US Comedian attempts to show that there’s more to do in Holland than visit “coffee shops”

by McLean Robbins on



US Comedian Mark Malkoff is on a mission. After hearing a proposed Dutch law that would make it illegal for tourists to visit coffee shops in Holland, he embarked on a creative video mission: he would travel to the country and make a video series about 101 Other Things to Do In Holland. #65? Hang a painting in the Van Gogh Museum (and, apparently, visit the way cool museum restrooms).

Comedian and filmmaker Malkoff is no stranger to fame – he’s been featured on programs including The Today Show, Fox News, Jay Leno and Regis and Kelly as well as stared in a viral video where he visited and consumed purchases at all 171 Starbucks locations in Manhattan in less than 24 hours. Mark also achieved worldwide media attention by living and sleeping in an IKEA store in Paramus, New Jersey for an entire week.

So what do you think of his latest campaign, which includes daily video updates? Clever media stunt by the Netherlands tourism board or yet another portrayal of the ignorant American traveler?

Video of the Day: Smuggling marijuana from Amersterdam

by Mike Barish on

Mr. Show with Bob and David is, arguably, the greatest sketch comedy show ever. When they took on the nerve-wracking experience of trying to smuggle marijuana back from Amsterdam, it was hilarious. While the TSA has made the airport experience stressful even if you aren’t doing anything illegal, this scene hysterically captures what happens when backpackers try their hand at something that professional drug smugglers struggle to do: act natural.

Of course, we at Gadling neither condone nor recommend drug smuggling. Furthermore, there is certainly more to do in Amsterdam than just smoking pot (not to mention that, pretty soon, tourists might not even have access to weed in Holland). However, this clip had us laughing as hard as we did when it first aired years ago. Travel safely and always be sure to remember where you packed your shampoo!

If you have a great travel video that you think we might enjoy, share the link in a comment below. We could feature it as our next Video of the Day!

Scratch and sniff cannabis cards distributed by Dutch police

by Sean McLachlan on

The new government of The Netherlands has been cracking down on marijuana-serving coffee shops lately, and now it’s setting its sights on marijuana cultivation.

Police are distributing 30,000 scratch and sniff cards to homes in Rotterdam and The Hague to help people identify the smell of cannabis. That’s right, many Dutch people apparently don’t know what pot smells like. Just because something’s decriminalized doesn’t mean everyone does it.

While possession of up to five grams of pot and the cultivation of up to five plants is decriminalized, large-scale growing is illegal and authorities consider it a problem. The cops are hoping people will scratch the cards, take a good whiff, and then sniff around near their neighbors’ backyards and narc on them if they turn out to be growing something they shouldn’t be.

The cards also ask citizens to be vigilant in noticing if their neighbors keep their blinds closed, have ventilators running all the time, or use a lot of electricity.

This latest move appears to be attacking coffee shops from another direction. While some localities are closing shops down or making them members-only to keep out the tourists, the authorities recognize that illegal farms (up to 40,000 in the entire country, they estimate) are needed to supply the shops with weed.

[Photo courtesy user Bastique via Wikimedia Commons]

Calling all gingers for Holland’s redhead festival!

by Annie Scott on

Coebergh Redhead Festival is an event in Breda, Holland, which originated in 2005 and is now a worldwide annual phenomenon. Thousands of natural — or so they claim — redheads from all over the globe (over 36 countries in 2009) will gather in Breda’s Big Square, Grote Markt, for photoshoots, musical performances, a fashion show, lectures about the origins and significance of red hair and more.

The Coebergh (a popular women’s drink) Redhead Festival or “Redhead Day” was originally conceived by artist Bart Rouwenhorst, and art features heavily in the festivities, which include a “red” exhibition in nearby Grote Kerk with a giant, red Rapunzel braid as the central work.

Sunday, September 5, 2010 is the big day. If you want to go to Breda, the nearest airports are Rotterdam and Eindhoven, but you can also fly into Amsterdam Schiphol or Brussels Zaventem (they’re equidistant from Breda) and take the train. You can find a hotel here at the Breda Tourist Office.

To participate in Sunday’s (and the preceding Saturday’s) exciting activities for the fair of skin and red of hair, just register on the website by clicking here. It’s free of charge, and what could be more fun than to walk in a gingery sea of your own kind?

[Photo by e3000 via Flickr.]

14-year old girl denied solo circumnavigation attempt again

by Kraig Becker on

14-year old Laura Dekker, who we first mentioned last year when she first announced that she hoped to circumnavigate the globe at the age of 13, has been denied permission to set sail once again. Yesterday, a Dutch court ruled that Dekker would remain a ward of the state until August 1st, and that conditions were not safe for her to set out on her journey at this time, much to the dismay of the teenager who hopes to break the record for the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

Last August, the Dutch courts intervened in the girl’s plans, preventing her from sailing at that time. In December of last year, she ran away to St. Maarten in the Caribbean in the hopes that she could somehow get a boat there and begin the voyage on her own. When she was returned home to the Netherlands, child protective services took her under their care, and although she was allowed to live at home with her father, all major decisions regarding her welfare had to be approved by the government.

Following her flight to St. Maarten, the court promised to review her case and give her a chance to demonstrate her skills as a sailor. Since that time, Laura has purchased a new, larger boat, and has taken it on several solo cruises, while also undergoing a battery of tests to provide proof of her ability to sail. Both of her parents are experienced sailors, and the girl was even born on a boat while at sea, so her technical skills are not in question.

The current record for the youngest to sail solo around the world is held by Jessica Watson, who completed her journey last month, three days shy of her 17th birthday. Laura has said that she hopes to break that record, even if it is just by one day. That would give her more than two full years to make the journey, but for now, she won’t be able to get underway until at least August of this year.

There is no indication if the recent struggles of American solo-sailor Abby Sunderland played a role in yesterday’s decision by the Dutch courts either.

[Photo by: Valerie Kuypers/EPA]