A lot happens outside the Netherlands

I just got back early this morning after a harrowing 13-hour trip from Gothenburg to Amsterdam. It included a change of flights in Munich (don't ask why), which we missed because of a 45-minute delay (don't ask, and I won't go into the details of the charms of airport hotels and voucher dinners).

A lot happens outside the Netherlands and you only really appreciate that fact when you leave the country every now and again. From the flashy hypercapitalism at Schiphol airport to the Hansic charms of a Swedish west coast city. I was updated on the relaxed atmosphere in Gothenburg -a city which I hadn't seen since 2003- and found out this time that it's nicknamed "Little London", for no reason that's very visible when roaming around the centre. If anything, it's still quite Scandinavian, which it is.

Then on Saturday the news reached us that the Polish president and 95 others on his plane were killed in a crash near Smolensk, Russia. I read all about his lifestory and the accident on the plane to Munich and couldn't help but cross my fingers for ourselves on the plane, and conclude that this crash is something of a small catastrophe for Poland. I also wondered how it is possible that the president travelled on one and the same plane with the head of the national bank, the high commander of the army, a bishop, and a host of elected politicians. An accident of these proportions in central Europe seems something that could only occur in long passed times, or in some obscure far-away third world country. But it happened this weekend, to an EU member state.

Opening my email upon arriving home, I read from a friend working for the UN in Sudan that that country is in the middle of its second unfair-elections day, where casting a vote takes on average 19 minutes because of the complicated electoral law and the most important opposition party withdrew from the race. She optimistically expressed the hope that next elections will be better, and added a funny YouTube song about the Daily Mail. It's quite funny, have a look.

A lot happens outside of the Netherlands. But now, back to business. Inside the Netherlands.