CNN Europe today changed their TV look. The familiar American red and blue interface has been replaced by a much more British, simple, boxy look. More »

Last night a Liberian cargo ship off the coast of the island of Terschelling lost dozens of containers in a heavy storm. The Dutch island’s beaches are now littered with stuff; the lost containers reportedly contained shoes, hammers, corned beef, aluminum suitcases, toys and … hamburgers. The police of the mainland town of Harlingen has sent a ‘mobile unit’ to the island to assist the island’s police force in preventing people from stealing the Liberian hamburgers. More »

CBS reported today that last year the Netherlands saw a population growth of only 30,000, the lowest since 1900. The scant growth is largely due to the large number of emigrants. More »

The warehouses used by the municipality of Leiden to store improperly parked bicycles are nearly full. Because of this the city can no longer clear illegally parked bikes from the train station area. The city needs storage space for at least 3,000 bikes. More »

Tourists in Leiden will soon be able to use their cellphones as a city guide. Using the network of Wireless Leiden, visitors will be able to hear tourist tips while out on the town, in their own language. Information on restaurants, shops and cafes will also be available. More »

A series of special Rembrandt coins will be available to the public starting February 15. The coins will be issued in Leiden and can be used as legal tender at participating stores and restaurants in the Leiden area. More »

American travel book publisher Let’s Go has named Molenmuseum De Valk in Leiden, the Netherlands, as a unique travel destination with outstanding service. More »

I was so proud of myself for getting a flu shot last December. Well guess what? I’m sick. More »

Otters are rare in the Netherlands; the last native one was killed in a road accident in 1988. Since 1992 Staatsbosbeheer (National Forest Preservation) has been trying to reintroduce the otter in Dutch waters. Today five new ones were introduced in the Overijssel nature park De Wieden. More »

One of my favorite things to do when in the United States is to look around at grocery stores. There is so much to see that we don’t have here in the Netherlands, and the selection is so much bigger; hundreds of different types of shredded cheese, potatoes and other produce much bigger in size than anything sold in Holland, and aisles of strange sodas that Europeans have never even dreamed of. The average supermarket in the U.S. has 45,000 different products, compared to ‘only’ 15,000 in the Netherlands. More »