Following the Equator

Focus On: European license plates

If you find yourself in a tour bus on a highway somewhere in central Europe, looking out at the license plates of the cars passing by, you might think Europeans have devised a public way to grade drivers.  

There are cars whose license plates bear an "A"; presumably they are the best drivers. Then there are those license plates marked with a "B"; good drivers still, one supposes, but could be better with more road practice. Before you know it, license plates marked "D" and even "F" pass by—with drivers either oblivious to their poor grade or defiantly refusing to let it bother them. 

Suddenly, as you wonder why you haven't seen a "C" driver all morning, an "E" drives by. An extra rung on the ladder of shame before hitting "F," perhaps? Then a "P." A driver graded on a pass/fail basis, maybe? Then an "NL." Not Listed? No License? 

If the grading-system hypothesis is beginning to feel like a stretch, it's because it is. The letters represent the country the car (and driver) is from. "A" is Austria. "B" is Belgium. "D" is Germany (Deutschland). "E" is Spain (España). "F" is France. "P" is Portugal. And "NL" is the Netherlands.

Focus On: The Atomium

There was once a time when the arrangement of atoms inside iron crystal was kept pretty low-key.

Then along came the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58) and its signature structure: a 335-foot-tall rendering of a pattern of iron atoms, called The Atomium. It's 165 billion times bigger than a real set of iron atoms, so you can't miss it.

There are nine spheres in total, each one representing an atom. Six of the nine are open to visitors—inside them, there's exhibit halls, panoramic views and the like.

The most fun train station video

We've seen some creative displays in train stations before, but this one might top them all.

Our good friend, EF Group Leader Greg Holmes, tipped us off to this video from Central Station in Antwerp, Belgium:

The stunt—with more than 200 dancers choreographed to "Do Re Mi" last month—was a promotion for a Belgian television program, Op zoek naar Maria (Looking for Maria). The talent competition—based on the BBC's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?—is searching for the lead role of Maria von Trapp in a revival of the popular musical The Sound of Music at Efteling Theatre in the Netherlands.

Greg hopes the video serves as a lesson for his students traveling to Europe this summer. He sent us this humorous note:

"I just sent out a YouTube video to my Europe group that you might like. I always arrange my kids into groups of about six to eight from our first meeting on and use these for quick counts in train stations and terminals, where large throngs of people can make it difficult to know if you have everyone. This video seemed to be right up our alley. I told them that this was my group from last year and I expected them to rise to the challenge of becoming as well organized prior to our departure. If nothing else, if you have not seen this, it is a very cute video."

Good luck, Greg, getting your students this well organized on tour. And thanks, as always, for the tip and the video.

Friday Fun Fact: European density

Photo: Brapke via Flickr

With a population of 82 million, Germany has more people than any other European Union nation. Not a shabby total by any means—that's roughly the equivalent of a quarter of the U.S. population. And yet, area-wise, Germany is only a little bit bigger than New Mexico and a little smaller than Montana.

No Big Sky here: Germany has 596 people per square mile, compared with 80 in the United States and just eight in Canada. And that only earns Germany the 56th spot on the list of most densely populated countries, and sixth among European countries (Gibraltar, Malta, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom are, so to speak, denser).

The place on earth with least space between you and your neighbor? Macau (Special Administrative Region of China) with more than 40,000 people per square mile.