Pilates and the Sea

For the most part I spend my time enjoying my new job and going for as many sessions of pilates as I can. My new instructor Jelena is totally awesome. Droog Gallery and Store is one of my favorite places to peak into on my way to Jelena’s studio. I have my eye on a table there, so stay tuned for more droogness in an entry to come.




In between work, pilates and sleep I have of course managed to get out and about a bit. And I’m including here some new and great discoveries. Oosterpark is one of my favorite parks in Amsterdam. I love the sculptures, the quiet and the trees. The most moving sculpture in the park is called "Shared Past, Common Future" and is a monument to the history of slavery.


The Artis is another area I've discovered - it's home to the zoo and botanical gardens. This poster is for a butterfly exhibit I'm hoping to find time to see.


This weekend a small group of us decided to journey to Haarlem, a city that’s about a 15 minute train ride outside of Amsterdam. This is a statue of Laurens Coster in the town center of Grote Markt. Local legend has it that good old Laurens invented printing in 1423, 16 years before Gutenberg.


We went even further north to the beach in Zandvoort about 40 minutes by train. Even though it was quite windy and chilly by my standards, that didn’t seem to stop beach strollers and even a few kite surfers from enjoying the ocean.

She Shall Be Called Mina

I finally found a name for my new bike: here forward she is to be known as Mina, named after the last reigning monarch of the Netherlands, Queen Wilhemina (pictured below).

Sittard and Maastricht

So, I am settling into the city nicely and looking quite intently for an apartment of my own. This weekend however I took the liberty of a little time off to take a day trip with friends.



First we went to a town about 2 hours south by train called Sittard to see “some surfer dude’s art.” Well that turned out to be a bit more interesting than it initially sounded. We saw the Thomas Campbell exhibit at the Museum Het Domein in a charming little town with medieval churches. In stark contrast though, Thomas Campbell's work was inspired by skateboarding culture in the late 80s and 90s. As his art the show title Sing Ding aling suggests, Campbell's art is about, among other things, defying logic and generating a sense of hip frivolity.




Then, quite randomly we decided to take the train a few more stops further to Maastricht which is in the southeastern part of the Netherlands that borders Belgium and Germany. Maastricht is most recently famous worldwide for the Maastricht treaty signed there in 1992 which led to the creation of the Euro. It’s a beautiful city home to gorgeous architecture and a great art and music scene. We arrived just in time to watch the sun sent over the Meuse river and have dinner before taking the last train back to Amsterdam. Stay tuned for a future entry on Maastricht . . . we all loved it and promised to return.

Sunday in Amsterdam

I started out on my bike (she's still waiting for a name, stay tuned) with a few simple assignments: find a pay phone, buy a phone card, and buy an alarm clock. These everyday tasks took me to a shopping district I did not realize would be flanked by historical momuments. I was pretty blown away so started to snap photos to share: city hall, a national momument, and a gorgeous 14th century church(all above).



After shopping I decided to check out Central Station which is supposed to be pretty awe-inspiring and also where I've heard one can catch a train to Paris in 4hrs flat. But on the way I came across a cafe I'd read about in the guidebooks called The Grasshopper (above), so decided to stop in for a cup of coffee. Umm, yeah, it smelled funny in there so I just had coffee . . . really.

When I got to Central Station, I quickly realized I could also catch a 1hr canal tour of the city from there. It was lovely (see below), if touristy, but a great way to take note of where I'd like to visit by bike in the days/weeks to come. By the way, the last image is of the Anne Frank House.

Bikes and boat houses

After all my travels, I still have yet to master jet lag (without access to a treadmill), so sadly I was up half the night and then slept until 2p. But even then, I've been able to make good use of the day. First I went to the Noorder market that's just nearby. The market had everything from fresh fish, flowers, handmade what nots from wherever, to seriously down market/black market goods like socks, soaps, and sheets. And much to my great joy, they also had bikes. I totally fell for this one and I hope the bike gods protect her (name tba) from getting stolen.


I also hope that she makes friends with her older, and somehwat more stately Brooklyn sister, Coco. For those of you who have not yet met Coco of Park Slope, or may have forgotten just how fabulous she is, I enclose her portrait here.

Now once I got my new bike (green, top) of course I was able to soar all over the Jordaan and get to know my way about. I saw the sun go down over the canals, visited a narrow street, Anjeliers, that I was told had cute shops and cafes. And lastly stoppped to admire a boathouse I saw along a backroad.

Amsterdam Life - Phase One

Thought I'd share a few images of where I'm staying temporarily as I settle into my new life in Amsterdam. My corporate apartment is in a neighborhood called the Jordaan that is less than a 10 minute walk to the agency. The Jordaan is home to intellectuals and fashionistas - or atleast it was until I moved in! So far the neighborhood seems quaint and quiet. I've even felt relaxed enough to stroll around and even venture into a local supermarket to buy coffee and fresh fruit. As you can gather from the images, Amsterdam is a bit rainy now and about 58 degrees but pleasant all the same. Tomorrow I plan to check out the local outdoor market which is supposed to be a vegetarian's paradise, and maybe start my search for a second bike . . . since I'm told that Coco might be too precious for the streets of Amsterdam.