Amsterdam: Day 5...
Oh, I suppose I could put aside time from listening to Brazilian music and working on art to do this photo heavy post.
One of my favourite parts about this day? I didn't have to be up early! I woke up when I wanted (roughly 10:45 a.m.) as this was the first day that I didn't have anything booked. I got up leisurely and took my time. That's what people most look forward to when on vacation, right? It was adorable to walk into the apartment and hear my host singing along to 4 Non-Blondes in her French accent. She greatly improved the song.
The view down from my terrace.
I headed over to the Jordaan neighbourhood to check out the Noordermarkt biological (as the Dutch say instead of "organic") farmers' market. It was so lovely. It's a great combination of food, drinks, antiques, books, clothing (new and used), and vintage (thrift) finds. I got some goodies, a body butter that I'm still using and loving, a polka dot vintage blouse, and this great scarf that's upcycled from men's blazers and long sleeve shirt. I also got a sketching that someone did of the city dated April 4, 1959. It looks to be an original and even if it's not, I love it.
View of Westerkerk from Noordermarkt.
Box of deer antlers at the biological market because why not.
Pot suckers at the biological market. I didn't get one.
The weather was beautiful so of course the Dutch and tourists were out in full force. I stopped into a jewellery boutique and chatted with the shopkeep. She thought I was an expat. She suggested I avoid the main strips for shopping and go off to the side streets which most shopkeeps will tell you is exactly the way to go and they are right. From my Facebook: Shopkeepers greet the people they think are tourists with, "Hello." I get greeted with, "Hoi." I'm blending in.
I wandered west of the biological market to check out some shops. Admittedly, I didn't do any shopping (I had enough in my hands from the market). I stopped in for a juice at Dr. Blend and immediately wished I found it sooner. So good!
This sign was in a shop which I don't remember the name of. Whoops.
Laser 3.14
I went to Felix & Foam which is a free (hooray!) art exhibit. Their was The Space Between Us. From their site:
The experience of our physical self and the way we present our physicality is a complex hard to unravel. The notion that the 'Self' is to a large extent a construct sometimes results in an alienation from one's own body. Look for instance to the extremities of plastic surgery or body building. The body is objectified, considered to be 'something else', something that can be molded and altered according to one's wishes. But there is also a need, perhaps more urgent than ever, to be 'real', a need to be authentic and unique. So influenced by social interaction and amplified by contemporary media, the representation of the body is trapped between subjectivism and (literary) objectivism.
I wanted to take photos of everything.
True.
Taken from the top of Felix & Foam.
Oh, hey! It's me and a tourist on the roof of Felix & Foam.
I did some strolling in the famous 9 Streets. I found most of the shops to be overpriced (not surprising) and not that interesting to me so that's why I didn't check out each street plus there were far too many tourists. I went to Episode (a thrift store) and got a cute bow tie. It's a big thrift shop, 2 large floors packed, so there's a lot to look through which doesn't always mean it's packed with treasures. I then went to a bookshop called Boekie Woekie which, I have to admit, I was underwhelmed by. They did have some really neat postcards that were made from clippings and/or photos that I guess were damaged with water (think like running paper through a washing machine and/or the dryer). I got one as a keepsake and I sent one off to a friend who never received it. :( Yes, if I didn't mention that, I mailed postcards from Amsterdam to a few people kind of as a souvenir.
Walking further, I wandered into Au Bout Du Monde bookshop because they did tarot readings. Ding, ding! I never shared this info on Facebook when I was there. This was a fun experience. I've had my tarot cards read before but what was charming about this one was that English was not the reader's first language so we had that to work through. It was really great and she shared some spiritual advice with me (having that balance between being grounded and spiritual). She discussed my life cards - Empress with Hanged Man and The World as shadow cards. Neat! We talked about how openminded the Dutch are, how no one batted an eye at my appearance (colourful hair and tattoos) and the importance of nurturing self.
After all this venturing, it was time to get some groceries and head back to the flat for a rest.
I decided to check out the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum. I don't know why I didn't realize this in the first place, but it's in the Red Light District. Ha! So I made my second trip there. As I was leaving the flat, the guy who lived on the main floor leaned out his window and spoke to me in Dutch. Based on his gesturing, I pieced together that he didn't like where I had parked my bike so I said I wouldn't park there again. We talked a bit more, he asked where I was going (I fibbed and said just out, no destination), then asked if I wanted to join him for a drink. I said, "No, thank you," and left. I had a bit of an uneasy feeling about it, but my initial reaction was concern that if I spoke to him too long that he would get the wrong idea. That suspicion was found to be true the next day and I'll share that in the next post.
The museum was alright. I liked the displays they had about weed smoking through the ages, different cultures, how it's so resourceful, etc. The guy working the gift shop area was nice and helpful, really educational. I got hemp chocolate, a pot sucker (the guy was clear it would not get me baked), and he even gave me a couple of magnets.
Big, beautiful plants grown at the museum.
I then headed to their gallery portion which is a couple of doors down. It, too, was alright. It was basically rehashing what was at the museum. There really wasn't anything else I wanted to check out in the Red Light District so I decided to just bike around neighbourhoods. Hey, I had nothing else to do, the weather was beautiful, and I wanted to avoid the tourists who were out for the weekend.
I'm not resizing this photo on purpose. You see that blue plaque waaaaay up in the corner and obscured? Yeah, that is a street sign. That is what I had to contend with! AND that basically looks like an alley so why would anyone think that's a street?!
Canal graffiti.
Love locks. I had no idea what this was or that this was a thing until I posted this photo on Facebook.
Open book sharing. Take a book and leave a couple of bucks. There were English and Dutch books, but none of them caught my eye.
I found a sushi place close to the flat so I picked some up and took it back to my room. From my Facebook:
Locking up my bike, Minty Fresh...
Guy - *Dutch stuff*
Me - English?
Guy - *more Dutch stuff* Wait, you don't speak Dutch?
Me - No.
Guy - I say I like the way of your hair.
My final Facebook post of the day: Day 5 of Amsterdam is complete. Today Amsterdam reminded me that I'm rejuvenated and feel whole when I'm surrounded by art and creativity. It reminded me the importance of nourishing ourselves so we can be our shining, true selves.
One of my favourite parts about this day? I didn't have to be up early! I woke up when I wanted (roughly 10:45 a.m.) as this was the first day that I didn't have anything booked. I got up leisurely and took my time. That's what people most look forward to when on vacation, right? It was adorable to walk into the apartment and hear my host singing along to 4 Non-Blondes in her French accent. She greatly improved the song.
The view down from my terrace.
I headed over to the Jordaan neighbourhood to check out the Noordermarkt biological (as the Dutch say instead of "organic") farmers' market. It was so lovely. It's a great combination of food, drinks, antiques, books, clothing (new and used), and vintage (thrift) finds. I got some goodies, a body butter that I'm still using and loving, a polka dot vintage blouse, and this great scarf that's upcycled from men's blazers and long sleeve shirt. I also got a sketching that someone did of the city dated April 4, 1959. It looks to be an original and even if it's not, I love it.
View of Westerkerk from Noordermarkt.
Box of deer antlers at the biological market because why not.
Pot suckers at the biological market. I didn't get one.
The weather was beautiful so of course the Dutch and tourists were out in full force. I stopped into a jewellery boutique and chatted with the shopkeep. She thought I was an expat. She suggested I avoid the main strips for shopping and go off to the side streets which most shopkeeps will tell you is exactly the way to go and they are right. From my Facebook: Shopkeepers greet the people they think are tourists with, "Hello." I get greeted with, "Hoi." I'm blending in.
I wandered west of the biological market to check out some shops. Admittedly, I didn't do any shopping (I had enough in my hands from the market). I stopped in for a juice at Dr. Blend and immediately wished I found it sooner. So good!
This sign was in a shop which I don't remember the name of. Whoops.
Laser 3.14
I went to Felix & Foam which is a free (hooray!) art exhibit. Their was The Space Between Us. From their site:
The experience of our physical self and the way we present our physicality is a complex hard to unravel. The notion that the 'Self' is to a large extent a construct sometimes results in an alienation from one's own body. Look for instance to the extremities of plastic surgery or body building. The body is objectified, considered to be 'something else', something that can be molded and altered according to one's wishes. But there is also a need, perhaps more urgent than ever, to be 'real', a need to be authentic and unique. So influenced by social interaction and amplified by contemporary media, the representation of the body is trapped between subjectivism and (literary) objectivism.
I wanted to take photos of everything.
True.
Taken from the top of Felix & Foam.
Oh, hey! It's me and a tourist on the roof of Felix & Foam.
I did some strolling in the famous 9 Streets. I found most of the shops to be overpriced (not surprising) and not that interesting to me so that's why I didn't check out each street plus there were far too many tourists. I went to Episode (a thrift store) and got a cute bow tie. It's a big thrift shop, 2 large floors packed, so there's a lot to look through which doesn't always mean it's packed with treasures. I then went to a bookshop called Boekie Woekie which, I have to admit, I was underwhelmed by. They did have some really neat postcards that were made from clippings and/or photos that I guess were damaged with water (think like running paper through a washing machine and/or the dryer). I got one as a keepsake and I sent one off to a friend who never received it. :( Yes, if I didn't mention that, I mailed postcards from Amsterdam to a few people kind of as a souvenir.
Walking further, I wandered into Au Bout Du Monde bookshop because they did tarot readings. Ding, ding! I never shared this info on Facebook when I was there. This was a fun experience. I've had my tarot cards read before but what was charming about this one was that English was not the reader's first language so we had that to work through. It was really great and she shared some spiritual advice with me (having that balance between being grounded and spiritual). She discussed my life cards - Empress with Hanged Man and The World as shadow cards. Neat! We talked about how openminded the Dutch are, how no one batted an eye at my appearance (colourful hair and tattoos) and the importance of nurturing self.
After all this venturing, it was time to get some groceries and head back to the flat for a rest.
I decided to check out the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum. I don't know why I didn't realize this in the first place, but it's in the Red Light District. Ha! So I made my second trip there. As I was leaving the flat, the guy who lived on the main floor leaned out his window and spoke to me in Dutch. Based on his gesturing, I pieced together that he didn't like where I had parked my bike so I said I wouldn't park there again. We talked a bit more, he asked where I was going (I fibbed and said just out, no destination), then asked if I wanted to join him for a drink. I said, "No, thank you," and left. I had a bit of an uneasy feeling about it, but my initial reaction was concern that if I spoke to him too long that he would get the wrong idea. That suspicion was found to be true the next day and I'll share that in the next post.
The museum was alright. I liked the displays they had about weed smoking through the ages, different cultures, how it's so resourceful, etc. The guy working the gift shop area was nice and helpful, really educational. I got hemp chocolate, a pot sucker (the guy was clear it would not get me baked), and he even gave me a couple of magnets.
Big, beautiful plants grown at the museum.
I then headed to their gallery portion which is a couple of doors down. It, too, was alright. It was basically rehashing what was at the museum. There really wasn't anything else I wanted to check out in the Red Light District so I decided to just bike around neighbourhoods. Hey, I had nothing else to do, the weather was beautiful, and I wanted to avoid the tourists who were out for the weekend.
I'm not resizing this photo on purpose. You see that blue plaque waaaaay up in the corner and obscured? Yeah, that is a street sign. That is what I had to contend with! AND that basically looks like an alley so why would anyone think that's a street?!
Canal graffiti.
Love locks. I had no idea what this was or that this was a thing until I posted this photo on Facebook.
Open book sharing. Take a book and leave a couple of bucks. There were English and Dutch books, but none of them caught my eye.
I found a sushi place close to the flat so I picked some up and took it back to my room. From my Facebook:
Locking up my bike, Minty Fresh...
Guy - *Dutch stuff*
Me - English?
Guy - *more Dutch stuff* Wait, you don't speak Dutch?
Me - No.
Guy - I say I like the way of your hair.
My final Facebook post of the day: Day 5 of Amsterdam is complete. Today Amsterdam reminded me that I'm rejuvenated and feel whole when I'm surrounded by art and creativity. It reminded me the importance of nourishing ourselves so we can be our shining, true selves.