A field guide to getting lost in Amsterdam
Archive for Socializing
May 11, 2009 at 11:04 am · Written by herbert · Filed under Going out, Rerlax, Shopping, Socializing
If you like good beers I suggest to pay a visit also to “De Bierkoning”, a beer shop behind the Dam where you can find almost 1000 thousand different beers from all around the world:”We pride ourselves in having the largest selection of beers in the world. We don’t try to have as many different brands as possible, we simply try to have the best ones, world-wide.”
At the moment I’m in love
with lambic and belgium beers in general, but there are a lot more.
Interesting alternative people use to drop by there around 5/6 o’clock p.m. so you can also meet someone to ask for some tips for your journey or just enjoy your passion for nice beers with friendly people.
Sitting on a crate of beers outside in the sun I met a beautiful “butterfly” some weeks ago..
Salute!
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
April 28, 2009 at 5:47 pm · Written by wildraspberry · Filed under Going out, Shopping, Socializing
I generally associate markets to worm and sunny cities: when I think about a market.. well.. only places as Marrakesh, Jerusalem, the South of Italy cross my mind and a smell of spices follows my thoughts. That’s why when I arrived in Amsterdam and I found out that in the city there was a very “culture of the market” I got positively surprised. Despite the treath of wind, rain and grey sky that often affect the city, there are markets almost everyday, and they are generally incredibly crowded.
Every neighbourhood has its own market, and every market is somehow a mirror of the neighbourhood. I think that one of the funniest way to understand a city is to mix with its people during their ordinary and daily activities; it would be interesting to have a descriprion of the city considering just the people you meet at the market or the different kind of stands.
See for example the Jordaan Market: it has a bohemienne and retrò style but with a “chic” touch, as the houses of the neighbourhood and its inhabitants; it sells second hand clothes, but it defines them as “vintage”. There are organic-food stands, but with a kind of fancy and bizarre choice of products. The vegetables come from the farmers but they look as jewels. The strangest stand is the one which sells only salt: you would never imagine that the simple salt could have so many varieties, colors, tastes and origins.
Or compare it with the Mosveld Market, where you mainly find second choice cheap vegetables and typical arabic dresses: it represents a kind of border, as the neighbouhood itself is; a border between old and new, the city and the fields, locals and strangers. Try to get through the crowd of Maroccan women in front of one of the fists stand: you’ll never believe that they are all waiting for their watch to be repaired by an old and wrinkled Dutch man.
Here a short list, everybody is welcome to add more!
Albert Cuyp Markt
One of the biggest outside daily market in Amsterdam
Area: De Pijp; Albert Cuypstraat/Ferdinand Bolstraat
From Monday to Saturday 9.30 am – 5.00 pm
Jordaan Markt
Biological Fresh Food and handicraft on Saturday;
Second hand clothes and goods on Monday
Area: Jordaan; Noordermarkt
Open: Monday and Saturday 9.00 am – 3.00 pm
Lindengracht market
Next to the Jordaan market that sells almost everything
Area: Jordaan; Lindengracht
Open: Saturday 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
Art Plein Spui
works of art, and second hand book market
Area: Centrum; Spui Plein
Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Waterlooplein Flea Market
On of the most famous and central markets in town. Second-hand clothing, new and used goods.
Area: Centrum; Waterlooplein
From Monday to Saturday 9.00 am – 5.30 pm.
Mosveld Plein Market
One of the cheapest markets of vegetables, tools and clothes.
Area: Noord; Mosveld Plein
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 9.00 am – 3.00 p.m.
Bloemenmarkt
Flowers, seeds, bulbs
Area: Centrum; Singel/Munt Plein
From Monday to Saturday 9.30 am – 5.00 pm
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
April 22, 2009 at 12:53 pm · Written by herbert · Filed under Socializing
M2M radio is one of the first thing I discovered when I arrived in Amsterdam. It is a web radio work out by a group of media activists and artists, “a media environment for free communication, an alternative approach towards migration”.
To be honest I don’t know exactly when they started this project. I don’t remember all their names, where they are from, what they did before. Off course I could ask more details but it doesn’t make sense in this moment of my life.
An handshake is sketched on their visiting card.
“No borders, no nations, stop deportation”, is one of their favorite yell for their public demonstrations.
That’s enough at the moment for me.
I like the ideas, the meanings and the energies of this project. I like these people that I meet sometimes here and there.
M2M means from Migrant to Migrant.
M2M is a meeting point for migrants.
Like a camp fire.
Every migrant has a story, a message.
Every migrant is a messenger between there and here
and here and there..
Every migrant is a medium.
M2M invites you to move and be moved.
To imagine you are somewhere else.
To realize that you can be someone else.
To accept the fact that identity is an illusion.
That metamorphosis, the permanent migration of identities,
is the way of life in the age of vanishing substance. [..] (read more..)
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
April 14, 2009 at 4:45 pm · Written by herbert · Filed under Cinema, concerts, Going out, Socializing
Shown at Overtoom 301’s cinema “Rok ďábla” (Year of the Devil, Czech Republic, 2002, 88 min.) is a comedic music documentary direct by Petr Zelenka, starring real-life Czech folk-rocker Jarek Nohavica as a fictionalized version of himself. The following musicians act as themselves in the movie: musicians and poets, Jaromir Nohavica and Karel Plihal, Czech folk music band Čechomor, and British musician and composer Jaz Coleman.
The movie won six categories at the 2002 Czech Lion awards.
The plan of the movie
Dutch documentary film maker, Jan Holman, goes to the Czech Republic to make a film about curing alcoholism. In an alcoholics anonymous clinic he meets a mysterious, silent man named Jarek Nohavica who becomes his friend. When Karel Plihal, writer and player of Nohavica’s arrangements, starts to suffer a weird psychological-disease and becomes mute, Jarek decides to go on tour with a funeral band called Čechomor (Czech-Moravian Musical Society) in order to cure his friend and to relieve alcoholic people’s suffering. Jan Holman follows the band with his camera and many inexplicable events take place along the way.
“The greatest attention is attracted by Jaromír Nohavica himself… While all the others continually are seeking something, a kind of absolute knowledge of themselves, whether through God, ritual, music or alcohol, Nohavica is the only one not trying to explain anything. He is striving for nothing, only existing on the screen, perhaps because he discovered this sense within himself long ago and hid it within his songs, which themselves form the impulse for the others to start their own searching. He becomes the symbol and the indication of nearly everything metaphysical that transpires in the film” (reviewer Martina Muziková, Literární noviny, July 22, 2002).
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
April 8, 2009 at 4:28 pm · Written by herbert · Filed under Music, Rerlax, Socializing, Spirituality
Every friday evening from 8 pm. at Svahayoga, a cozy yoga center in Jordan, is possible to enjoy a couple of hours singing, playing and meditating with very lovely people.
Sri Krishna and his holy flute
Kirtan , from sanscrit “to repeat”, is a yoga spiritual practice, part of the Mantra Yoga’s system and mentioned in the Tantra Shastras, an Indian’s Holy Writ.
A nice Kirtan is a good and funny way to refresh our energies and recreate ourselves, to armonize our mind and body forgetting daily problems and stress. Singing mantras and playing instruments with positive thinking people relax our biological system and help our mind to get rid of prejudice, obsessions, fears and inhibitions.
Art of Music, in fact, is one of the older way to take us into the meditation state.
some extra info about kirtan:
http://hinduism.about.com/od/audiomusic/a/kirtan.htm
http://www.kirtan.org/what_is_kirtan.php
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
April 5, 2009 at 10:07 am · Written by herbert · Filed under Art, Going out, Music, Rerlax, Sauna, Social Center, Socializing
“Binnenpretje” is a dutch expression not easy to translate in other languages. It could mean something like “laughing inside” or “having an happy feeling inside”..
The Binnenpret is a social center in South-west of Amsterdam, close to the Vondelpark.
Originally it was an horse tram station which was closed in 1920. Then different private workshops and small factories until the spaces were abandoned at the end of ’70’s. Since 1984 the building have been reused for social and artistic activities.
The place consists of three different buildings and a nice, cozy garden in the center, with a lot of different uses: The Occii, concert hall, cine forum, bar; the MKZ, the popular restaurant; a theater; a music practice room; an info cafe’; a sauna; a bike workshop. Some artist’s ateliers and residence.
You can pass by during the afternoon to have a cheap coffee’ or beer, a bit of relax in the sauna (very cheap, 9 euro for the entire afternoon and evening or 4 euro from 10 pm. to 11 pm. with a bar inside where you can eat a snake or drink a tea). Have a cheap and good dinner, enjoy some gigs or performance. Speak with people from everywhere or just enjoy a book in the calm of the garden.
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
March 31, 2009 at 12:41 pm · Written by herbert · Filed under Going out, Socializing
Squatted in 1999 by a group of artists, OT301 is now a well recognized multimedia cultural center, located in Overtoom 301. Many activities are organized throughout the week at OT301: an ‘organic cultural kitchen’, movie projections, dance, yoga and trapeze classes, parties and the Tuesday’s Ping Pong Night.
As the official website states: ‘This night combines the best of two worlds! Sports and drinking beer, great isn’t it. Come down to check it out for yourself. We have 3 pingpong tables so everyone can play some games. We also have simple bats and balls. If you prefer a professional bat you should bring it yourself. The perfect night out on tuesday.’
A notable thing is the timer which plays a sound every 10 minutes, letting new people to play. A helpful tool to avoid arguments between players.
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
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