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How to Survive the Dutch Winter
Darkness. Rain. Punishing winds. Gray skies. “Oh God, when will it end?” These are some of the words that come to mind when thinking of Dutch winters.
September, when the sun still occasionally shines in Holland, is a good moment to prepare yourself mentally, physically and spiritually for the coming Dutch winter, which I half-affectionately call “the dark time.”
Darkness will descend upon the land very quickly. One September morning you wake up around 7:00 a.m., and it’s still light out and the birds are singing, but seemingly only a few mornings later you will notice it’s as dark as midnight. And the same happens in the evening: during your after-dinner walk you suddenly notice that you’re shrouded in darkness. Every day it seems like you lose a half hour of sunlight.
Some people embrace the winter. “Maybe we will get snow and ice this year!” they say hopefully, as if that’s a good thing. But not all are so enthusiastic. One Dutch woman told me the only sensible thing to do would be to “move all of Amsterdam, brick by brick, to the south of France.”
The short days and long dark nights lead many to despair. Don’t let this happen to you! Here are some tips for surviving the Dutch winter.
