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.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbHPFkXopA

Second Life Music is located in Prinsegracht 366 and open everyday from 1 to 6 o’clock in the afternoon.

tram 1, 2, 5, 7 e 10.

Have a good one.

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!

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

Sometimes it’s nice to have a good beer in a typical Amsterdammer cafè, but when the summer comes it is wonderful to spend all the day long in the parks or just sitting by the canals with a good beer. Anyway if you are tired of the beer cans  you can generally find in the super-markets and you want to try something new, then you should pass by the Cracked Kettle.

It is a very small shop in the Center of Amsterdam, on a little street that crosses Spui Straat (Raamsteeg 3). They have more than 500 different types of beer from all over Europe: a vast choice of biological and indipendent producers. If you are a curiouse person you can also try strange varieties as the choco-beer or the one with banana taste. Ask them to suggest you something!

I would suggest the one without any tag: it is a Belgian beer produced in a small farm in the middle of nowhere. It is very difficult to find it in other places and the taste is great.

Proost!