Hello everyone! Just a quick note to let you know where I am (for those of you who want to know). Ashley and I are currently in Ireland, we arrived here last Saturday. Unfortunately I can't say much about it now, so here is what I wrote a couple of weeks ago while in Liverpool on our day in Amsterdam. I hope to be updating more regularly again soon and sharing stories of the past few weeks.
Until then...!
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Amsterdam! What a cool city. I loved the buildings, the adorable men, women and children alike on their bicycles. I love the tram! I prefer it so much more to an underground train where you can't see a thing and all you want to do is take a snooze. We took a morning stroll around Vondelpark. I enjoyed a pancake with strawberries and whipped cream - something I haven't had in ages, it seems. We visited the Anne Frank House which was very sad and sobering, but interesting and important to see. We took a peek inside of a nice shop that we stumbled upon, Fair + Fair. I had to keep my hands far away from my wallet or else I could have purchased enough to redecorate my entire future dream home.
We roamed the streets and admired the canals. I think my favorite thing was meandering around the Jordaan neighborhood, peering into everyone's windows. The homes are beautiful and decorated so perfectly. Many times I was tempted to point my camera inside but more often than not, the lucky owner was sitting on their couch reading the paper, or at the table sipping tea. I'm sure they wouldn't have appreciated my intruding on their privacy, but in retrospect I wish I had been a little bolder and just gone for it anyway! That is how you get the best photos, after all.
I am not thrilled with my photos from Amsterdam, really. This is actually why it's taken me a while to get around to posting this. Every time I looked through the pictures I got bored and/or irritated. Considering we only had one day there, I suppose I didn't get much of a chance to really capture the city in a way I would have liked to. Even still, I wish I had taken more and been more thoughtful about the ones I did take. To be honest I feel that when I started this journey, I did such a better job of documenting all that I was seeing. I always had my camera out and was snapping away at it constantly. Now I'm getting lazy and I am not happy with myself or the results. There's still time to rectify this, though - so I suppose it's good I'm noticing it now!
Allison... I don't feel that way at all about your photographs. Let me tell you that I felt great warmth and happiness to see some of the place I too have walked, and that you captured a quietness and a sophistication about the Jordaan District that is really very beautiful. Also, I want to say that Michael and I were just as inspired by the people of Amsterdam than the city itself. We too talked about how the houses allowed us to get a glimpse of of the type of life these people have. Sitting outside playing chess, drinking tea while reading a book... there is something to be said about enjoying ones time fully, and I believe in Europe and Amsterdam people do this more, and it is so nice to see and be reminded of. Funny thing since you talked about it, the fact you get to see into people's homes was something I was really taken with, so I asked a friend of mine who lived in Amsterdam for a long time, she said that the saying goes.... It was a religious part of town the Jordaan, and so in order for everyone to make sure that the citizens were behaving they had it so we could all see them in their houses! Kind of a way to keep an eye on the neighbors and people of the Jordaan District, haha. Anyways, as I sit and look at the small details of your photographs I miss this city very much.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are always so beautiful, so don't be silly! And yes, weren't you crazy about how everyone left their windows open so you could peer into their homes? I loved that about Holland!
ReplyDeleteOhh Aimee, thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting about the history of keeping their windows/homes open for people to peek in. Must have been an awful invasion of privacy back then, but it's nice for those of us who just want a glimpse of their lovely homes now!
Thank you - your compliments always carry so much weight for me! I literally think about all of the projects I want to work on with you once I get home at least three times a week. Can't wait to sit down with you on a sunny day and talk about everything!
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/7tzjc.jpg
ReplyDeleteI knew that one picture was familiar. This one is from our trip we took last year.