Amsterdam Part II on Film

Hi Film Friends! Hope you guys have been busy shooting and exploring! We pick off where we left off last week in Amsterdam. This will be a post filled with photos of concert halls and museums. If you guys didn’t know, I used to study classical music in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. So you could say I’m pretty cultured. Haha. The habit of attending concerts stuck with me and sometimes if there’s a really good programme coming up, I’d try to catch it.

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the best orchestras in the world and to miss them while I was in Amsterdam would be a pity. So I managed to get tickets to a Sunday afternoon concert and man, the venue was filled to the brim. A ticket cost me around €30. The audience were made up of people from all walks of life; music students, tourists, families of locals and young couples. That afternoon, the orchestra played a programme consisting of Bach, Haydn and Beethoven, a nicely balanced repertoire of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music. The playing was world class and the venue, the Royal Concertgebouw, was simply breathtaking.

The name of 46 composers decorated the balcony ledges and walls.

The grand looking organ was the center piece of the main concert hall.

After the concert, I decided to head down to Vondelpark which was just a short walk away from the concert hall. The weather was nice and it being a Sunday, I thought it’d be a nice place to people watch. Families, young couples and groups of friends crowded the park. I spent the rest of the day strolling around the park and even witnessed some nice intimate moments.

Trams tracks. Trams are a primary mode of transport in Amsterdam.

When the day was nearing the end, I headed into town and grabbed some Indonesian food which was mouthwateringly good. I totally recommend trying Indonesian food while in Amsterdam. Indonesia was a former colony of The Netherlands afterall and some of the Indonesians moved to Amsterdam, opening restaurants so you can be assured the food is authentic.

The next day, I met up with a secondary school band junior of mine who was on exchange in The Netherlands. Her name is Xue Qi. It was funny we agreed to meet because we never once hung out together in Singapore. But I guess being in such close proximity to one another while being so far away from home is as good an excuse as any to meet! We met in Amsterdam Centraal before taking the free ferry across the river Ij. It was a cool experience as you would sometimes spot bicycles and the occasional scooter amongst a crowd of pedestrians. This was really a city made for two wheels.

They allow bicycles and scooters onto the ferries.

We explored NDSM, a former shipyard that received a makeover and is now a creative space with a vibrant artist community. NDSM really shows what can be done to an old abandoned space, taking an older facility and revitalising it by lowering rent for artists and creatives.

I’ve seen Singapore try to do the same in recent years, like the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Pasir Panjang Power Station to name a few. But they’re only open to the public for short festivals/markets/events. I wish they would become a more permanent and substantial creative space like in Europe. Baby steps.

Former industrial spaces now transformed into creative spaces.

Dapper gentleman taking a break on a slab of concrete.

After about an hour of taking photos and just absorbing all the art available, we decided to head to our next location. The NDSM area is very big and there’s a lot to see, do and eat but we were on a tight schedule so had to leave reluctantly. We took the ferry back to Amsterdam Centraal and walked towards the Rijksmuseum located in Museum Square. Yes, I do a lot of walking when I travel. I would love to in Singapore, but the weather makes it almost impossible.

The Rijksmuseum has a vast collection mainly focused on Dutch Arts and History. I feel one of the highlights of the museum is their collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Masters like Rembrandt, Jacob van Ruisdael and Johannes Vermeer were on full display and to see them up close really moves the soul.

The wardens look up as if the viewers somehow interrupted their inspection of a dyed cloth.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Fuji C200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cyclists are allowed to cycle through the Rijksmuseum’s passageway connecting the two atriums of the museum. Truly a cyclist’s city.

Xue Qi had to leave after our visit to the museum so I walked her to the train station. I continued strolling along the canals and just enjoying the chill vibes of Amsterdam.

Canal houses. I wonder if the water level ever reaches the level of the windows/doors.

My stomach started grumbling around dinner time and I’ve been wanting to try Dutch fast food so I entered the closest FEBO, the legendary Dutch automated fast food restaurant. You never have to interact with a single human being if you don’t want to. I got a kroket, croquette, and man… It was actually one of the tastiest thing I ate in Europe. Imagine a warm cream of mushroom soup enveloped in a super crunchy outer crust. I’m drooling now thinking of it. Definitely try it when you’re in Amsterdam.

What a great last meal to round off my time in Amsterdam. In summary, Amsterdam appeared to be a really cold and gloomy city but the longer you walk its streets and more you explore its neighbourhoods, the more Amsterdam warms you up with its delicious food and soul satisfying art.

First time seeing a double decker train. I was really amazed by it and had just stood there staring at it for a good 5 minutes.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Kodak Colorplus 200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

That night I was leaving Amsterdam by an overnight bus to Berlin. Luckily I managed to catch up with Joseph, the guy who put me up and we chilled for a little while, waiting for my bus. I was a little anxious as I had never travelled by myself and was worried that something would screw up, like the bus not coming. The thing is, there wasn’t really a proper bus station so there was just a bunch of us standing in front of a hotel, the pickup point, waiting for the bus nervously. The bus was late but eventually it arrived, to my great relief. I am a pretty easy sleeper and so I fell asleep just as the bus was driving off.

Next week, we’ll be arriving in Berlin! Thank you for taking time to read my blogpost and as per usual, let me know how I can improve your viewing experience! Till the next blogpost, keep shooting film friends!