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“Amsterdam is multicultural place but many times people are withdrawn in their culture.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.
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.
The Movies is the oldest movie theater in use in the Netherlands and one of the oldest in the world.The first film presentation was given, in fact, in October 11th 1912 when the cinema was called the “Tavenu”, one screen with more then 200 seats. It was closed just two years later and was opened again after a year with the name of “Cinema Hollandia”. Since then it slowly decayed for several reason until the 50’s when it was restored as a ’second run’ theater, since it close again at the end of the 60’s. In the 70’s Pieter Goedings, a true art film-loving projectionist at De Uitkijk, bought the Hollandia and renovated it with the art deco interiors we can still enjoy today.
Located at the end of Harlemmerdijk, about 20 minutes walk from the Dam Square, with four auditorium and almost 400 seats, The Movies is mainly an Arthouse Cinema, or an “author cinema” with a palimpsest of selected no commercial movies. By the way there is a diverse mix of titles accessible for the audience and special festival programs.
Inside the place there is also a cafè/restaurant, “the Movies Wild Kitchen”, where is possible to consume a nice dinner or just chill out at the bar before or after the movie, having a nice relaxing chat with your friends.
Good belgium beers, french and italians wine, nice and friendly staff and the art deco interiors make the place cozy and pleasant.
Prices are not so cheap but regular for Amsterdam’s cinemas and cafe. If you think to stay a bit longer in the city you can buy the strippenkart movies, ten entrance for 65 euro, a not personal card you can share with your friends (por a maximum of four tickets for show) and the filmdiner (dinner + movie) from 27 euro for person.
For reservations call: 6386016 or visit the page on the web.
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.
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.
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