Through the eyes of… Nadja Nordström from Sweden: Park and Pauze

In comparison to Sweden, there are certain things that might come across as unusual for a foreigner like me, things that a Dutch citizen might experience as a part of their daily life. I choose five things in which the Netherlands differs from Sweden.

The way that the Dutch park
I was cycling on my way home from school and then I realised it. The Dutch people are parking in a totally different way in comparison to the Swedes. The cars are being parked with the their front towards each other, it isn’t just a straight line with the cars parked towards the same way.

The way that the Dutch party
In Sweden, we usually start our pre-parties way earlier than you do in this country. We simply start and finish before you do. So far, living here for almost 3 weeks I have realised that I have always entered the club when barely anybody is there. I finally realise why, and that because we have entirely different schedules. Dutch people seem to be the real night owls in an impressive way.

The famous Dutch Pauze
The so-called Pauze happens when you are least expecting it when you are at the cinema. Unlike Sweden, this is something different when it comes to the whole cinema experience. There were simply so many factors that were new for me. The first fact is that you can buy alcohol to the movie; the second one is that you can buy warm nachos and the third one is that you can choose between sweetened or salted popcorn. Those are just some examples that surprised me when I went for the movies, but I can assure you that it was a good surprise.

It’s like Greece but in the Netherlands
That is actually an amazing thing that I have been fascinated about here in Leeuwarden. There are some restaurants here in this town where you can get a set menu with either two or tree courses and unlimited alcohol to that. The concept is great and it’s very smart as well and the fact that it’s for real makes it incredible. I mean, if Swedes wants the whole all-inclusive experience, then we have to go to Greece or Turkey.

The Dutch pancake from heaven
I’d never heard about them before. And now I can’t stop thinking about them. They are so tiny and so delicious. I’m talking about the Poffertjes of course. You can get a hold of them with all different combinations. I haven’t managed to try them all yet so I am glad that I have a few more months here in this country.