Seeing Amsterdam with fresh eyes

August 18, 2017August 25, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #40

A great thing about having dear friends over from abroad is that you get to explore your city with fresh eyes. It was a wonderful weekend of walking around different neighbourhoods, having lovely talks over steaming bowls of ramen, cycling for kilometers past cute farmhouses along the Amstel and soaking in the atmosphere of a sparkly daytime dj persevering despite the rain…

The last time these friends visited me was in 2006 just a few weeks after I first moved to Amsterdam. So much has changed around Amsterdam since then, practically none of this skyline seen from NDSM was as it is today. I’m so grateful for living in this amazing city that keeps evolving and that I get to rediscover all the time:)

Fruit picking in Fruittuin van West

July 28, 2017August 2, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / 3 Comments

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #37

Spent a lovely morning last weekend with Paolo picking raspberries and apples at Fruittuin van West, a beautiful organic farm in Amsterdam-West where you can go to pick your own fruit (local and seasonal – hooray!) . There is a lovely dynamic atmosphere, and I like that they share very openly in their newsletters about their fight against pests and the methods they use, as it gives a realistic idea of the challenges of organic cultivation.

Searching through the raspberry bushes to find the ripe fruit, holding them softly between my fingers and pulling lightly to pick them without crushing them, was the perfect exercise in mindfulness.

We walked through row after row of apple trees laden with tempting fruit and picked to our heart’s content, coming home with 4 kilos of appels next to our kilo of raspberries.

Don’t they look delicious?! (Needless to say that as I write this, the raspberries are already long gone, we enjoyed them ‘au naturel’, with yoghurt and in a delicious apple and raspberry cake!)

Come sit with me

June 19, 2017June 18, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

If I had half an hour with you on this beautiful bench this is most probably what I would talk about…

How I had a lovely relaxed weekend, enjoying some precious down time in the sunny city and strolling through the flowery streets of Amsterdam Zuid to try and capture the heavy rose blooms and the atmosphere with my camera…

How I had fun concocting creative plans with a friend over a delicious hazelnut iced coffee served with a sustainable metal straw (@Slowth Brunch: you guys rock!!!).

How it was a weekend of pizza making with Paolo (not even this heat will deter us from cranking the oven up to 240 degrees so we can eat some tasty homemade pizza;).

Little haven of peace

June 16, 2017June 16, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #31

I’m grateful for this time of the year when the sun sets really late, making the evenings seem so much longer. During a recent after-dinner stroll with Paolo, I spotted this lovely little place by the water, which seems perfect for escaping the hectic rhythm of the city.

I love the palette of greens, and how the chair looks like it’s just waiting for a casual visitor to sit down and reflect on the origin of the universe, whilst watching the ducks and waterhens paddle by.

Photography afternoon in Blijburg

June 12, 2017June 11, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

Lovely colourful flags blowing in the wind in Blijburg, where I went with my photography class on Saturday for a photo shoot on the beach. We were really lucky with the weather, as the overcast sky with just a bit of sunshine peeking through from time to time was perfect for taking pictures.

We had great fun creating scenes inspired from our moodboards, with two models and a random collection of props, as passers-by looked at us with curiosity. It’s quite amazing how many creative ideas a bunch of people can come up with using a pineapple, a guitar, a shovel and a red-velvet cake on the beach… I laughed a lot:)

I particularly enjoyed exploring the story-telling aspect of photography and plan to use that more as a source of inspiration. Also I definitely want to do more portrait photography. It’s a good way for me to get out of my comfort zone, as it is much more challenging than my usual subjects like plants or landscapes.

More botanic beauty

June 5, 2017June 15, 2018 / cultivatingjoy / 3 Comments

Recently I found out that there is another botanical garden in Amsterdam and it’s less than a 10 minute bike away from my flat! So on one of my free Friday afternoons, in between 2 rain showers, I decided to go and check it out.

It’s free and you can just walk in, while volunteers mill around doing their thing. It’s a lovely place to relax and you don’t feel at all like you are close to the busy Zuidas.

The collection of succulents and cacti both in and around the glasshouses is spectacular, with hundreds of different species in every single available space.

Observing all the different plants, with their details and colours was a real pleasure as usual. There were very few visitors so I was undisturbed as I got in close to photograph the details. I think I’ll be heading back there soon for some more inspiration:)

Check out Botanic Garden Zuidas for the opening times (it’s near the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam Zuid).

Nature just around the corner

May 5, 2017May 3, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #25

I am deeply grateful for living in a part of the city that also has nature close by. It looks like I’m deep in a forest, but this picture was taken just five minutes from my flat.

After a day sitting at my desk, it feels so good to go for a walk and stretch my legs, and feel the sun on my skin.

Today I was accompanied by bird song from the trees, and when I listened carefully even the buzzing of some bees and other insects.

Just taking the time observe these plants and look at their details is like a meditation for me.

Short walk around the block

April 28, 2017April 27, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #24

In the last few years I usually try to flee Amsterdam on King’s Day to avoid the crowds of people dressed in orange who hit the streets to celebrate the King’s birthday.

This year I’m in town but I took the opportunity of this day off to chill at home and do some spring cleaning at home whilst listening to S-Town (I’m hooked!).

Neverthelsess with the sun shining so nicely outside, I decided to get out of the house and go for a spontaneous photo walk around my neighbourhood, where luckily there are no crowds.

Despite May being just around the corner, it was still pretty cold, practically glove weather. The flowers popping up on every corner, bushes growing shiny fresh new leaves of all different colours and trees in full bloom tell another story. Winter is over!

It was a pleasure to be mindful and take in all the colours and textures to be found on a short walk.

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

April 18, 2017April 29, 2018 / cultivatingjoy / 1 Comment

A few years back I took a photo course and the field trip consisted in spending an afternoon taking photos at the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam of plants and butterflies. My favorite section was of course the desert greenhouse with the cacti and succulents.

It was so much fun to look so close up at the plants and see their amazing details and patterns. I loved observing these gorgeous little flowers with such beautiful pastel colours.

The texture of these velvety purple leaves was amazing and a challenge to try and capture on camera.

I remember being so focussed on the details, I was totally in the flow and didn’t feel time pass by. I think I will schedule another excursion there soon.

Amsterdam Bee Park

April 11, 2017March 31, 2017 / cultivatingjoy / 1 Comment

While Paolo was living in the Far West (Geuzenveld) we discovered a few lovely places to escape from the rhythm of the city for a while. The Bee Park is one of them, a hidden haven of peace, where you can admire flowers and observe bees close up.

It’s lovely to walk along the tiny paths between the hedges of the allotments, catching glimpses of the carefully tended gardens and small sheds.

As you explore you may bump into a beekeeper, fully clothed in this protective gear like an astronaut, carefully taking care of his bees and hives. If you’re lucky there may even be some of this delicious local honey for sale to take home with you.

Bijenpark Amsterdam is open from April to October, I recommend to check the times and dates before going.