Free Android Apps for Netherlands Expats

I love my smart phone. It has made living in the Netherlands so much easier than it would have been otherwise. I can’t imagine how much more difficult getting settles was 10 years ago when you couldn’t have this kind of information at your fingertips.
 
If you’re new to the Android (or the Netherlands), here is a short list of the free applications I like to have on my phone to keep me in the know.
 
Translate: This included application uses the Google Translate web service to allow you to translate between hundreds of languages. It is hardly perfect, but works well enough on groceries, notices and menus. The other translation program I found that it’s free is iTranslate, but it also uses the Google service so I don’t really see how it is better. The only downside is that if you don’t have reception, you won’t be able to use the service.
 
 
9090ov.nl: This app is for the Netherlands transportation system country-wide. It takes you to their mobile website and will walk you through how to get from one place to another using the trains, buses, and trams. A lifesaver since train tickets don’t tell you exactly where to switch trains to reach your destination. The application is in both Dutch and English.
 
Google Maps: Between the GPS are my phone and this application, I only rarely get lost anymore. And if you know me, that’s saying something. Maps has made it much easier to get oriented in my new space.
 
Places Directory: I haven’t used this one much, but the Google Places directory has pretty good coverage of Maastricht businesses and probably is even stronger for cities in the north. Just plug in what you’re looking for.
 
ATM-NL: Another new application for me, it determines your location and tells you which ATMs are the closest. Click on the bank you want and you get Google Map directions (and compass if you want it). Of course you will need to have the GPS enabled for the app to find your location; it does not allow you to imput an address directly.
 
Are you an iPhone/iTouch user? Check out the great list of iTouch apps [expatwomen] that inspired me to write this list of Android ones. (Because Androids need more love.)
 
Do you have a favorite Android application that would be useful to expats in the Netherlands? Share your ideas in the comments section.

Places Around Maastricht: Kattenhotel "de Gelaarsde Kat"

Type of Place: Boarding House for Cats
Location: De Beente 28; 6229 AV Maastricht
Website: http://kattenhotelmaastricht.nl/

 
 
One of the biggest problems with traveling on vacation is finding a home for our two cats. Especially over the holidays when we don’t want to impose on others. For the period over Christmas and News Years this year, I took advantage of advice received at My.Mtricht.com and booked a room for our pets at Kattenhotel “de Gelaarsde Kat” (Puss in Boots).
 
“De Gelaarsde Kat” is a cat-only boarding house near the University Hospital. It is associated with a veterinarian office, Dierenstkliniek Kusters, so we knew that they could care properly for our pets and provide any medical services they needed. The kattenhotel asked that we have vaccinations up to date and that both cats had been pretreated for fleas. While they do provide food, our cats are on a special diet and so we brought their specific food with us.
 
Inside the boarding house is a nice set up. Each cat (or pair of cats if owned by the same person) had its own moderately sized cage, litterbox, and feeding area. During the day, the doors to the cages were propped open to allow all the cats to get some exercise and interact. There is even a fenced-in outdoors area on a porch. Our cats have never been outside or with other cats, so it much have been quite the experience for them.

In the end I was pleased with their service. Both cats were happy to see us when we went to pick them up and if anything looked like they’d dropped a little weight (a good thing). Agatha was perfectly healthy and had gotten over the stress of the location. Einstein came back with a bit of a cold which has since past. He also had a tiny scratch on his nose. I don’t know who put it there, but since he is twice the size of all the other animals at the boarding house, I can’t imagine he came out worse in that tussle. We will take our cats back there again on the next holiday.
 
The Kattenhotel “de Gelaarsde Kat” is open 6 days a week and boards cats year around. They serve Royal Carin food, both dry and a little wet. The prices start at 8 euros per night per cat, with discounts for more cats and longer stays. Please visit the website for more details or call. The staff does speak English (and Dutch of course).

Shopping for Dryers in Maastricht

I’m finally fed up with my washer/dryer machine, so this weekend we decided to do something about it. It washes ok, but the drying function routinely takes 5-6 hours. Maybe that’s more normal than I think but it means I can only wash a single load per day. My number one advice on dryers, don’t ever buy a combo-machine.
 
Buying appliances in the Netherlands can be a little bit challenging, due to language and unfamiliar brands, but it can be done and since there is only one wassalon (laundrymat) in the city, its necessary.
 
Here in Maastricht, we shopped for a new dryer at MediaMarkt; the biggest store for this sort of thing in the area. They had several units to chose from and after some creative translation we wrote down the names of a few likely candidates in our price range. We try to seek out brand names we’ve heard of and trust since we lack experience with local off-brand equipment. That was actually one of our mistakes with the combo machine. We’d never heard of Candy, but it seemed like a good deal at the time.
 
Our available space had to be considered as well. Since our washing machine closet is set up along an inside wall and isn’t very big, we had to locate a condenser dryer rather than a traditional vented one. Because of a lip, we wanted a machine with the water reservoir on the top so we could change it regularly.
 
A third consideration for appliances is their energy rating. All major appliances (and several other items) in the Netherlands are rated from A-F for their energy efficiency. Naturally the more efficient machines are more expensive upfront, but will cost less in electric bills. A-rated machines at MediaMarkt were well out of our range with prices started around 900 euros.
 
After physically hunting down some likely candidates, we went home and dug online for reviews. I was hoping to avoid another machine that would force me to call a mechanic early in its lifetime. And of course I want to decrease my drying time by at least half. Again, Google Translate and my little bit of Dutch was helpful in this regard. Try searching by the full name of the specific dryer you want and the word “review”.
 
Today, I’m heading back to MediaMarkt to purchase a Seimens condenser dryer. It only has a C rating (which is disappointing but all we can afford) but the reviews online were good. Given that MediaMarkt permits returns for 30-days, I will be much more likely to return this machine if it doesn’t perform the way I want it too.
 
Why not shop online? I probably could order a machine online but I like to see things before I buy them. Also, the few prices I found while searching out reviews were equivalent to (or sometimes more than) the prices in store.
 
Used? There aren’t really any good English language resources for used appliances in Maastricht, but if you’re able and willing to work in Dutch, you can try Marktplaats.nl. Kringloopwinkel Zuid (here in Maastricht) might also have something, but as always, when you buy used you’re taking a greater risk.
 
Do you have any tips for finding appliances in Maastricht? Share them in the Comments.

Happy Birthday Expat Women!

Today is the 3rd birthday of Expat Women online. Happy Birthday!

I’ve mentioned Expat Women on this website a couple of times, so with its special day coming up it seemed like the right time to drop them a plug (Ok, so they are offering a contest to bloggers too but I do actually like their resources).

I found Expat Women before Dan & I moved to Maastricht and loved browsing through the tools, confessionals, and informational posts that cover a gambit of issues. Frequently women-focused resources are dominated by child-rearing concerns; an important topic to be sure, but not one that I currently care about. Expat Women offers an great balance for women at all sorts of stages and ambitions including sections for: students, travelers, volunteers, partners, mothers, professionals, and free spirits. Read the interviews or stories for tales that range from the confessional to the inspirational.

Men (don’t get put off by the pink design) can glean a lot of wonderful information from this website as well. Most expat issues go beyond gender and the site boasts articles in their reference section on most aspects of expat life regardless of your current location and your next destination.

Expat Women updates at least once a month with several fresh articles and you can get a newsletter or feed from the site. Here’s to another great year!

Snow in Limburg & How to Handle It

This article was originally published on Maastricht Region To Live.

With the heavy storm warnings of last week and the steady snowfall in Limburg, this winter is shaping up to be colder and snowier than it has been in several years. There is even talk of the canals in the North being open for the Elfstedentocht; something that hasn’t happened since 1997. Here in Maastricht the accumulation is still light by my Vermonter standards, but from what I’ve been told it may as well be a blizzard.

So how are we handling the snow? Not bad. Streets and bike paths are clear, but at least in my area of Maastricht few sidewalks have been shoveled. Biking in the slush for the first time was scary and train traffic remains a bit snarled. But the city in snow? Very lovely. Fortunately Maastricht has offered some local guidelines on the Gemeente’s website for how to handle the wintery weather:

• The city will clear roads (and bike paths), but major roads will take priority over smaller ones. If you live on a side street you may need to do some clearing of snow yourself, or hire help, since these streets will be cleared last by the city.
• Be careful when driving, biking, and walking because it is very slippery. Take it slow and you are encouraged to use the public transportation.
• Do NOT use water on your front steps. It is dangerous and you could be fined. (For the International readers, it is common practice to wash your front steps as part of a regular cleaning routine. I don’t do it because I’m on the 2nd floor.)
• You should keep the sidewalks in front of your house/apartment building clear of snow. (This seems to be a lost art in my area.)
• The city does not provide road salt, but you can purchase some at the grocery store.

Other Gemeente websites I checked did not readily have this information available, but the advice is sound and I would assume that following these rules would keep you in good stead. Newspapers can also keep you informed. Eindhoven has contracted with the local Vrijwillige Hulpdienst (Volunteer Emergency Assistance) to offer assistance to people who can’t easily get out of their homes. If you are in Eindhoven and need assistance or want to help, you can call 2447669 or email info@vhd-eindhoven.nl.

You can read the original statement about snow from the Maastricht Gemeente here (Dutch only). And if you can’t escape from your home, stay in, have some warm Chocomel and watch this video of Winter in Maastricht by Marcel Brouwers.

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