Them’s fightin’ birds – swans vs. ducks in Amsterdam

by Annie Scott on

There’s a gang war in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, and it’s for the birds. Seriously. The swans and ducks are out to get each other.

I first noticed the commotion because of the ducks. They were so loud, and unlike the placid ducks I know from my home lakes in Minneapolis, they were fluttering and flapping around like mad. I honestly wondered if some of the Red Light District’s more refined substances had accidentally gotten into the canal.

Probably.

But still. Then, I saw the swans. The swans and ducks were have full-on standoffs. In particular, the swans were tensing themselves up (into a totally beautiful, but definitely aggressive, shape like the one shown) and swimming into duck territory to cause trouble. Or maybe the ducks started it. I don’t know. I’m no ornithologist.

I did, however take three videos of the insanity. I’ll skip the first one, before I walked north through duck territory and encountered the swans. Here’s #2:


Forgive the spinning; I was trying to figure out what in the devil was going on with all these freaking out birds.
Then, these two angry-looking swans charged into duck territory. I started to wonder if somewhere a swan was being held hostage. It’s like something out of a cartoon directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Reservoir Ducks, anyone? Did you see that duck just jump the leading swan in the lower right corner (0:07 seconds)?? From what I understand, these is the usual situation in the Red Light District’s canal. Them’s fightin’ birds.

Videos taken by Annie Scott on location in Amsterdam, Sunday, November 8, 2009.

This trip was paid for by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

The most beautiful Pizza Hut in the world

by Annie Scott on


Is it a shame, or is it fantastic? Rather than tear down a former royal building in The Netherlands’ historic Den Haag (The Hague), it’s been turned into a Pizza Hut. What do you think about that, National Trust for Historic Preservation? Taco Bell at Hemingway’s house in Key West anyone?

Seriously, this Pizza Hut maintains the ornate, gorgeous, original mid-18th century ceiling of what used to be the Grand Salon, and is decorated with appropriately decadent chandeliers. There’s a lovely fireplace, classy dark wood fixtures, and well … I have no qualms calling it the most beautiful Pizza Hut in the world. I encourage you to try and find a lovelier one. Queen Wilhemlina’s treasury was once here, for Pete’s sake.

At the end of the day, though, it’s still Pizza Hut. Check out the photos below for a tour of this anachronistic, WTF wonder. If you weren’t thinking of heading to The Hague, which is just 45 minutes from Amsterdam, perhaps this will change your mind — and if you’re into the chandeliers, check out the ones in The Hague’s Escher Museum here on Luxist.

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This trip was paid for by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Cool contest for a free trip to Amsterdam

by Annie Scott on
The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Lloyd Hotel (pictured) have teamed up to bring one lucky winner (and a buddy) to Amsterdam for free — well, almost free.

This contest is about sacrifice: they want to know what you would give for a trip to Amsterdam … literally. To enter, visit Holland’s Facebook page and “submit a photo and brief description of something you are willing to trade in return for the trip — a prized possession that invokes the conceptual, almost art-like spirit of Dutch design.”

So, what’s free airfare, a three night stay (breakfast included), and a free dinner worth to you? A bicycle? Your remote control? That mug your niece made you in pottery class? Choose wisely; the winner’s object will be displayed at Lloyd Hotel.

You have until December 7 to enter. Just snap a photo of what you’d trade and upload it — what have you got to lose?

Get out and go: Events around the world (November 18-21)

by Brenda Yun on

It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Mexico – Birders will unite in the Yucatan Peninsula for the Yucatan Bird Festival from November 19-22. For the 8th consecutive year, the festival offers a wide range of field trips, exhibits, conferences, and a “birdathon.” Objectives of this annual festival include promoting the rich diversity of bird species found in the Yucatan and developing a conservationist culture among tourists and tour providers.
  • California – The California Surf Festival celebrates awareness and support for surf history preservation this weekend from November 19-22. It is an international event destination bringing people from all over the world to Oceanside, California, to experience surf culture through films, music, art, photography and interaction with those who embody the culture as well as highlight the surf community of California.
  • Amsterdam – The International Documentary Film Festival begins this Thursday, November 19. The film extravaganza will present over 300 documentaries over the course of 10 days, ending on the 29th.
  • Israel – Shalem Dance Festival will begin this Thursday, November 19 in Jerusalem. Over 50 Israeli and guest dancers perform in original contemporary dance works. This year’s highlight will feature contemporary dance ensembles from Africa. The festival ends on the 21st.

  • India – The Mim Kut and Pawl Kut Festival will be celebrated this Friday, November 20 in Mizoram. Celebrated in the last week of November or the first week of December, the festival celebrates the completion of the harvesting season.
  • Helsinki – This year Helsinki’s Chocolate Festival has a larger “box,” as it is held at Wanha Satama fair centre November 21-22. The festivali celebrates the diversity of the sweet stuff. Choco-connaisseurs share their sweet wisdom about the impact of chocolate on health, wellbeing, history of chocolate, production and variety.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

Dutch teen denied chance to solo circumnavigate the globe, for now

by Kraig Becker on

A few months back we posted a story about 13-year old Laura Dekker, who was hoping to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. At the time, the Dutch government stepped in to prevent her from making the journey by placing her under the care of child protection authorities while they reviewed her qualifications to make such a journey. Yesterday, a judge ruled that they felt that she lacked the experience necessary for circumnavigating the globe, and that Laura should remain under the supervision of the Council of Child Protection for the foreseeable future.

The decision isn’t a total loss for the now 14-year old girl. Her case will come up for review again next July, when it is quite possible they will rule in her favor and allow her to set out on the voyage. In the meantime, she’ll work hard to polish her skills under the tutelage of her father, who is an expert sailor himself. The judge also said that they felt that the teen was mentally prepared for the trip, but that they still had concerns about security and safety issues.

Laura’s parents are separated and seem to be split on the young girl’s adventure as well. Her father feels that she is more than prepared for the months at sea alone, but her mom has her doubts, and has gone on record as saying that she is too young to set out on her own.

This is just the latest in a growing trend of teens embarking on dangerous adventures so that they can claim the right to be called the youngest to have achieved one goal or another. Personally, I applaud the Dutch Government for taking a stand on this issue. While Laura may very well have the technical abilities necessary for long distance sailing, that doesn’t mean that she has the life experience necessary to deal with all the potential adversity she could face while at sea. Besides, if she just wants to make the journey, and it isn’t about achieving some record, then where is the harm in waiting a few more years? Does anyone else think that it’s wrong for someone this age to set out on such a dangerous voyage?