Relaxing

THE SUMMERSEASON opened on 28th of April entry is free, but they want you to bring your own log (of wood – probably for a campfire)

I am sitting on the quay wall, my feet dangle over the water. The little movements of the water surface of the bay reflect the late afternoon sunlight. Behind me there is a sandy beach and old industrial buildings. Run-down. Rusty. Roest. That’s the Dutch word for rust. And it resembles the atmosphere of this place. The melancholic feeling of transitoriness.

If the weather is good and and I need to calm down from a stressful day at work I come here, enjoying the peaceful timelesness of this place. And like me, many other young, creative, hip and alternative people are attracted, probably for the same reason.

But Roest is not only a beach bar, it lends it terrain for all kinds of synergetic activities. So you could bump into the Sunday market, an alternative food and art market or the Unity festival, an afternoon dance festival with ‘open minded information on the use of drugs and alcohol’. The huge industrial hall used to be part of Roest with club nights by ‘De Club’. Unfortunately a concession disagreement stopped the club activities.

A good combination: when the sun slowly fades away and the first cold autmn winds creep under your t-shirt, go and have dinner at Rosa en Rita, which also resides on the terrain…

I must admit I’m not the best in bargain hunting. Every once in a while I try to do my best at flea markets or vintage stores but most of the time I have to face the facts: I’m incapable of finding the nice clothes in the midst of all the junk. Still I keep on trying because I do know people that do succeed and I can’t stand the idea that I might miss out on a great bargain just because I didn’t give it a try…

So I gave it a try at the IJhallen in the North of Amsterdam. Every month there is a huge flea market here where people sell mostly clothes but also other things. For an entrance fee of 4.00 you are free to spend as long as you want to rummage around the piles and piles of stuff that are on offer.

The market is usually partly inside and partly outside. Make sure you dress up warm cause both places are cold in wintertime!! The stuff people sell is really very cheap so if you do have an eye for a bargain you rally can’t miss this.

Also the trip over to the market is worth while. You take the free ferry from Central Station over to the NDSM part of North, I always enjoy this!

(Check the website for the upcoming markets)

On the edge of the city, between the suburb ‘Buitenveldert’ and the city of Amstelveen, on the banks of the river Amstel, you’ll find this ideal spot for some self-reflection. It only consists of a stretch of grass with a statue of the painter Rembrandt, a couple of park benches placed around it and a old mill, called ‘de Riekermolen’. I used to live on a student campus close by, passing this spot many times. Especially on my way back home from an evening out I used to stop here. Nowadays it’s still on the route of my favorite duration course (running).

Why this place offers me the moment of self-reflection? I think it’s because of it’s plain beauty. The whole year through you can watch walkers, runners, cyclists, rowers and boats passing by. Between April and September you can also cross the river with a little ferry (only for pedestrians and bikes). On one side of it you’ll find a bar-restaurant called ‘Het Klein kalfje’ (originally a toll-house and afterwards an inn) with a very nice terrace and on the otherside you’ll find the Amstel park.

The mill, dated back to 1636, was placed here in 1961, when it had to move from it’s original location in the west of Amsterdam. The statue was placed here in 1969 to commemorate the 300th dying day of the painter, who liked to paint alongside the banks of the river.

I guess I’m not the only one who found this spot captivating, you might find it as well!

This place is one of my favourite squares in Amsterdam, due to the big green lawn and it being less busy in comparison with the Vondelpark. Nowhere in Amsterdam will you find a square of this size. Museumplein (“museum square”) is a place where youngsters, students, elderly and tourists all come together to enjoy the green, play sports or read a book on one of the many benches.

The museum square is surrounded by the three big museums, namely: the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Rijksmuseum. And on the other side of the street you will find the beautiful Concert Building.

The lawn was recently renewed with a new grass-field. They say the grass is so strong that it will easily hold all the upcoming events on the square with thousands of people. Under the elevated shaped triangle lawn, also called the donkey ear, there is a supermarket where you can buy some refreshments.

You can also go to the Cobra café close to the Rijksmuseum, where they serve some great sandwiches and they have a big busy terrace! In the summer you will find a big pond which turns into a cool ice rink in the winter, next to this cafe.

So combine some culture and relaxation at the museum square, since they are just minutes away from each other!

As I am 100% totally Dutch on the money matter (read: saving as much as possible on none essential things) I always try to get a semi-professional haircut as cheap as possible. If this means trusting my hair in the hands of those who still have to learn the ropes of the trade, that’s totally fine with me.

The kappersakademie is a school for hairdressing. As a huge part of the education is about obtaining different skills, it has a saloon on the ground floor of the building where the students can practice on real models. They learn not only to cut, but also how to do the intake of new clients and how to comfort the regular customers (I think they even learn the obligatory chit chats you often hear at hairdressers). A cup of coffee or tea is included in the treatment.

I’ve been there now a couple of times and they haven’t messed up my hair at all. And there’s always a supervisor who afterwards corrects the students, if necessary. No really, they do a very good job for a very good price.

P.S. It’s necessary to make an appointment.