Decribe the weirdest you have heard.
.......and you still want the bicycles back. 😉
Hahahahaha Mel!! That's so true (((=
Such an awful joke though that people still use (including myself), but I'm impressed you know about it!!
Reply to this Such an awful joke though that people still use.....
It is well worth using on some people here in the South of Germany. They take things so seriously that they dont know it is a joke. When they start complaining about what a thriving economy Germany would have if it wasnt for the foreigners comming here and bleeding them dry, I tell them that they cant accuse us of being the ones who bleed an economy when they have not given back the bicycles.
Reply to this 'My boyfriend is Dutch and we often meet people that assume that the country has two names(the Netherlands and Holland).'
But aren't their assumptions right? (The Netherlands is known as: The Netherlands, Holland and the Low Lands. Of course, Holland is technically incorrect but so many people, Dutch and foreigners alike, call it Holland that is has become right.)
Reply to this But aren't their assumptions right?
No. Holland is a part of the Netherlands as far as I understand. But I will leave it to Nikki or another Dutch person to explain in detail because I also used to think the country has two names. Even my school geography text book when I was a kid said it is a country with two names.
Reply to this 'No. Holland is a part of the Netherlands as far as I understand. But I will leave it to Nikki or another Dutch person to explain in detail because I also used to think the country has two names. Even my school geography text book when I was a kid said it is a country with two names. '
(I'm Dutch)
You're absolutely right about Holland being a part of the Netherlands. It's the name of 2 provinces (out of 12). In the past Holland was the wealthiest and most influential province which handled most international trade. For this reason foreigners often referred to Holland (instead of the Netherlands) in the past, and why people sometimes still confuse the 2.
My point is that although Holland is technically incorrect, there are so many people using it's name in reference to the Netherlands (or the Low Lands, the other official name of the Netherlands) that it has become correct. Look at any random football event and you'll see all Dutchies dressed in orange football shirts that say 'Go Holland!'. When I was in South America no one had even heard of Neerlandes (the Spanish word for the Netherlands), but all knew Holanda (Holland). Trying to explain why Holland is incorrect is a lost struggle (though you'll never hear me say I'm from Holland.), most Dutchies have given up altogether.
Only within Belgium and the Netherlands Holland has the meaning of the provinces (though Belgiums sometimes use it as a synonym for the Netherlands as well). For instance I'm from Amsterdam, so I'm from Holland. But I live in Nijmegen (a city in Gelderland, a different province), so I'm from Holland but I live in the Netherlands.
Reply to this Thanks for the info Hester. 😊
Trying to explain why Holland is incorrect is a lost struggle (though you'll never hear me say I'm from Holland.), most Dutchies have given up altogether.
I do the opposite of that. Apparently Ireland is officially one of the British Isles. But if anyone ever says Ireland is a Bristish Isle I express astonishment at their ignorance. Even when they point me towards official information sources, I argue that what should be in the information sources is the correct information.
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