no more moriaroyalty free (author's own image)

No more Moria: this is the story of one refugee camp

In recent years, I have heard and read too many opinions and comments from people around the world, opinions full of hatred and disgust for fellow humans that they don’t know, for humans who are suffering, for humans who didn’t choose to…
Green-roofed bus shelters in HaarlemArianna Ardia-Wenink
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Green-roofed bus shelters in Haarlem

Two bus shelters at the Verwulft in Haarlem have gone 'green'. Since 7 September, the bus shelters have been installed with eco-roofs and are topped with plants. Residents of the surrounding houses can now look out onto a mini garden. The plants…
the discomfort of eveningroyalty free (promo shot of the winning book)
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Dutch win for the 2020 International Booker Prize

The Discomfort of Evening, by author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and translator Michele Hutchison, was announced as the winner of the 2020 International Booker Prize at the end of August. A number of 'firsts' came with this announcement, as this…
Waste Free: local initiatives and what to do to fight food wastehttps://haarlemlink.nl/initiatief/haarlem-food-future
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Local initiatives to combat food waste

Every year, we throw away 34 kilos of food per person. This shocking statistic raises the question: what can we do about this? Haarlem Food Future is committed to combating food waste, for example with the 'Doggy Bag' scheme and providing inspiration…
STAD AMSTERDAM AT THE MARITIME MUSEUMTHE MARITIME MUSEUM AMSTERDAM
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Stad Amsterdam at the Maritime Museum

The clipper Stad Amsterdam will be moored at The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam until the end of March 2021. The clipper Stad Amsterdam will arrive at The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam at the beginning of September. After…
Body found in the Spaarne near Catharijnebrug in HaarlemCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RM513353-Haarlem-Catharijnenbrug-01.JPGNetherlands license.
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Body found in the Spaarne near Catharijnebrug in Haarlem

A body was found in Haarlem on Saturday afternoon in the Spaarne near the Catharijnebrug. It concerns a 35-year-old man from Haarlem. At around 14:30 on Saturday 29 August, passers-by discovered the body and alerted the police. The…
Hema leaves Kruisstraat and moves to the old Hudson's BayHema
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HEMA leaves Kruisstraat for good and moves to former Hudson's Bay in Verwulft

On 5 September, the HEMA store on the Kruisstraat will close its doors for good. The entire contents and all the staff will move from Kruisstraat to the former V&D and later Hudson's Bay building on Verwulft. The new store opens on 14 September. It…
Heavily pregnant cow walks into a busy Brabant restaurantDe Brabantse Kluis a
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Heavily pregnant cow walks into a busy Brabant restaurant

Imagine this happens to you ... you are having a nice dinner in a restaurant and suddenly a heavily pregnant cow walks in. This happened on Thursday evening in Brabant's restaurant Herberg De Brabantse Kluis. De Brabantse Kluis at Kloosterdreef …
The CoronaMelder coronavirus app is in an advanced stage of development trialled in several regions in the Netherlands and in multiple languagesGovernment of the Netherlands.Government of the Netherlands
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Dutch CoronaMelder coronavirus app to feature multiple languages

The CoronaMelder coronavirus app is in an advanced stage of development. CoronaMelder is currently being trialled in several regions in the Netherlands and will offer multiple language options, including English, German, Polish and Turkish,…
Beverwijk Bazaar open or partly closed?falco via Pixabay
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Concerns about coronavirus measures at Beverwijk Bazaar

The Veiligheidsregio Kennemerland (Kennemerland Region Security Organisation) has decided to close three halls that are part of the Beverwijk Bazaar, Hall 30 to Hall 33, for two weeks. However, Bazaar Beverwijk entrepreneurs refuse to close…
No ice skating in the summer in Haarlem anymoreIjsbaan Haarlem
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Summer ice skating causes environmental concerns

Friends of the Earth Netherlands called on the municipality of Haarlem to close the rink as soon as possible and let the ice melt. It sounded like a charming idea. Enjoy skating in the summer, on the semi-covered ice rink in Haarlem. However,…
You don't believe it: the rent in Haarlem drops
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You won't believe it: the rent in Haarlem drops

It is hard to believe, but it is true: the rent per square metre in the free sector fell in Haarlem in the second quarter of this year, according to figures from NVM Makelaars. Earlier this year, all the way back in February, the average…
Thermometers, hand gel, ordering by phone and long rows of chairs: this is what the sit down edition of Haarlem Jazz & More looks like this year.
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Haarlem Jazz Sit-Down Edition: thermometers, hand gel and long rows of chairs

Thermometers, hand gel, ordering by phone and long rows of chairs: this is what the sit-down edition of Haarlem Jazz & More looks like this year. Haarlem Jazz & More is a unique multi-day event in the old town of Haarlem. Due…
Haarlem wine storeroyalty free (image provided by the store owner; can use without attribution)
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'A sense of place' is our favourite wine store in Haarlem!

After Markus Praat spent 6 months managing a wine store in Brooklyn, he decided to bring some Brooklyn air back to Haarlem. Now, he has opened a new, truly cosy and welcoming wine store that does things differently: selling honest products in…
Schools start again in North HollandVeilig Verkeer Nederland
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Schools start again in North Holland

The primary schools will start again on Monday 17 August. This means that many children go to school by bicycle and on foot. Coinciding with the opening of primary schools after the summer break, the Veilig Verkeer Nederland (VVN) (National…
Testing centre at Schiphol Airport open from this week
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Testing centre at Schiphol Airport open from this week

A testing centre at Schiphol Airport opened on Friday 14 August. This is where travellers returning from high-risk areas can get themselves tested. Read about what that involves. By getting yourself tested for COVID-19 at Schiphol,…
Info face masks mandatory in parts of AmsterdamCity of Amsterdam
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Face masks mandatory in parts of Amsterdam

Since Wednesday 5 August, it has been mandatory for anyone the age of 13 and above to wear a non-medical face mask in parts of Amsterdam city centre. These designated areas have been selected due to there being limited space and where it…
Haarlem porn house unsaleableFunda
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Haarlem porn house unsaleable

The kinky apartment on Gedempte Raamgracht in Haarlem, where artist Willemijn de Lint took care of the interior, turns out to be unsaleable. So she decided to paint everything white. The apartment, with jacuzzi, triple bed and hooks in…
End of heat in sight: showers and thunderstorms and cooler weekendKNMI
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End of heat in sight: showers and thunderstorms and cooler weekend

In a few days, the heatwave that the whole country has been dealing with for a week will end. According to KNMI, after some thunderstorms and rain showers, it will be 'only' 25-28 degrees from Friday.  Today was another hot day in the…
Refilling water bottle more dirty than licking toilet seatPhoto by Kate Joie on Unsplash
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Refilling water bottle more dirty than licking toilet seat

While reusing water bottles is good for the environment, it may not be as good for us. Research has shown that recycled water bottles can contain more bacteria than a toilet seat. For the study, water bottles of athletes were tested to…
There is recurrent car vandalism in the Vijfhoek in Haarlem. Local Municipality and Police are aware of the situation but do nothing. The citizens pay the fee of this uncontrolled vandalism.
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Car vandalism in the Vijfhoek

Last Friday morning my car was damaged in de Vijfhoek. The perpetrator has fled. Local residents say that trucks very regularly do not easily make the bend in the Gedempte Raamgracht, damage a car and flee. The Municipality of Haarlem and the…
The Netherlands officially has the first national heat wave of the yearGerd Altmann via Pixabay
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First official national heat wave of the year

The Netherlands officially has the first national heat wave of the year. Around 10 a.m. a temperature of 25 degrees was measured in De Bilt. To be classed as a nationwide heatwave, the De Bilt weather station must record a five-day period…
Million building in Droste factory for saleAfbeelding van Jori Samonen via Pixabay
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Million building in Droste factory for sale

In the old Haarlem Droste factory, there is an apartment is for sale for 2.1 million euros. Although such amounts are more common in a city such as Amsterdam, they are quite unusual in Haarlem. In this case the price could be explained…
Connexxion: This weekend extra buses from Haarlem to Zandvoort beachCreative Commons CC0 1.0 Universele Public Domain Dedication
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Connexxion: This weekend extra buses from Haarlem to Zandvoort beach

Connexxion will run more buses this weekend from Haarlem to the beach at Zandvoort. The transport company says that they learned a lesson from last Friday, when it was overcrowded in the buses on the way to the sea. This weekend there…
covid-19 rise
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We have a rise in COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands, please remember to stay safe

As COVID-19 cases rise, people in the Netherlands seem to act like the virus doesn't exist. Please remember that the first wave of the pandemic has never ended in the Netherlands. Let's make sure we, our families and the people around us are…
Greenjoy Boat Renting Summer 2020: Special € 20 Discount for expatsHaarlem readers
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Greenjoy Boat Renting Summer 2020: Special € 20 Discount for expatsHaarlem readers

Wow, it’s amazing.. SUNNY WEATHER IN THE NETHERLANDS! Can you believe it? Why not making the most of it then? The weather forecast seems to be pretty awesome for the coming week! Let's hope even weeks! Are you – like many others – eager…
solar energyroyalty free (reuse possible without attribution)
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Haarlemmers to harness the power of the sun with KweekZon

It was announced on 4 July that there will be 700 solar panels installed on the greenhouses of the Haarlemmer Kweektuin. Harlemmers from eligible postcode areas, who don't have space for solar panels on their own homes, can apply to join the…
New wine bar Zuid Noord
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A natural wine bar & bistro in the centre of Haarlem!

Our new favorite wine place Zuid Noord Natuurwijnbar & Bistro, is not only open in the evening (Wednesday–Saturday, 17:00–22:00), but is now open for Friday & Saturday lunch, from 12:00–14:30. Warm seasonal soups, fresh salads,…
News: Swimming in Spaarne dangerous & forbidden
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Police warns against swimming in the Spaarne: fine €140

With such a good weather, the police has seen people swimming in the Spaarne. This is dangerous and forbidden. The following days will still be nice and warm and the Haarlem police announced that they will constantly patrol the Spaarne with…
wind farmroyalty free (resuse possible withput attribution)
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Dutch renewable energy consumption is increasing – but is it fast enough?

According to a recent report released in early June by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the usage of green energy increased by 16% in 2019 relative to the previous year across all renewable sources. However, this only accounted for 8.6% of the…