We all love Introduction Week for university students, right? Wrong. Unless you’re a student or attending the events it’s just a big week of groups of students vomiting on the cobblestones and peeing in the canals. Ah, the future world leaders.
But things got even more out of control this week in Utrecht, when a group of students hanging out on a local lawn took being drunk and disorderly too far.
DUIC reports that the group of students were drinking in a park on Paardenveld. When nature called, they went into the nearby bar Roost aan de Singel to relieve themselves. When you gotta go, you gotta go. But, you should definitely be polite. These students were not, says Sidney Ruben, owner of Roost.
How did it begin?
“The group used our facilities constantly,” he told DUIC. “If that all happens neatly, then you can.However, they had drunk so much that they became very annoying.”
The students were not drinking at Roost, he continued, but just using the toilet facilities. They began to be unruly towards staff.
“I told them to behave, that things could no longer continue.But after I warned them for the third time, they started saying unpleasant things.I then called the police,” Ruben said.
That’s when things really started to heat up. When police arrived they requested the students would move on. Drunk students being drunk students, they flat-out refused. After twenty-minutes of negotiations, the police had to resort to using force.
What happened when it escalated?
Let’s get to the good stuff. A video released on Twitter shows police agents pushing the students along while they yell back at the enforcers. A fight between a male police officer and a female student breaks out, and two girls get pushed to the ground in the process. One is pinned by the police-officer who begins to pull out handcuffs.
The Utrecht Police released a statement in relation to the events, stating three of the students were arrested and that the police had to use the baton on several of the party-goers.
They warned that the police need to ensure Utrecht is liveable for students and non-students alike, and that sometimes they are forced to take action.
“If they do not cooperate we have no option but to arrest them, and if they are resisting or not cooperating, we may have to use violence.”
The student association Veritas also commented on the incident after it was revealed that some of the offenders were associated with the group.
“The students were here on their own initiative.CS Veritas therefore completely distances itself from the behaviour of the students in the park,” said a statement released by the association. “Nevertheless, the board of CS Veritas attaches great importance to announcing that we strongly reject the behaviour of the nuisance-causing members.”
Veritas continued with a brief and simple message about the clash: “instructions from the police must be followed.”
Feature Image: Frame of video uploaded to Twitter by Jean-Paul Rison
A recent study showed that drug trafficking is running rampant in Amsterdam, reports RTLNieuws. Nearly 75 million euros worth of cocaine is bought in the city annually. The investigation was conducted over six months and showed that 30% of people who go out to party in the night have used the drug.
The KWR research institute used sewage water samples to determine traces of cocaine found in the water. It was found that there is more than 2 kg of pure cocaine found per day in the waters (it comes up to 4 kg when it is “shredded”). With the street value being 50 euros per gram of cocaine, Amsterdam has 75 million euros worth of cocaine passing through it. Doing the math, that’s 200,000 euros a day!
According to the statement released by the municipality of Amsterdam, this money is usually invested in “houses, shops and catering establishments”.
How easy is it to get cocaine in Amsterdam and where is it made?
Pretty damn easy by the looks of it! According to RTLNieuws, it is “faster to get the drug than a pizza”.
However, they could not find laboratories established that were producing this drug. They did find “cocaine laundries” where the drug is “mixed with another substance prior to transport”. They have already found eight of these laundries at the beginning of the year, and are still on the lookout for more.
Using hand grenades for the battle of power
According to a survey conducted as part of the study, 167 coffeeshops “have a combined annual turnover of 300 million euros”. So there are power struggles happening within the underworld, with the “bosses” flighting to get a stronger foothold within the drug crime circles.
There have been multiple registered cases where coffeeshop owners were shot at. This was reported 10 times within a short span of time in 2016. However today, the weapon of choice against coffeeshops and shisha lounges is a hand grenade. The number of hand grenades found has been increasing over the years. Six were found in 2017, exponentially increasing to 18 in 2018. They have already found five this year.
What is the municipality of Amsterdam going to do about the drug problem in the city?
According to their website, the municipality is calling on all “Amsterdammers, civil servants, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the tax authorities” to work together.
Prior to the release of the report, they have already started a program called ‘De Weerbare Stad’ in April where civil servants have been trained to raise the alarm when “criminal money” is invested in real estate. Retailers in the luxury industry have also been asked to report anybody paying over 3000 euros in cash.
There are also reports of people saving up money to invest in the upcoming and almost legalized online gambling scene of the Netherlands (but you might be still better off to visit one of these offshore USA-friendly poker sites)
Moreover, they say that they have incorporated the insights gained by this report into their new ‘Amsterdam Drugs’ program and have allocated funds to see it through. They will be taking more measures to combat weapons as well.
This war on drugs is not going to see immediate results and will be a long and difficult fight. What do you make of this? Let us know in the comments below.
A Slovak on his way to visit his mother was left confused this week after his purchased ticket brought him to Rotterdam in the Netherlands – instead of Roterham in the United Kingdom.
Woops! The man’s pronunciation error landed him almost 500 kilometres away from his mother’s embrace. Rotterdam Police reported on Twitter that instead of being greeted in the land of tea and finger sandwiches, he ended up in stroopwafel central.
It’s said his error was caused by the similarities in the two names when purchasing his ticket and were compounded by his lack of both English and Dutch. We can only imagine what it’s like to land in a country and not have enough grasp of either country’s language to know it’s the wrong one – but we can imagine it’s pretty bewildering!
Met het kaartje in de hand en 0% kennis van de Nederlandse en Engelse taal is hij in #Rotterdam beland, zonder geld en andere middelen.
Voor vannacht noodopvang geregeld, morgen brengen we hem in contact met de stichting #Barka. #hulp verlenen 2/2 ^RL
— Politie Rotterdam Centrum (@politieRdam_C) August 28, 2019
Luckily for him, the Dutch are a nice bunch and he ended up in an emergency shelter for the night. He’ll be put in contact with the relevant help today.
Let’s hope our travelling Slovak ends up with his Mum in good ol’ England. Have you ever experienced an awkward and avoidable travel delay? Let us know in the comments below!
Everybody knows that you should make the best of those precious rays of sunshine in the Dutch summer and it is a guaranteed good day when you combine sunshine with eating out. I thought it was about time we share some tips with you on where you can eat outside in Leiden. So if you’re looking for that great terrace, or simply for some good food in Leiden; you’ve clicked on the right article!
Let’s start this list of great places to eat in Leiden with a favourite of mine that has Summer vibes written all over it!
Lot en de Walvis: Majestic nautical setting and terrace
Lot en de Walvis translates to Lot and the whale and I can’t believe we haven’t talked about this one in Leiden before. It’s a staple of the Leiden dinner and drinking scene and one of my favourites whenever the weather permits. It has many things going for it but the main attraction is the awesome location, gorgeous views of the marina and of course it’s luscious terrace.
Unsurprisingly, once the sun is actually shining you’ll have to get there fairly quickly in order to secure a spot. Another classy way to arrive is by boat (the Dutch are massive fans of a ‘sloep’) and anchor it to the deck of Lot and the Whale.
Let’s talk about the food and the drinks (oh, the drinks!)
Before we get going on what we had for dinner there, I’d like to take a moment to recommend two drinks that made me happy that day (I had more, but these two types did the job).
It won’t be a surprise that such a spot has some good drinks, but two surprised me. It’s that gin basil smash that I’m thoroughly enjoying in this gif here (happy times!). And a smokey cider called the ‘Blind Pig’ that was a welcome departure from beer or wine for once and very refreshing in the summer.
Next up the mains! Before I locked in the burger (which is always a good idea) we asked the friendly waitress for some recommendations and as a result, we ended up with the Sea Bass and the Beef Tataki instead. These tasted just as good as they look on these pics and at just under 20 euro they’re also relatively friendly priced and fill you up nicely.
Together with the drinks, the desserts were also the highlights. The names were already excellent- we had Southern style chocolate-banoffee pie and the Lot’s of choice (a little tasting of every dessert there).
“Great, now I’m hungry again”
Also, you might be thinking ‘what if it rains?’ – well, no worries, the decor inside is almost just as nice as the scenery outside.
So it’s not hard to see why this one is on top of my list of places to eat outside in Leiden (or inside for that matter). But like I said before, when the sun’s shining the place can fill up rather quickly so be safe and phone in to secure a reservation.
Next up, another iconic building and terrace in Leiden to enjoy dinner!
City Hall: Classy location and Italian love
If you’ve ever ventured into Leiden then you’ll probably know this one. City Hall is an Italian bar-bistro located at the city hall of Leiden. There’s a lot of good stuff there already in that sentence; Leiden’s city hall is gorgeous, centrally located and well, don’t we all love Italian food?
Love it too much sometimes
City Hall has an enormous terrace right in between the building and the canal and I’ve enjoyed dinner outside there tons of times. Typically however, during this visit the sun disappeared quickly and hid behind dark clouds so we gathered up and moved inside. Here are some pics of the terrace of another day:
Yeah Leiden is pretty <3
Luckily indoors is also splendid as it is one of the biggest venues of Leiden which offers everything from early breakfast to late night dinner and drinks. Inside is something of a cross-over between an industrial look and Italian vibes, olive-coloured tiles and an open kitchen.
Get to the best of Italy!
Oh yes, the food! City Hall has a pretty extensive menu, so there’s bound to be something there for everybody. We started things of with antipasta (di carne) and some calamaris which wasn’t a bad start at all.
But it’s the main course where City Hall really shines. It’s not a traditional main course as you know it (as in the first and second dish – primi & secondi) but more of shared dinner style. This is especially awesome due to the fact that the pastas have a small and large version – so if you order a bunch of small pastas you can get as much tasting in as you could possibly want.
So this is how our table looked:
Tantissimo
I know:
So what was the best dish we had? The tortellini con pere e pecorino was exceptional and original, tasted even better than it looks:
And what can I say? I’m a sucker for anything with truffle. So I got my fix with the Risotto al tartufo e uovo and the Tagliatelle al crema di tartufo. An added bonus was the fact that they grated the formaggio right there at our table. Enjoy the following (food-)porn clip:
We ended the night like we end most Italian themed nights with some pistachio cannoli and limoncello (and a pound or 5 of extra bodyweight).
What are you gonna do? Say no to this?
If you’re flushed for cash, be sure to hit up City Hall on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday between 5 and 7 pm when all pasta and pizza is just a measly 10 euros!
Next up, we’ve had Italian food – now let’s go for dinner outside Latin-Style:
Tabú! Bringing the Latin Sun to Leiden
Did you know that Leiden has never even had a proper Latin, Mexican or taco place? That’s loco, right? Well, Tabú has solved all of this and brings an awesome terrace with it too. I mean just look at the views to be had here:
There are canal views to be enjoyed on two sides of the terrace, colourful furniture, great views of Leiden and sunshine beaming from the afternoon until late in the evening (that’s important in the Netherlands). Just sitting down here, enjoying a cocktail and watching life on the canals pass by is one of the best things to do.
Plenty of space too
Since nobody wants to wait long for their food, let’s get right to it! There’s a plethora of Latin-American inspired choices on the menu at the Tabú and once again shared dining is pretty much the way to go. By now you might have caught on that I’m a massive fan of any stuff that comes on a ‘plank’ (those wooden boards) so no surprise that we went for the Tabú platter:
Yes please!
Yes, ceviche is served with it as well as empanadas (the one with pulled pork is to die for!) Order those chilly cheese fries as an extra.
Next up: the taco platter!
Plenty of choice and a party for the eyes as well:
Absolute highlights were the tostada salmone and the quesadilla – our neighbours went for the quesadilla with extra pollo and that looked like a slam dunk. The tacos were good too, but the one filled with the pink sweet potato wasn’t the best one – when I told them this when they asked me how it was, they replied they’ve heard that a few times now and were constantly improving the menu – so it might just have changed by now.
We rounded off the night with dessert and if you’re in doubt you should always go for something on the menu that’s called choco loco – because how can that not be good?
Two things that need to be mentioned, since this post is about eating outside in Leiden, I need to fill you in on the fact that they serve cocktails there and even have cocktail madness every Monday till Wednesday from 5 till 7 pm. It’s when 2 of their daily special cocktails are going for 12 euros.
You and me baby:
When it’s sadly to cold to eat outside on the terrace, you can still catch some of that summer love inside. The decor at Tabú is vivid, trendy and bright and with just the right amount cocktails you can envision yourself being in a warmer, more latin-ey country.
Next up, a classic when it comes to terraces in Leiden:
Van der Werff – The classic Leiden terrace
You know this one too! It has featured in loads of pretty pics of Instagram because the classy Van der Werff building is located right in front of the ‘the valk’ windmill and a lush canal – which results in these kind of pictures:
As you can see, Van der Werff is located in a grand building and when it’s wintertime you can sit there all cozy and warm and enjoy a hot cocoa. But it’s the terrace of Van der Werff that everybody knows, it’s a favourite among the local crowd and it’s close vicinity to the station makes this perfect for after-works-drinks (or as we call it in Dutch; borrelen).
Sitting outside on a terrace in Leiden done right (source: horecagroep.nl)Source:horecagroep.nl
Obviously Van der Werff is a good spot for drinks, but how about having dinner outside here?
Well, I’m a simple man, but a happy man when I see something special for 2 people as a starter on the menu at Van der Werff. So we got the ‘Werff’s special’:
The salmon and soup were highlights here! Why don’t they get you more of these little cups of soup with these platters?
Moving on we went for the Werff’s Burger and the Ribs (it was Friday, we did a borrel, you want this kind of food).
Look at this happy fella
The Burger was a slam dunk, big and juicy, just what you want when you’re craving a burger. The Ribs were done oriental-style and pretty tasty, but as you can see it wasn’t the big plate of spareribs you might have expected.
Best part of the dinner was, as so often in life, the dessert – go for the ‘short cake’ – you won’t be disappointed.
‘Heineken Afterwork’ coming to Van der Werff in Leiden on the 5th of September
If you’re thinking that it might be nice to catch afterwork drinks here then you’re right, but what’s even better is that on the 5 September you can go to ‘Heineken Afterwork’ – yeah, that’s right – drinks organised by Heineken. They already organised a few of these in Amsterdam and they were all the rage, now coming to Leiden!
There will be performances by local legends such as the DJ duo Kraak & Smaak. Just register at the Afterwork website and the first beer is on Heineken!
Eating outside and terraces in Leiden: Honourable mentions
I could write thousands of extra words about great places to eat outside in Leiden. Let’s not do that, but I can’t finish off this article without mentioning a few other excellent terraces in Leiden.
The Binnentuin Rooftop at PLNT
Isn’t the DutchReview office at PLNT? It sure is! And you might have spotted the rooftop in our insta-stories and posts (we might be a little bias but it is honestly one of the best views Leiden in the city).
The Roof at PLNT is a unique place in the heart of the city and in the middle of the Singelpark. It is covered with beautiful flowers and greenery and boasts stunning views over Leiden and yes, even a chicken coop!
Both at the roof and the indoor ‘binnentuin’ have plenty of healthy and delicious options and prices are very economical.
If you’re vying for the classic canal views of Leiden, this is the place to be – but Aan de Rijn was recently redecorated their interior so it’s also perfectly nice to sit inside when it’s raining in the Netherlands. Shared dining is the thing here, and they mean it. The idea is that you select a couple of small dishes for a round and they serve it on a wooden board. I recommend the shrimp croquettes (served with a lemon and parsley mayo) and the Buddha bowl.
Located near Leiden Lammenschans the vintage-looking Vet Gezond brings you an excellent selection of both greasy ‘Vet’ and healthy ‘gezond’ food and all that for financially-healthy prices as well. All of that makes it a perfect spot to grab some casual dinner on a week-day or have a dinner as a student without succumbing to a heart-attack when you see the receipt.
It’s somewhat of a hidden gem in Leiden and so if you can’t find a spot to have dinner outside in the centre, then try VetGezond.
One of my favourite ways to spend time is to go to a library because it’s one of the last few public spaces where you can spend hours on end without being expected to spend money. The LocHal in Tilburg is one such library, and it has just been named as the second-best library in the world by the IFLA Best Public Library of the World Awards, reports Brabant Dagblad!
Sadly, it did not secure the first position and was beat out by the Oodi Library in Helsinki. However, it did beat the Green Square Library and Plaza in Australia and the Turanga Christchurch Central Library in New Zealand.
But I can tell you that regardless of its position, this library has a special charm to it. It is a repurposed old locomotive hall which is now a popular gathering place for students, young professionals, and families alike. It is a damn shame that it did not win, but ranks and numbers are not everything! This library is very close to Tilburg Central Station.
We loved the library so much that we made another video in collaboration with YouTube artist Levi Hildebrand! It’s not just about the public library, but also how the city of Tilburg is leading the way in finding new purposes for old buildings.
If you want to make a day out of going to Tilburg and curious about the sites, then don’t forget to check out the nature in Tilburg, the many museums there, and the various cultural events happening all throughout the year!
Regulated cannabis cultivation is on its way to be tested in the Netherlands, and we know that 10 municipalities will be participating in this experiment. However, the four big cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague – will not be participating. The municipalities declined as all coffeeshops in the city will have to cooperate which might have a slight logistical problem.
Why is this experiment being run?
Well, there’s a loophole in the Dutch law where it is illegal to grow cannabis to sell to coffeeshops. However, selling of weed in coffeeshops is tolerated, the thing that most tourists visit the Netherlands for. Coincidence? I think not.
The government wants to see how regulating the growing and distribution of cannabis will help curb crime and improve safety. However, it is still a long way before this experiment will be run. The government wants to run it in 2021, and it is now clear that 10 municipalities will be participating. NOS reports that Tilburg, Almere, and Breda are going to be one of them. The full list of participating municipalities will be released on Thursday.
Will regulating the growing of cannabis curb crime and improve safety?
This one is out for debate. Earlier this month, a team from the Dutch police visited Canada, where cannabis has been legalized since October 2018. They saw that even though there were efforts put forward by the government for users to buy weed legally, they still opted to buy it on the black market mostly because it was cheaper.
De Volkskrant reported that “most police officers who spoke to the Dutch delegation are skeptical as to whether they will succeed in reducing the criminal world.” So should we hope for something different in the Netherlands? Probably not. The four major cities have already opted out of participating in this experiment, the cities which house the largest concentration of coffeeshops. We will have to see what other municipalities will be participating.
However, what is your perspective on this? I am a little bit in two minds about it mostly because it looks like legalization may not really help. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Tourism is becoming increasingly more problematic around the world, including the Netherlands. Despite efforts to discourage tourists, the tourism expenditure report from the last year shows tourists are spending more than ever in the Netherlands.
How much did tourists spend in total last year?
Despite the prices increasing overall by 4.1 percent, tourists still spent a total of 87.5 billion euros in 2018.
The increase isn’t just people from abroad but Dutch nationals as well. In 2018, Dutchies spent 2.7 billion euros more on holidaying, socialising and in the hospitality sector. So much for that infamous Dutch fruaglity!
More spending naturally means more job opportunity and more money for the economy. Despite this, the Netherlands Tourism Board (NBTC) announced in the “Perspective 2030” report that it is no longer necessary to recruit tourists and to promote tourism.
Jeroen Klijs, Breda University of Applied Sciences tourism researcher and professor, tells RTL news, “there is more and more debate about the broader impact of tourism. Think of busy places such as the centre of Amsterdam or Giethoorn, where the social impact also has a negative side.”
We need to be more creative with discouraging tourism
You cannot expect nor prevent people who have spent years mesmerised by Vondelpark or curious about the Red Light District to not visit Amsterdam and explore these hotspots. Klijs says the NBTC have had a policy to discourage tourists for years but it has had little impact. He offers an alternative strategy and explains to RTL news, “you have to move the Germans and Belgians who are coming for the third time and also the Dutch themselves to go to more unknown locations. That can be done with marketing, but also by making attractions more attractive and improve accessibility.”
Source: Pexels on Pixabay
If you look at the statistics for what nationalities come for say, Easter weekend, it shows 65% of the tourists come from Germany and 25% from Belgium so Klijs’s strategy would help prevent the hotspots from getting bombarded.
If you’ve found yourself stripping down to your tighty-whities and standing spread-eagled on the rooftop hoping to catch the slightest breeze, you ‘aint alone. The Netherlands just officially entered heatwave territory – again. Yep, really.
It’s been a muddled old summer, full of ridiculous heat records one minute and then pouring rain the next. But, ladies and gents, De Bilt exceeded 30 degrees today, meeting the requirements for a national heatwave.
To be classified as a heatwave the mercury must exceed 25 degrees for at least five continuous days. It must also reach 30 degrees on three of these days, classified as tropical temperatures. These temperatures must be recorded at the KNMI headquarters in De Bilt to become official.
What can we expect over coming days?
Keep your bikinis and budgie smugglers out kids, tomorrow will also be a hot one. But from things will change in the evening. “It is going to rain heavily and thunder. On Thursday it will be around 22 degrees, considerably cooler than in recent days. Saturday it will be 26 degrees again. A nice day, after which it will cool down,” explained Buienradar meteorologist Martijn Dorrestein to RTL Nieuws.
How have you found this summer? Debilitatingly hot, disastrously wet, or a sweltering mix of both? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s widely accepted that going to a doctor in the Netherlands will leave you with more paracetamol than prescriptions. Now, the latest annual figures reveal that the Dutch are increasingly turning the other cheek to heavy medication.
Drug use only increased half a a percentage point, the same increase as the population itself. The Foundation for Pharmaceutical Key Figures (SFK) say this means that despite a predictied 1.5% increase for the year, pill use has remained about the same.
This growth is “certainly the lowest of this decade and probably of this century,” SFK Manager Jeroen Lukaart of the SFK told AD. Between 2003 and 2013 growth of pill use hovered around 4-8 percent. In recent years it decreased to between 1 and 3 percent.
So why are the Dutch so adverse to the use of medication? Experts believe it’s because people are becoming more skeptical over whether the benefits of heavy meds outweigh the side-effects.
Deprescribing
The decrease can be called ‘deprescribing,’ Sint Maartenkliniek pharmacist and researcher Bart van den Bemt told AD. He explains that people are looking critically at whether medicines are really needed.
For example, sleeping pills are now known to not work after long periods of use, and increase the risk of falling. “Then the remedy is worse than the disease,” said van den Bemt.
There are other reasons why pill use may be on the decline. There may be an increased attention to healthy eating and exercise. People may also be becoming more skeptical of medication altogether.
Well, at least if you can’t get any of the good meds, the Netherlands lets you self-medicate, right? Are you using less medicine? Were unsuccessful in getting a prescription from your doctor? Let us know in the comments below!
NS predicts around 36.7 million train passengers next month. Last year there were just over 35 million train travellers.
September is always the busiest month for travel each year as children are starting back at school and students are heading back to university.
To combat the influx of train travellers, up to 200 extra seats will be deployed on the busiest train journeys (The Hague and Leiden, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, and The Hague and Eindhoven). The NS have also requested that ProRail extends nine of the stations platforms as well.
Source: AquilaSol on Pixabay
Well, it may be busy in the Netherlands but at least it’s not the Shinjuku station in Tokyo which battles crowds of 3.6 million people daily!
