Mezrab is growing, Mezrab is alive, is playing music, is telling stories, is explaining the reality throwugh his cinema, poetry, his colours.. his life!
One week ago I had the pleasure to spend half an hour with the Iranian born Sahand. His idea is something connected to the basic nature of mankind: sharing experiences and learning from each other.
“Amsterdam is multicultural place but many times people are withdrawn in their culture. The talents that exist in Amsterdam that do not have a place, from various disciplines, from different countries, can meet here.”
- Every monday: documentary film, 20:30
- Every Wednesday: fiction film, 20:30
- Every 1st friday of the month: Dutch storytelling, 20:00
- Every 3rd friday of the month: English storytelling, 20:00… drop by and tell a story!
Entrance is free, but donations very welcome.
All films are spoken or subtitled in English.
We serve: thea, Iranian soups and more!
So people, again: if you want to enjoy something really authentic and free in Amsterdam, consider to pay a visit at Mezrab!
Neiuwe Anita is a pub located in Frederik Hendrikstr 111 (oud west) where every week Jeffrey proposes a movie from the database of his mind.
Jeffrey studied cinema in San Francisco and moved to Amsterdam. His first experience took place in a squat located in Leidsestraat but after a while the place was evicted.
The “underground cinema” was reborne at De Niuwe Anita (DNA), every Monday (bar open 19.30, entree € 2,50). It is a perfect place where you can relax with a beer or a tea while watching a movie that never ever will bore you.
Usually at the Niuwe Anita there’s live music 3 days a week.
Now the question is: where is Jeffrey during the rest of the week?
Jeffrey is also active with his “underground cinema at OT301 (Sunday night, 20,30, 4€ for entrance) and at CAVIA (Thursday, 20.30, entree 4€… really fair!).
Well, I could say many things about these places and this smart guy, but I prefer his words:
“No rush: I like a cinema from underground, something able to awaken heart and brain.” (I hope I noted it straight!)
if you are vegetarian or vegan, you like healthy food and simple and cozy alternative places, then you would like eating at “De Vliegende Schotel”, which in english means “The Flying Dish” .
The restaurant is run by nice people which try to use just organic food in a lot of different recipes from all over the world. The meal is really tasty, the portions are good, prices are ok. They use a lot of sprouts beans because they have more nutritional.
It’s a very nice place, especially if you don’t like fancy restaurants..
The kitchen is open everyday from 4 p.m. to 10.45 p.m. and the restaurant close 11.30 p.m.
Hi there,
since Herb rediscovered the pleasure of a good joint some times, in this pages you will get also some tips about it.
Last week I was looking for good black hash and De Tweede Kamer seems to be one of the most recommended places in Amsterdam.
Open since 20 years they have some of the best hash and weed in town, from Holland, Afghanistan, Morocco.. It’s not very cheap, but can be ok.
I would suggest avoiding the most expensive qualities, at less you are so rich that you don’t care, because for what I know is not acceptable. Especially some hash that are made here in Nederlands are nothing so special and they could cost much less. But everyone is free to spend his money in the way he wants.
De Tweede Kamer, which in Dutch means “Second Chamber” and refers to the upper house of the Dutch Parliament, is located in the center, just few minutes walking from the Dam.
Heisteeg 6 Tel. +31 (0)20 – 4222236
1012WC Amsterdam
Nederland (Noord-Holland)
Opening Hours
Sunday – Thursday 10 am – 1 a.m.
Friday and Saturday 10 am – 2 a.m
Located on the northern banks of the IJ, NDSM – Werf is an old shipyard transformed in an underground cultural center at the end of the 90′s, when a group of artists, theater people, skaters and architects, known as Kinetisch Noord, approached the city council with a plan to redevelop the place.
The area host the NDSM hall, a hangar of 20,000 sq. meters, and two historic ship reused for housing workshops and artists’ studios. The aim of the project, in fact, is to offer facilities for artistic disciplines, small crafts and independent organization and a place for exhibitions, try-outs, performances, festival and parties. In total there are 10,000 sq. meters of workshops, a 2,000-sq. meter skate park, 4,200 sq. meters for other youth activities and 6,000 sq. meters of exhibition and theater space.
You can easily go there by taking the free ferry in front of the central station.
It has been opened in 1893 as a Jewish Market who has been closed in 1941 with the Jews persecutions. Reopened like a general bazaar after the War, during the ‘60 become an important node for the hippy’s scene and the youth culture in general.
Today is one of the most funny and interesting outdoor bazaar with 300 stand where you can find any kind of products: clothes (new and second hand), electronic, books, dvd’s and cd’s, posters, tools, souvenirs, bric-a-brac, curiosities.
Open from Monday to Saturday (9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.) is located in Waterlooplein, 1011 PG Amsterdam, just 10 minutes walking from Dam square direction east, close to the Rembrandt house.
How to arrive there:
Tram: 1, 2, 5, 13 from Magna Plaza or 14 from Central Station (stop: Stadhuis)
Tired of spending lots of money in junk food? Are you fed up with kebabs or vlaamse frites? Do you want to socialize with nice people?
So, all you need is a VoKu.
VoKu stands for Volks Küche, a German expression that means ‘People’s Kitchen’. A VoKu is a place where you can have healty vegetarian (or sometimes even vegan) meal for a little damage, and a good occasion to meet interesting Amsterdammers. Many squats and social centers across the city organize weekly VoKus. Here’s a partial list.
De Peper at OT301 – every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday
Remember that the Dutch eat early and generally the vokus start at 7 pm. Don’t be late and remember to reserve your dinner in time, calling the phone numbers
Who lives in Amsterdam knows how useful is to have a bike.
If you want to buy a new bike, you could pay up to 600 euro.
Stolen bikes (also known as Junkie Bikes) cost between 5 and 25 Euros, but it is not so politically correct to support the black market of stolen bikes.
In Spuistraat 84 you can find Vitor in his shop: Recycled bikes. www.recycledbicycles.org
At Recycled Bikes you can fix your bike as well as buy second hand bikes.
Vitor is a portuguese guy from Lisbon.
He combines old bike parts with new ones for building the bikes that he sells at his shop.
Remember that, when you fix your bike there, they don’t ike to replace pieces unless it is really necessary. At recycled bikes they always try to fix what is fixable. Less waste!
If you need a bike fix, Recycled bikes is cheap, fast, and the people there are always patient and kind.
Hi there, if you like LP’s records, I suggest a visit to this shop where you can find every music genre and a collection of 20 thousands vinyl records. Cheap prices and nice atmosphere, you can spent few hours listening records and looking for good bargain.
Second Life Music is located in Prinsegracht 366 and open everyday from 1 to 6 o’clock in the afternoon.
If you arrive in Amsterdam and the sun is shining you should consider yourself a very very lucky person. Hence forget that you are a tourist and act as an Amsterdammer. How? Just enjoy every sunny second! A good way of doing it is relaxing in the parks:
The famous and central Vondelpark, with its film museum and nice bars on the water:
Westerpark with statues in the lakes and the former Gas-Fabriek: an industial building turned in bar and cinema.
Livingamsterdam comes from the desire of a better world through a more conscious tourism. This blog will guide you to the unforeseen and hidden part of Amsterdam, beyond the Coffeeshops and the Red Light District.