I admit I love Amsterdam and Dutch people in general. I don't entirely get the sense of humor, but that's okay. Dutch people are fairly aware that most non-Dutch people don't get their humor and they're okay with that too.
That is what I love about Amsterdam. I feel free there. To dress as I want, eat what I want, and to generally do whatever I want while being respectful of the people who live in Amsterdam.
I've been going to Amsterdam since 2005 when a then friend who was living there asked me if I wanted to come hang out and detox with her after a particularly gruesome series of fashion weeks. I'd just got back to Paris and it began all over again. I was about to lose my mind.
I took the train with her and we hopped into a cab. I didn't know it at the time but this is a complete niet-niet in Amsterdam. We should have taken the tram or hoofed it. I knew it was a mistake when I watched a buxom girl on a 10 speed strap her suitcase on and ride away. Lesson learned.
So this then friend was living in the Weteringstraats near the French consulate and for one week I just lazed about Amsterdam doing whatever I felt like and of course popping into coffeeshops here and there. I went to galleries, drank absinthe, pretended not to be peeking at the wares on display behind backlit panes of glass in the Red Light district lest someone think I was more than window shopping, and tried to pronounce words properly. When I realised I could also buy amazing vintage clothing from a street vendor for less than a Meal Deal at McDonald's I knew I would have to come back again and again...well played Holland.
That was the beginning of my love affair with Holland. In the six years since that visit I have spent all but two vacations either in part or in full in Holland. I've been considering for two years to move there for a few years, but when the little house became a possibility, I sort of shelved my longing.
I'm going to be in Amsterdam for two weeks and I can't wait. I've got a new laptop to write on and I feel like the Muse will be kind. The last time I was in Amsterdam for longer than a week was when I stayed for four months and wrote an entire non-fiction book that may or may not be published one day. So maybe this time I can write a chunk of a fiction novel that will be published one day sooner than later?
All because I found an ad on Craigslist where someone wanted to rent out their place for cheap to watch their cats.
If you're in Amsterdam, come find me. I will be the extremely happy girl in some Comme des Garcons clothing or a Justice League t-shirt trying to make my dreams come true. See if you can spot me!
(Just wait until Friday because I won't be there until then.)
That is what I love about Amsterdam. I feel free there. To dress as I want, eat what I want, and to generally do whatever I want while being respectful of the people who live in Amsterdam.
I've been going to Amsterdam since 2005 when a then friend who was living there asked me if I wanted to come hang out and detox with her after a particularly gruesome series of fashion weeks. I'd just got back to Paris and it began all over again. I was about to lose my mind.
I took the train with her and we hopped into a cab. I didn't know it at the time but this is a complete niet-niet in Amsterdam. We should have taken the tram or hoofed it. I knew it was a mistake when I watched a buxom girl on a 10 speed strap her suitcase on and ride away. Lesson learned.
So this then friend was living in the Weteringstraats near the French consulate and for one week I just lazed about Amsterdam doing whatever I felt like and of course popping into coffeeshops here and there. I went to galleries, drank absinthe, pretended not to be peeking at the wares on display behind backlit panes of glass in the Red Light district lest someone think I was more than window shopping, and tried to pronounce words properly. When I realised I could also buy amazing vintage clothing from a street vendor for less than a Meal Deal at McDonald's I knew I would have to come back again and again...well played Holland.
That was the beginning of my love affair with Holland. In the six years since that visit I have spent all but two vacations either in part or in full in Holland. I've been considering for two years to move there for a few years, but when the little house became a possibility, I sort of shelved my longing.
I'm going to be in Amsterdam for two weeks and I can't wait. I've got a new laptop to write on and I feel like the Muse will be kind. The last time I was in Amsterdam for longer than a week was when I stayed for four months and wrote an entire non-fiction book that may or may not be published one day. So maybe this time I can write a chunk of a fiction novel that will be published one day sooner than later?
All because I found an ad on Craigslist where someone wanted to rent out their place for cheap to watch their cats.
If you're in Amsterdam, come find me. I will be the extremely happy girl in some Comme des Garcons clothing or a Justice League t-shirt trying to make my dreams come true. See if you can spot me!
(Just wait until Friday because I won't be there until then.)
