More features:

• The Weed Pass

  
  It's still unclear at the moment whether the National Weed Pass will truly be introduced by the Dutch government....

• Oldest national anthem

  
  The Dutch Wilhelmus is the oldest national anthem in the world. The first stanza is the part that is usually sung or played at official events....

• Bitter… balls?

  
  The name bitterballen, or bitter balls, conjures up all kinds of images and not entirely wholesome ideas from sour edibles hardly fit for consumption to a sex toy you might find in the Red Light district....

• Caffeine nation

  
  The Dutch love their coffee. On average they slurp three cups of Java per person per day. This, by the way, is only an average....

• Space oddity

  
  If you fly KLM frequently and have collected plenty of air miles, you can soon exchange them for a rather unusual outing....

• Royal fortunes

  
  The international recession has left its mark everywhere and the Dutch are no exception. More than 50% of Dutch people have chosen to limit their supermarket budgets because of the credit crunch....

• Ajax: the most loved and loathed club in Holland

  
  Amsterdam's legendary football club is a household name throughout the world, yet despite, or perhaps owing to, its success the Dutch either love or hate Ajax and there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground....

• Gare du Nord

  
  Music brings people together from all over the world. The Netherlands has multiple musical traditions, varying from contemporary Dutch popular music (this style is sung in both Dutch and English) and more traditional Dutch music called Levenslied (songs about life)....

• Dutch cuisine (1)

  
  Dutch cuisine has a long and interesting history and includes everything from hearty family meals to the lightest of pastries....

• Shhhh! The Dutch are listening!

  
  Last year 26,000 ‘suspicious phone calls’ were monitored by the police in the Netherlands....

• Waste not, want not

  
  On average, Dutch consumers throw away 20% of the food they buy in supermarkets and shops. Thankfully, a website has been launched that strives to tackle this problem: www....

• Crisis? What crisis?

  
  Of the 12.6 million Dutch who went on holiday last year, almost half chose to spend time in their own country....

• A step behind the Scandinavians

  
  The Scandinavian countries of Finland, Sweden and Denmark top the list of the 'Happiest Consumers' in Europe, while the Netherlands was ranked just below them in fourth place....

• Dutch gifts (1)

  
  Dutch national football team shirts:The orange jersey was already popular in the 1970s when the Netherlands finished in the World Cups of 1974 and 1978 as runners up....