From our correspondent in the Netherlands, Jaap Bosman.

BrooklynBridgeBreukelen is an organization aimed at re-establishing the connection between Brooklyn, New York and Breukelen, the Dutch city that gave it its name. The connection between the two towns was the theme of various festivities in 2009, and last week an American breakfast in Breukelen was held in honor of the end of the BrooklynBridgeBreukelen year. Russell Shorto was the main speaker in the Koetshuis of Nyenrode University.

The acting mayor of Breukelen, Ger Mik, said in his introduction that a new foundation will keep the connections between Breukelen and Brooklyn alive even after the BrooklynBridgeBreukelen year.

Did the Dutch invent the American way of life?

Russell Shorto is the author of "New Amsterdam, Island at the Center of the World" and "Descartes' Bones. A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason" (both books are available in Dutch). Mr Shorto explained the large Dutch influence on the American way of life.

Mr Shorto: "the Netherlands were a very special country. In 1600 in London you would only find English people, in Paris French people, but in the towns of the Netherlands you could find all kinds of people". The inhabitants of these multicultural towns learned to accept and tolerate each other and when the Dutch started a small trading post in the New World in this way of life was exported to Nieuw Amsterdam. In 1640 the West Indische Compagnie no longer monopolized the trade in Nieuw Nederland and free trade flowered in Nieuw Amsterdam, as it did in Holland. From that time Nieuw Amsterdam grew as a trade center.

Most new immigrants arrived in New York and there they learned this 'Dutch way of life' and considered it to be the real American way of living. They spread this way of living throughout the US. That is why the Dutch had so much influence on the American way of life.

Mr. Shorto said that the ties between the USA and the Netherlands are still surprisingly strong: "Germany is at the other side of the border, Germany is close by, but between the USA and the Netherlands is a big Atlantic ocean and yet I feel that the Dutch are more close to the US than to Germany".

Around 50 guests attended the event in the main room of the Koetshuis where scrambled eggs, pancakes, fruit salad, and muffins made for an American breakfast. The Koetshuis is one of the buildings of the castle that houses Nyenrode Business University, built in 1275 by Gerard Splinter van Ruwiel. Breukelen is a village of nearly 10,000 inhabitants near the river Vecht, between Utrecht and Amsterdam.

Breukelen is not the only Dutch city that gave its name to an American place. The names Harlem, New Utrecht and New Amersfoort all originate in the Netherlands and are now parts of New York City.

Russell Shorto at the American breakfast for BrooklynBridgeBreukelen.

Nyenrode Business University in Breukelen displaying an American flag.

From our correspondent in the Netherlands, Jaap Bosman.

In honor of this year's Henry Hudson 400 celebration a series of portraits of the Trustees of the Holland Society of New York will be on display at Amsterdam City Hall. The exposition by Dutch photographer Geert Snoeijer will open on December 14, 2009.

The Holland Society of New York was founded in 1885 and typical last names of its members are Van Pelt, Ten Eyck, Beeckman, Westervelt, Bogarde and VanDerbeek. The goal of the organization is "to perpetuate the memory and foster and promote the principles of the Dutch ancestors of its members". Portraits at the exhibition include those of Walton VanWinkle, Samuel van Allen and Dr. Andrew Hendricks.

Opening on December 14

After the official welcome by Carolien Gehrels, alderman for Arts and Culture in Amsterdam, Martine Gosselink, head of the History Department of the Rijksmuseum will provide an historical outline. There will be a special musical performance by Renske Taminiau.

Geert Snoeijer was born in IJsselmuiden in 1968. He was a lawyer in Brussels and in Amsterdam after which he studied at the Amsterdam Centre for Photography. The Amsterdam City Hall is near the Waterlooplein and next to the Stopera or The Amsterdam Music Theater.

Dutch in America.com will attend the opening; look forward to our exclusive interview with the artist!

The Holland Society of New York, exhibition by Geert Snoeijer
December 14, 2009 through January 11, 2010 in Amsterdam City Hall/Stopera
January 11, 2010 through end of February, World Trade Center Amsterdam
http://www.geert-snoeijer.com/

We drove from Durham to Somerset yesterday, a trip that took us 8 hours and 45 minutes. We had packed most of our things on Friday. Saturday morning we packed the remaining items. We were on the road at 11.45 am, after a stop at the gas station and at Starbucks. We also stopped by the apartment office where Sinterklaas had sent us a very nice present (thank you!)

As soon was we entered Virginia we started seeing snow on the ground and quickly we were driving through a snow storm. Traffic was light though throughout the whole trip and it wasn't freezing yet.

We arrived just in time to do some grocery shopping (the store closes at 9.00 pm here). Comparing NC to NJ? To have to drive to a liquor store 10 minutes away to pick up a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer is silly in NJ, but the bread is definitely better in NJ.

On Sunday afternoon Saint Nicholas visited the Lefferts Historic House in Brooklyn, NY. Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas in Dutch, is a traditional winter holiday figure in the Netherlands. The Lefferts House which we visited earlier is a Dutch-American house and his visit was part of the display "Winter on a Flatbush Farm".

St. Nick made his entrance riding on a brown horse followed by a crowd of excited children, a little later then the scheduled 3.00 pm.

There were at least 3 Dutch families with small children attending. A mother said she was disappointed with this rendition of Saint Nick as the costume was not very elaborate. "And 15 minutes ago I saw them carrying his costume through the crowd, so everybody could see it!". However, Dutch and American children alike were duly impressed by Sinterklaas. Kids received chocolate gold coins and mandarins.

The tradition of a St. Nicholas visiting the Lefferts House goes back at least 20 years. "And we always get a couple of expat-families who visit", said Mr. Billy Holliday, the Director of the Lefferts Historic House. The traditional Saint Nicholas date is December 6th or the evening of the 5th, and most Sinterklaas events in the US and the Netherlands are held next weekend. Mr. Holliday explained that in the past the House was closed in December and though that's no longer the case, the event is still held the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Saint Nicholas stayed for about an hour. Children had the opportunity to pet his horse and feed it carrots. There were also demonstration of how to make candles and how to make sauerkraut. Inside a lady was spinning flax, and to the delight of this correspondent outside fresh "oliekoecks" or "oliebollen" were served.

St. Nick arrives.

Welcome.

Chocolate Euro coins.

Oliebollen!

St. Nick and his horse

Flax spinning.

St. Nick leaving.

"Zie de maan schijnt door de bomen..." -- see, the moon shining through the trees.