With more canals than Venice, more bridges than Paris and 500 kilometres of cycle paths covering a relatively small area, Amsterdam is the perfect city to discover on foot. It is also undoubtedly one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and consequently a photographer’s paradise.
Reflections of the City in the Canals
While walking around the city, my favourite things to photograph were the reflections in the canals. I was always fascinated at how the reflections danced and shimmered on the black water.
- Reflection in the Herengracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Reflections in the window in Amsterdam
- Reflections in the Amsterdam Canals
- Reflections in the Amsterdam Canals
- Reflections in the Amsterdam Canals
- Reflections in the Amsterdam Canals
- Reflections in the Prinsengracht canal through bridge and bicycle in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- A coot swimming in an Amsterdam canal
- The Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge), Amsterdam
- Distinctive 17th Century Canal Townhouses, Amsterdam
- The Westerkerk spire, Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Centraal Station
- View of the Westerkirke, Amsterdam
- View of the Westerkerk, Amsterdam
- The Munttoren (Mint Tower 1620), Amsterdam
- Amsterdam townhouses
- Bikes, bikes and more bikes, Amsterdam
a combination of the old and new
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and has culture in abundance. From its roots in the 12th Century to 21st Century contemporary life, it is a city of juxtaposition. The elegant 17th century town houses which line the canals, stand alongside the seedy red light district. The majestic Rijksmueum and Van Gogh Museum, are a stones throw from the Sex Museum. And the infamous smoke-filled ‘coffee shops’ are sandwiched between stylish modern bars.
Regular visits to visit my best friend
I used to be a regular visitor to Amsterdam, and not not because of its less salubrious qualities, but because my best friend lived there. Despite saying I was visiting my friend, whenever I said I going to Amsterdam, there would often be a raised eyebrow response, such is its notorious reputation.
The friend I was visiting was Carol Ann Lee the the writer and biographer of Anne Frank and Otto Frank. She lived in Amsterdam for 7 years. While I visited Carol, we would walk around the city and she would explain the research she was doing about the Anne Frank family. She would tell me about the Frank family’s life both before and after they went into hiding the during the Second World War.
- The HIdden Life of Otto Frank by Carol Ann Lee
- Anne Frank and the Children of the Holocaust by Carol Ann Lee
- The Biography of Anne Frank – Roses from the Earth by Carol Ann Lee
- Carol Ann Lee with her son River, outside the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
- Carol Ann Lee with the Anne Frank statue in Amsterdam
Here are some street shots of Amsterdam taken using black and white.
- Bikes parked on the bridges in the snow, Amsterdam
- Buskers in Amsterdam
- Books in a second hand book market, Amsterdam
- Browsing in the second hand book market, Amsterdam
- Browsing in the second hand book market, Amsterdam
- Bookseller at the second hand book market, Amsterdam
- Blizzard takes over the streets of Amsterdam
- Snowflakes on abandoned bicycles along the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam.
Some pen and ink sketches of Amsterdam from my travel journal.
- Sketch of Amsterdam houses on the canal
- A sketch of Amsterdam
- Sketch of a canal in Amsterdam
Finally, if like me you can’t mention Amsterdam without singing the Jacque Brel song, then here it is… as sung by the legendary Scott Walker.