This series is meant to provide you practical tools in dealing with basic cultural glitches you will sure experience during your visit in the Low Lands.

The first cultural shock that a foreigner coming to the Netherlands have to face is related to the particular form of Dutch toilet vases.
The traditional Dutch toilet is shaped in a way that the user’s wastes are collected in a risen, dry shelf or plateau in the back side of the vase.

Dutch people, of course, claim that this system is the best one compared to other toilet models, and they could provide many technical reasons to demonstrate their arguments:

A plateau is very useful for studying waste, which can come in handy, especially with children. The second reason is equally practical: the shallow flusher does not spalsh back on the user’s buttocks [1]

Others argue that the Dutch, “if they can’t see land above water, they’re not happy” [2]. Despite being tongue-in-cheek, this statement grabs a deeper motivation for understanding the Dutch toilet morphology: toilet is a product of a precise cultural and semiotic code. Listen to Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, on toilets and Ideology.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwTJXHNP0bg

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

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..)

During closing time in Albert Cuypmarkt, dozens of herons come by to seek some food left overs. Foto tokyorama

One of the biggest outside daily market in Amsterdam is located in De Pijp District in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid. The street and the market are named from Albert Cuyp, a painter from the 17th century.

This market began by the free initiative of a bunch of street vendors with hand carts, since when in 1905 the municipality decided to establish a free market to regulate and organize the business. Originally it was running only on Saturday until 1912 when it was decided to open it 6 days por week. Actually it’s still going from Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m.  with 268 market stalls on both side of the street where is possible to buy anything: food, clothes, cameras, souvenirs, gadget, tools.

more info: www.albertcuypmarkt.com

Address: Albert Cuypstraat

Transport:  Tram 4, 16 stop at Albert Cuypstraat, 24 stop at Albert Cuypstraat, 25 stop at Ferdinand Bolstraat.

                    Bus 356, stop at Van Woustraat

Open: 9.00 am-5 pm Mon-Sat