dear friends,

i love amsterdam. it’s one of only two places i have found in my travels (so far), that i would live (aside from my homeland).

we stayed in a funky hotel just a 10 minute train ride from the airport; also conveniently located next to a tram stop that ran straight into the middle of the city

[a number of] years ago i might have seen the appeal of sitting in one of the many cafe’s the city is famed for all day getting stoned, but not any more. i’ll leave that to someone else now. i’ve got places to go and things to see:

such as this store, full of quirky items including glass eyes from world war two

and a bronze titmouse. the description of which (on their website) reads

…my favorite Dutch word (of the moment) has got to be ‘hebbedingetjes’. It’s an all-encompassing category that acts as an umbrella under which shelter all the things one wants but might (or most definitely) not use. The thing that I like so much about it is the sense of urgency, that it doesn’t just translate as little things one wants, but really as sweet little things that one thinks might just be necessary for life to continue in the manner in which one desires.

that is so totally how i feel about it! like my life is forever changed because i saw this thing and can’t have it, and my life cannot possibly ever be as rich as it could be if only i had that bird. sigh…

yet life did go on. and it included trips to the van gogh museum and anne frank house and a visit to the world press photo exhibition.

it astonishes me how much hatred and intolerance humans are capable of; both back in anne’s time and still now. how do i balance that out with love, peace and acceptance when i am just one person? by keeping these words close to my heart…

I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.
– anne frank

i am so in love with dutch apple cake (try the one at mokka in The Nine Streets or “De Negen Straatjes,” area if you visit – ours was still warm, straight from the oven) that i fear i would definitely need to buy a bicycle if we did live there, and do a few laps around the block each day in order to satisfy my desire for more cake

and cheese

and frites with mayo.

amongst the best finds on our trip was an organic restaurant called AS. this is located south of the city (and conveniently within walking distance of our hotel). we did wonder when we went in what we’d got ourselves in for, as there is no menu or wine list at hand. we simply got a choice of a 3, 4 or 5 course meal and a choice of red or white wine. we also had no idea what it was going to cost us. so we just went with the flow and were delighted with the result. delicious organic food, served very simply in a fabulous setting. magic lies in moments such as this one.

it’s virtually impossible to get a photograph in amsterdam without a bicycle in it and i loved this one especially

do you think the two companies at the top of this sign moved in together on purpose?

with love to you wherever you are…
-leonie

p.s. more photographs up on flickr