Amsterdam

I went to Amsterdam last weekend and found it to be a really distinctive and relaxed place. I did some of the touristy things - saw Anne Frank's house (from the outside... the line up was massive to go inside), walked along canals, walked around the Red Light District, checked out a couple of markets, went to the modern art museum. And I skipped some other touristy things - canal boat cruises, drug cafes, the Van Gogh museum, the tulip festival.



Tree-lined Canal (one of many)

 

Busy street heading to Amsterdam Centraal Station



Distinct Architecture and Houseboats


I managed to accidentally be in the right place at the right time to witness a big pillow fight in Dam Square (to celebrate International Pillow Fight Day on April 5). I was sitting people watching and wondering why a guy was standing around holding a pillow when I noticed that a lot of other people had pillows as well. I stuck around long enough to watch the fight (and get covered in feathers when people's pillows started breaking).

I think the highlight of the trip for me was the modern art gallery. It had some paintings that I really liked and it had a Marcel Wanders exhibition. I didn't know who Marcel Wanders was before but I learned that he's a Dutch designer that does some really neat stuff (interior design and just general art design). A lot of his stuff uses high-tech or innovative materials and I like the mix of art and technology. My favourite are vases created by taking images of people's sneezes and printing them in 3D to create vases... which he then called Snotty Vases. And, yes, the name is probably why they are my favourite.

 

One of the Snotty Vases

Another Snotty Vase