Amsterdam West

Dear Readers,

By now most of you know that I am a Norwegian ¨Viking¨ currently living i the west of Amsterdam, near the Lelylaan station. It is 10min with the tram to Kinkerstraat. Not my favourite city, however sometimes you gotta move to places for the greater good of your career. Besides it is very close to Schiphol in case I need to get away for a bit ;)

Anyway, that is not what I wanted to write about. On Wednesday my wonderfully creative friend Marlies and I decided to meet up in Kinkerstraat to get some shopping done. Marlies and I went to de Hallen and the market outside. This is what some call a hipster area in development. I have several friends and old colleagues in this area so I already know it a bit. Yet it was the first time I went to ¨De Hallen¨ while it was open and filled with the most beautiful pastries, cakes, bio-food and that sort of things. People there dressed up in the type of clothes I tend to dream about and drool over…. when I have managed to get where I want career wise I can drool on my own clothes at the very least :P I must say though, the reason why I like this place is because you do not have just one type of people here but many different ones and let us not forget all the different cultures. Rich and poor, east and west they all meet in a nice little melting pot.  

So we drank coffee and ate our guilty pleasures in De Hallen. After shopping on the market Marlies had managed to convince me to buy the delicious almond biscuits I so badly did not need after my first run in ages hahaha, however they were freshly baked and my coffee needed something to make it look pretty! I forgot to make a picture of it of course. I like the vibe there in the west. It was not too busy that time of day either as we came in the end of the day. The weather was nice, spring was ¨dancing¨ in the streets there and after our final stroll it was only a must to find a terrace and another cup of coffee as the last rays of sunshine had their last ¨beam party¨ on our faces.

                                  Private photo.

People are relaxed in spring, so am I. It is the season of new chapters and possibilities and life. Rebirth is the very essence of Spring. So we sat there talking and watching people and the awesome and old architecture next to Bar Brouw were we had our 2nd coffee of the day. I like these kind of moments, where you can laugh out loud and spend time with nice people in a part of the world where I never would have expected to land in around 5-6 years ago. Yet here I am and half of the time I do not know where I will be the next month. It remains unpredictable my life, at least it never gets boring.

I would miss the Netherlands if I left. I know this by now, because this country has yet again charmed me with the song of the spring’s returning guests from the south singing as their wings carry them back. Yet again the rays of sun hitting old brick streets and my pale reflection has convinced me that life is good here in the Netherlands (with some help of course).

So dear readers, I am off to soak in the sun and enjoy it while it is there.

x Annie