major grocery store chains here. Perhaps looking through here will help you find if they have the same or similar type: 

www.ah.nl/producten/huishouden-huisdier/huisdieren/honden

**I suggest viewing the site using Chrome, because it will translate it to English for you!

ETA: My guess is that they won't have the same, but you can start looking at what they do have.

I actually ended up finding a pet store that luckily sells the brand we use!

[oneslybookworm]

We did not find the same brand foods that we fed here in the States (cat, not dog). Amsterdam should have a lot more as far as variety...what do you feed?

[oneslybookworm]

We actually ordered our food from an online shop out of the UK! Zooplus was the name. They might have what you want?

[dreamcrisp1]

May 27, 2018 19:45:52 GMT -5 oneslybookworm said:

We did not find the same brand foods that we fed here in the States (cat, not dog). Amsterdam should have a lot more as far as variety...what do you feed?

I actually found the brand I use in a pet store near where we plan to live. I use wellness core. And it’s cheaper!

[dutchgirl678]

How are things going for you? Did you find a nice apartment in Amsterdam?

[dreamcrisp1]

It’s coming along! We move in 1 month and I can’t believe how quickly time is going.

We did find an apartment and we are finalizing now! It’s on quellijnstraat.

My residence permit has been submitted and waiting for approval. Things are finally falling into place and it’s so exciting.

The hardest part now is trying to downsize and not bring all the clothes and shoes.

[dutchgirl678]

That is a very central location. Close to the Albert Cuyp market! I have no idea about the day-to-day living there, as I have never lived in Amsterdam, just visited.

I hope you get your residence permit soon. You could try to call them more often, sometimes that helps to get it faster. My husband and I were buying a house and even though we bought it on my salary, he needed to be on the application. But he needed a Dutch social security number for that. I kept calling and had the approval after a month.

I hear you about the downsizing. Good luck with that!

[lovebeingmama]

dreamcrisp1, wondering how your move and first weeks in the Netherlands are going!

[dreamcrisp1]

Sept 17, 2018 10:55:22 GMT -5 lovebeingmama said:

dreamcrisp1, wondering how your move and first weeks in the Netherlands are going!

I love it here so much! It’s been amazing. We live in such a beautiful location and our apartment is so spacious. I am loving getting to know the city and I already feel like a somewhat local. I can’t believe I live here!

We’re slowly making friends which is nice because it helps us feel more integrated. We are both really happy we made the move and I can’t imagine us leaving anytime soon.

[mrsukyankee]

dreamcrisp1, that's awesome! You'll have to have an IL GTG at some point!