We’re just a handful of people off the 1000 mark of those who ‘Like’ us on Facebook. And if it so happens that you become number 1000, you will be the lucky person who wins (oh yeah) the opportunity to see how the magic happens itself by joining us in the studio for the morning of your choice.

What’s not to like about getting up practically in the middle of the night to come bleary eyed into a studio in Amsterdam and share the room with a bunch of people who simply love the sound of their own voices?

I mean, for example, today’s show had us talking about the gentle, laidback public holiday that is Australia Day. It says here : “Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then traveling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.”

Is this really Australia?

Anyway, we got some mileage from that and also Amsterdam Fashion Week, free cinema passes for tattoos and a playlist that surely must’ve exhausted the entire musical output of Australia.

Listen again here and here.

This morning’s entertainment focused around the following unconnected, yet fascinating subjects:

• Spreading the word of the sterlng work (or not as the case may be) performed by Amsterdam’s huurcommissie. The kinda people who make you wanna do this.
• The new carpet in the Tuschinski cinema (it’s more interesting than what you think. Honest)
• 
• How some translations just don’t work back into English (eg: broodje oude kaas = old cheese roll)
• How gays can be ‘cured’. And all on your Dutch health insurance too!
• How the Dutch got their cycle paths. Lovely little doc here.

This morning we learned all about Zanger Rinus (maybe not quite a Dutchie you Need to Know), not forgetting his lovely partner Renata (… “tooter, tooter… met Renata op mijn scooter”, sing along now everybody). We got a reminder of 2012’s public holidays in the Netherlands; the first weekend of April for Easter, and then whoosh not long to go before Queens Day on 30 April (on a Monday this year): so hang on in there!

After 08:00 we welcomed Lorna Wilson from Wilson’s Workouts (www.wilsonsworkouts.nl) to kick us up the backside for the new year: running opportunities in Amsterdam, Functional Movement Screening, and pre ski and snowboard exercises. Oh and we had a live star jump challenge. (See our Facebook page for the final score.)

Lorna will also be at the Vondelparkloop this Sunday 15 January from 11:15. So get in touch with her if you want to join in with that, or join one of her other classes.

First half of the show available to watch here, and the second half, what a surprise, right here.