Friday evening I went out for a walk as the fog began to form. The lights of the city, shops
and houses took on an eerie yellow halo.
I took pictures randomly as I slowly wandered towards the Spui to visit a friend at his
work (a bar) but stopped for dinner on the way. One of the great things about Amsterdam
is that there is no shortage of nice restaurants, bars and cafés. The food choices is mind-boggling,
so I went for something easy and not expensive.
But let me explain one thing, I am not out trying to create art with my photographs tonight.
I am not out to document the city or make a statement. Tonight I am merely sharing the
random sights of Amsterdam with anyone who stumbles across my little site. The city
has no limit to the amount of unusual sights and sounds. It changes every day. Each time
I leave the house I see something I have never seen before – without exception.
But also it gives me a chance to clear my head, to interact with my neighbors and random
tourists, to give assistance or directions and advice to people I run into. To re-orient the
disoriented.
I’m just another guy with a camera in a city full of people with cameras. This is what I saw…
-=click on pictures to enlarge them=-
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- Les Enfants Terribles – Het Ergste Moet Nog Komen
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- Skinny Bridge (magerebrug) in the fog
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- Keisersgracht bridge on the Amstel in the fog
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- Amsterdam Houseboats in the fog of the Oudeschans canal
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- Foggy canal behind the Sluyswacht Café with solitary man walking.
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- The Sluyswacht Café looking very gezellig, romantic and cozy in the foggy evening
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- Rembrandt Corner Café will sell tobacco and alcohol to you if you are over 16 and hard drinks if you are over 18. Yay Holland
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- Rembrandt Corner Café (next to Rembrandt House) glowing red in the fog
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- Zuiderkerk (Southern Church) looking magical in the drifting fog and sodium lights
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- Sad that “no drinking in the park” sign needs to be in the shadow of the Zuiderkerk
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- Canal houses and foggy Zwanengurgwal street along the canal, Rembrandt Corner in the background
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- Amnesty International clever awareness campaign for Nasrin Sotoudeh www.4weeksforfreedom.nl
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- Tiny lady wind-up robot in an Utrechtsestraat shop window
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- Ridiculous dog head glasses display in a shop window of Sint Antoniesbreestraat
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- Several of these in a shop window. Non ho capito…. :-/ ???
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- Odeon building underlit with blue lights
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- Scooters in the foreground of the Krijtberg Catholic church on the Singel canal
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- Colorfully lit stairwell of a building on the Reguliersdwarsstraat near the pink light district
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- LUX tower of the JantjesVerjaardag building underlit with red lights on the Reguliersbreestraat
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- JantjesVerjaardag building on Reguliersbreestraat underlit with red lights
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- Marie Stella Maris IDFA film festival is now in Rembrandtplein instead of the horrible “Winter Wonderland” of previous years
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- Starbuck’s invasion begins at the Rembrandtplein, casting shadows on the sidewalk
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- Unusual rocket glass Christmas tree ornament in Utrechtsestraat shop window
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- Funky toy robot in an Utrechtsestraat shop window
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- Christmas chandelier with ornaments in a shop window of the Utrechtsestraat
Thank you for bringing back such powerfully beautiful memories for me. I haven’t been back to Amsterdam in several years but I left my heart there, truly, and I will never be the same until I am reunited with it once again. When you next wander the streets, if you hear the bells of the church chime. Take a moment and send a wish into the universe for me that somehow, some way, everything will be okay for my daughter and I. 🙂 x Sharing love from San Francisco.
Melisa, thanks for the comment. I will walk to the Staalstraat bridge, look up the Groenburgwal canal and watch the Zuiderkerk as the beiaard plays the carillon in the evening sun and make a wish for you and your daughter that everything will be ok. 🙂 x