Ahhh Vienna, the vibrant Austrian capital boasting imperial palaces, fabulous galleries and delicious food. Have you ever dreamed of an easy weekend trip from the Netherlands to Vienna? Well, your dreams may be coming true as an international train from Amsterdam to Vienna will commence from 2021.
Currently, a train ride to the Austrian capital takes just over 10 hours and includes a minimum of one transfer. The direct train would instead be an overnighter, letting passengers get their precious shut-eye on the way.
Andreas Matthä, the CEO of Austrian train company ÖBB said the company is working urgently to make a connection Brussels by January 2020. “A night train connection to Amsterdam will follow a year later,” he told RTL Nieuws.
Yep, we’re already dreaming about riding the train to Vienna and waking up in the land of Mozart, Freud, and wiener schnitzels.
What will it cost?
It’s the question on every Dutchies mind, but unfortunately we will all have to wait for the answer. The plan is still in the works so ÖBB cannot say how long the journey will be or how much it will cost – but they have confirmed that it would be an overnight train.
International train travel is becoming increasingly popular and NS saw their sales increase by 13 percent last summer. With the heightened awareness of climate change, many people are opting to travel more sustainably, which includes catching trains over flights when there is the possibility to do so.
Hielke Buisman, from the ticket travel outlet Treinreiswinkel.nl, told RTL Nieuws “We see that once people go by train, they continue to do so. It is a matter of getting acquainted. We have also seen that a good train connection can get people out of the air. Since the introduction of the Eurostar to London, fewer people catch the plane.”
Are you excited for this train? What form of transport do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below!
An estimated 25,000 people turned up last Friday, September 27, to protest the climate crisis. With that amount of people, we aren’t surprised at the level of creativity some signs displayed. We took loads of photos and whittled down our selection to only the crème de la crème.
Printing error 404: Tree not found
Someone was hungry
…and thirsty
Double whammy: some signs tackled climate change as well as another social cause
Need we say more? Veganism does good things for the planet in several ways…
Bless this sign with its ironically unplanned spacing?
Image: Teresa Gubern/Supplied
It’s not a protest without some spicy memes.
Image: Teresa Gubern/Supplied
Seriously, everyone should just print out memes and bring them to protests. Sincerity? No thanks. Memes? Always.
Save the bees!
Image: Teresa Gubern/Supplied
Sometimes, it was the costumes people wore that impressed us the most (though these are some very aesthetically pleasing signs).
The protest last Friday was super impressive- it was inspiring to see 25,000 people coming together to ask for change from the government. Were you one of them?
Glasgow airport has been partially evacuated due to the discovery of a suspicious package in a KLM plane.
All the passengers from the international section of Glasgow airport have been evacuated, according to NOS. The fire brigade rushed to the device after emergency services were called, and the aircraft was stormed by police. The aircraft has been isolated.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Airport said: “At approximately 10am today, the airport fire service attended an arriving KLM flight in response to concerns raised over a piece of cargo." 1/2 pic.twitter.com/w7R4M6f4mg
"Enquiries are ongoing to determine the content of the package and the aircraft has been cordoned off pending the outcome of the investigation. All other parts of the airport are fully operational.” 2/2 pic.twitter.com/R4UnVIUhju
It’s that time of year again: the Crossing Border Festival is back for the 27th time! A yearly staple in The Hague’s event calendar, the festival celebrates international music and literature and is well known for the incredible artists who have graced it over the years. This year is absolutely no different – so if you haven’t yet got your tickets, let this article persuade you that now is the time.
Crossing Borders is the place to be, whether you’re craving interesting conversations, new musicians to listen to, or fabulous cultural performances. In the past, the festival has played host to Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran and Lou Reed. This year, along with plenty of exciting musical performances from people likeKevin Morby andKate Tempest, it will have some incredible writers for you to listen to in interviews, including Daisy Johnson and Hilary Mantel.
Nature, interviews and poetry at Crossing Borders 2019
One of the most exciting events happening at Crossing Border this year is the Nature Programme, happening on Thursday (31 October) evening. This is a collaboration between Crossing Border and its tech sister company, Border Session. With topics from classical nature writing to biotech experiments to environmental activism and speakers like William Leslie Amanzuru (founder of Friends of ZOKA) and Dr. Andrew Quitmeyer (who started his own Field Station Makerspace in Panama), this is not something you can miss. There will also be a spoken word performance by Smita James and an interview withDaisy Johnson (the youngest person in history ever shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize). As always, the European Literature Prize will also be presented at Crossing Border, on the 3rd of November. And so, so, so much more (can you tell I’m obsessed with the programme yet?).
Delve deep into the world of literature at the Crossing Border Festival this year. Image: Joost Weddepohl.
Hilary Mantel at Crossing Border 2019
If you want to know what makes me actually non-verbal with excitement, it’s finding out that my favourite author of all time will be at a festival in my city. This year, the Crossing Border festival will be graced by none other than Hilary Mantel. I could talk for hours about her Wolf Hall series on Tudor England (Bring Up The Bodies is my favourite book of all time). But to be clear, it’s not just me who is blown away by Mantel’s writing: The Guardian put her at number one on their list of the best writing of the 21st century. At Crossing Border, she’s going to be talking about her first book, A Place of Greater Safety, a masterpiece about the French Revolution.
László Krasznahorkai at Crossing Border 2019
As though one Booker Prize winner wasn’t enough, Crossing Border will also be hosting László Krasznahorkai, who was awarded a special Man Booker International Prize for his entire oeuvre in 2015. He is also always Hungary’s entry for the Nobel Prize for Literature each year. Translations of his work have become available over the last couple of years, with a translation of Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming due to be released this fall.
Talks, interviews and generally mind-blowing thoughts can be expected. Image: Wouter Vellekoop
Find new music at Crossing Border 2019
When we say that the Crossing Border Festival has played host to some amazing artists, we really mean it. Lou Reed, Ed Sheeran and Mumford & Sons all played at the festival just before breaking through, so if you want to see some up and coming musicians this autumn, the Crossing Border Festival is the place to be. On 3rd November, there is an event called UNHEARD OF, curated by Rembrandt Frerichs, which presents Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of Moondog) and Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat, among others.
This year’s most exciting music acts
One of the most exciting acts we can expect this year is Kevin Morby– which should remind us nicely of Lou Reed’s performances in earlier years at Crossing Border. In his latest album, Oh My God, Morby plays the piano and is accompanied by a gospel choir. The festival will also have a performance from Soap&Skin, accompanied by s t a r g a z e, an orchestral collective with influences from both modern pop and modern classical music. Soap&Skin is an Austrian artist who creates ethereal, dark music. I’m also personally very excited about SpaceAgePoetry, which provides eerie, spacey, but danceable beats in combination with the vocals/lyrics of Justin Samgar.
Get ready to see some up-and-coming artists at Crossing Border this year. Image: Parcifal Werkman.
The practical details for the Crossing Border festival
As for the nitty-gritty of the festival, here are the details. You can find the full programme here: the festival runs from 29 October to 3 November. Tickets can be bought for individual events, individual days, or you can get all-access tickets for both Friday (01/11) and Saturday (02/11). It takes place in three gorgeous locations in The Hague: the central library, Theater aan het Spui, Nieuwe Kerk, with some additional events taking place in the Katrina Festival Tent.
Have you been to the Crossing Border Festival before? How was it? And what events are you most excited to see this year? Let us know in the comments below!
According to research by the Lung Fund, at least dozens of Dutch people have been forced to move due to poor air quality. The research was about people who became so ill due to dirty air that their quality of life was negatively impacted.
In a survey of 220 participants, 55 responded that they had moved to a different area to escape air pollution. The survey was distributed to 1000 people with lung disease and 220 of them responded. In addition, a dozen “air refugees” self reported via social media. More than a hundred respondents also said that they would like to move house immediately, but lacked the financial or practical means to do so.
The numbers are just the tip of the iceberg
“We are really shocked by these numbers,” says director Michael Rutgers of the Lung Fund. “Behind these figures are stories of desperate people who struggle daily with the effects of air pollution. We never expected that there would be so many air refugees in the Netherlands.” He also says that this is likely the tip of the iceberg in terms of air refugees- if this many people replied within a week, there are probably many more silently suffering.
What causes air pollution?
So what causes this pollution? A lot of things, not just traffic. Industry, intensive livestock farming, biomass plants and wood-burning stoves also pollute the air in the Netherlands. Exposure to particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone can cause and aggravate chronic bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases, among other illnesses. Every year, at least 11,000 Dutch people die prematurely due to air pollution. In the cases of one in five Dutch children with asthma, their diagnosis is related to air pollution from traffic.
“Our air simply needs to be cleaner”
Air pollution in the Netherlands has been recognised as a problem by the Remkes Commission, which recently released a report which suggested closing down polluting farms near nature reserves and lowering the speed on regional and national roads. The government is due to respond to these recommendations today. The Lung Fund has backed up these recommendations: “It cannot and should not be the case that people have to move in the Netherlands because of unhealthy air. Or even worse: would love to, but don’t have the means. Our air simply needs to be cleaner.”
Do you live in an area with bad air pollution? Are you considering moving because of it? Let us know in the comments below.
The supermarket chain Jumbo is recalling dozens of types of prepackaged meat. Yet another reason for vegetarians and vegans to feel good about their life choices.
The production location of supplier Offerman in Aalsmeer, one of the company’s three locations, may be contaminated with the listeria bacteria, reports NOS. The supplier informed their customers, including Jumbo and Aldi, about this themselves. The recall campaign includes pre-packaged chicken fillet, ham and bacon. Aldi are only recalling four products, while Jumbo recalls 135.
Customers can get money back
Customers are asked to return the recalled products to the supermarket, and will get their money back if they do. According to Jumbo, all the products currently on their shelves are safe to consume. On Thursday evening, Jumbo published a list of affected products, which you can read here.
Offerman closes factory temporarily
Offerman has also informed its wholesale customers, such as Bidfood, Sligro and Versunie, who will quickly inform their customers about the products that might be contaminated. Offerman has also stopped the packaging and cutting of meats at its factory in Aalsmeer, with its other factories to pick up the slack.
What is listeria?
The bacteria- listeria- can cause a food infection. The chances of this happening are low, but the consequences can be serious, especially for pregnant women- infection can lead to miscarriages or premature birth.
Have you been affected by this recall? Or are you one of our smug vegetarians? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature image: Open Grid Scheduler/Grid Engine Follow/Flickr
The police have arrested a man suspected of murdering lawyer Derk Wiersum. The man has not yet been identified by police.
He was charged on Tuesday in a house, but the arrest was delayed until today by police. The house has been searched by agents, according to NOS.
Last week it became clear that the perpetrator had fled the scene of the crime in a white delivery van. The van has now been found- it is an Opel Combo with forged licence plates. It has been seized by police.
We hebben een verdachte weten aan te houden voor de moord op advocaat Derk Wiersum. Ook de witte bestelauto waarnaar uitgekeken werd, is in beslag genomen.https://t.co/IOOSjK2b4spic.twitter.com/9gGi38SBZJ
The police say that more people will be arrested as the case progresses. For now they have a large investigation team working 24 hours a day on the case.
The Dutch government has announced that there will be an amendment to the regulations governing working holiday visas for young people from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Hong Kong, South Korea and Canada in the Netherlands.
Last year, the Dutch government introduced a requirement which limited work to three months per employer- meaning that when a person from any of the countries listed above was in the Netherlands on a working holiday visa, they could not work the same job for more than three months. Of course, this was quite the inconvenience. But now the requirement has been lifted.
New regulations
The new regulations do not set any limit for the amount of time someone on a working holiday visa can stay with one employer. The one thing they do say is that work should be “incidental” to the primary purpose of the stay in the Netherlands, which is defined as cultural exchange. What this means in practice is that the work the person on the visa does needs to be fitting to the short-term nature of the visa itself: it only lasts a year. Cultural exchange refers, basically, to New Zealanders, Australians and Canadians getting a better understanding of Dutch culture, and vice versa.
What is a working holiday visa?
A working holiday visa is available to people aged 18 to 31 from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea (there is a cap of 100 people per year for South Korea, but the other countries have an unlimited number of visas to give out). The applicant should not do highly skilled work when they’re abroad- again, the idea is learning more about the Netherlands as a country. They also need to prove that they can leave the country again, and they may only take advantage of this opportunity once in their lives.
What do you think of this change? Have you ever done a working holiday? Let us know in the comments below.
When I first moved to the Netherlands I was struck by how many cats there are here. Coming from Australia (where the rate of dog-ownership is higher than the rate of cat-ownership) it seemed to me that the Dutch really loved their cats. I’ve since realised that probably since the country is so small and densely populated – most people live in apartments – it’s just easier for people to have a cat if they want a pet.
But, I do also think that Dutch people are generally just big fans of cats (this is especially apparent in my boyfriend’s family). This may be why there are some great cat-themed attractions in Amsterdam.
If you are living in the Netherlands or even just visiting, and looking to get a fix of some feline companionship, then these three attractions are the perfect way to spend some time with cats.
#1 De Poezenboot
Where: Singel 38G, 1015 AB Amsterdam, Netherlands Timings: Open everyday from 1 pm to 3 pm, and closed on Sunday and Wednesday Entrance fee: Free
Located a short stroll from Amsterdam Centraal Station is De Poezenboot, translation: “The Catboat”! This is a shelter for cats situated on a converted house-boat on canal Singel 38-G.
This is the only animal sanctuary that actually floats and is home to some 17 or so permanent cat residents as well as temporary residents that are then re-homed. The permanent residents are made up of cats that were either born outside or lived on the streets for a long time and are never going to be ‘normal’ house-cats.
They are often quite afraid of humans and won’t allow anyone to pick them up but sometimes they can be sweet and allow you to pat them. Mostly if they do not want to be bothered they will simply walk away; there are two that may ‘hit’ you if patted when they don’t want it, but the Catboat has signs that warn you who to watch out for!
They have a good life on the boat, interacting with other cats, watching birds and being cared for by volunteers.
Image: Supplied
De Poezenboot is a non-profit organisation, so it runs entirely on donations. Taking in and caring for abandoned and stray cats is no cheap feat, and all cats they receive are also health-checked, vaccinated, neutered or spayed and micro-chipped before they are re-homed or permanently settled on the boat.
Image: Supplied
For more information on the Catboat, its resident cats and even merchandise you can purchase (and support needy kitties!) visit the website here.
#2 Katten Kabinet
Where: Herengracht 497, 1017 BT Amsterdam, Netherlands Timings: Open from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, and 12 pm to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday Entrance fee: 7 euros
Image: Supplied
After you have visited some cats on a boat, why not walk further into the city (past the floating flower market) to see the Katten Kabinet, a museum devoted entirely to art featuring cats?
Housed in a lovely old canal house, the museum features a large collection of paintings, sculptures, photos, prints, fans, crockery, furniture and all sorts of other items featuring cats as the artistic muse.
The building itself is gorgeous, with a lovely old piano, beautiful chandeliers and stunning restored 17th-century art-work on the ceiling (the only art that doesn’t include a cat!). Some of my favourite pieces included a lucky cat pinball machine and a costume from the musical ‘Cats’.
Image: Supplied
There are also some real-life resident cats, who often walk about on top of the furniture and displays! The Katten Kabinet shop features lots of postcards, posters and other souvenirs featuring artworks of cats (in case you want to keep some cat reminders with you). If you would like more information (and a virtual tour!) check out the website here.
#3 Kopjes Cat Café
Where: Marco Polostraat 211, 1057 WK Amsterdam, Netherlands Timings: Open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm, and closed on Monday and Tuesday Entrance fee: 3 euros
What better way to end your day of ‘cat-sightseeing’ than with a coffee, some cake and a visit with the cats of Amsterdam’s cat café ‘Kopjes’?! ‘Cat Cafés’ originated in Taiwan and became very popular in Japan before the idea spread to the Western World.
Kopjes (meaning ‘cups’) is Amsterdam’s only cat café and opened in 2015 after an online crowd-funding campaign. It is home to eight cats (3 males and 5 females) which you can visit (you need to book ahead of time) to have a cuddle, play and some cat-time.
The café also offers hot and cold drinks, cakes, sandwiches and breakfast food. You don’t have to eat or drink; the entrance fee is 3 euros to simply spend some time with the cats in the cosy café; but who could turn down that divine looking red velvet cake?!
The set-up for the cats is designed completely for their well-being and there are rules for entry in order to make sure the cats don’t become stressed out. But with all those toys, cosy nooks, cat-shelves, a ‘cats-only’ area and plenty of love, the characters at this café seem like pretty contented cats! If you are looking to drop in for a cuddle with a purring friend then have a look at their website here.
There you have it, your guide to the best spots for cat-lovers to visit while in Amsterdam! Make sure you comment if there are any other great spots for cat-lovers to visit that I may not know about!
36 young climate activists set sail from Amsterdam yesterday, headed for the global climate conference in Chile. Joining Greta Thunberg in the no-fly movement, they are working on ways to make travel more sustainable.
The activists are from all across Europe, but ‘Sail to the COP’ is a Dutch initiative, created by four Dutch climate activists, demanding a radical shift within the travel industry. Currently, the aviation industry is “the most polluting and fastest growing form of transport”, according to co-founder Jeppe Bijker. ‘Sail to the COP’ is hoping to address this problem on an international stage.
At sea for seven weeks
Sailing aboard the Regina Maris, the activists will be at sea for about seven weeks. They will sail to Rio de Janeiro, and from there take the bus to Chile. There will also be a captain and a five-member trained crew aboard the ship. During the seven week long journey, the activists will form a think tank to brainstorm ways to make travelling more environmentally friendly.
The team of 36 young activists sailing to the COP. Image: Sail to the COP
Making travel sustainable
Their aim is to level the playing field, making travelling by sea, train, bus or bike more appealing to people, in comparison to flying. In the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the aviation industry was exempted from environmental regulation, and has remained so ever since. It is also exempted from carbon taxes, while the more sustainable forms of transportation (like trains and buses) are not.
Do you have any ideas which would make travel more sustainable? And what do you think of this initiative? Let us know in the comments below.
