Experiencing the spirit of Australia - in Amsterdam

The local, very  modest train station. 

I'm here! Haven't forgotten my blog! What delights me greatly is that neither have readers! I'm really surprised there are still visitors here, even though I've been to busy to update it. Hope you enjoy it. I will be compiling my top 5 in Melbourne soon. Sorting out hundreds of pics takes a while, but I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it when get to post them here too. :)

I just got back from yet another Australian experience, but this time in Amsterdam, Holland. I was hoping to see my favourite artist, Gotye, live in his home country Australia, but he was busy touring elsewhere. Having purchased cheap airline tickets (yes, an environmental sin and paradox), I desided I'd look up his tour dates in Europe. And I was lucky! He has shows coming up e.g. in Amsterdam and Berlin. Haven't been to either of the cities, and since couldn't get tickets to Berlin, thought I'd travel to Amsterdam for the weekend to see his gig at the Heineken Music Hall in the suburb of Bijlmeer. This booking happened in Australia in August, so I've really been preparing mentally for the live show! :D

Source: http://images.smh.com.au/2011/08/20/2570365/ipad-art-wide-Gotye-420x0.jpg

Amsterdam in a Thursday evening didn't call out to me and I just planned my upcoming dates in the neat and artistic ladies' hostel Hostelle in Bijlmeer near the concert hall. Come Friday morning I was ready to hit the streets of Amsterdam. Especially because my bed sucked. Big time. I felt like a granny in the morning all limbs, neck, shoulders and pinkies and toes sore. The hostel is super nice otherwise, but those beds test your physique truly. Plus one of the girls had to been to a coffeeshop and hence also our room smelled like the sweet, intoxicating smell of legal hash.

This pic from the (obviously female) hostel is for my friend Doris. That girl lives and breaths pink. 

Amsterdam is pretty, and I definitely want to visit it during summertime. Bikes everywhere - great! (Just watch out! )  I love the multicultural atmosphere and blending in. Touristy streets are easily avoided, which makes the experience even better.

It was a chilly Friday and the locals thought it better to seek shelter at the mall. 

Vondelpark

A gentleman with his companion at Vondelpark.

Australia was well presented, because 40 % of the women seemed to have been wearing UGG boots. I've always wondered why they look the way they do, a  bit clumsy and with even soles. As I've now learned, it's because they are indoor shoes. It's a bit like I was walking around in woollen socks everywhere. :P

Being a big fan of beer (since you haven't already noticed, if you've been reading my stories), I of course sought my way to a local brewery, Brouwerij 't IJ, on a Friday afternoon. I was thinking of taking the tour of the place, and being an eager beaver ended up reaching the place 2 hours early. By then I was tired of walking for 5 k or so I just ordered the strongest beer in the house and sat down with my Game of Thrones paperback.  Lazy afternoon continued with new friends and the long-waited tour, which was excellent! They should teach beer making at the chemistry lessons at schools. I'm pretty sure 15 year olds would be listening more keenly on esthers and alcohols. 

Spirit-lifting ceiling art. 

Making a valid point at the brewery with a sticker.

Friday evening with all you can eat sushi and Whiskeycafe will go down in my personal history as the night of seizing the moment and enjoying whatever comes around the corner. I needed this experience as a reminder that life happens outside the calendar. 

Saturday night. The concert night. But since I knew where I was going and knew it wouldn't take me long to get there, the Saturday was mostly spent sightseeing and visiting FOAM, the photo museum, and looking at black-and-white photos by Diane Arbus of odd situations and perhaps even a tad bit odd people. In a good way, though. :) Good food, good drinks, good company, quite decent weather and a camera. Thumbs up. 

Obedient wildlife. Parking in the right spot. 

My car pics are a bit different from most... Electro power! :D

Poor George. If it were better weather I'd def keep him company on board. 

Let's face it, being alone in a concert hall waiting for the gig to begin is boring. Ih ended up playing Angry Birds and drinking my one and only tiny cup of Heineken (more refreshing that remembered). The warm-ups were experimental and seemed to have left most of the audience cold. I had to listen to a an English-speaking idiot, who sarcastically commented on the warm-ups. Let's get this clear: no one can like all type of music. But why on earth would you come to an indie concert only to mock the bands the artist you came to see had chosen to perform before him?! Gotye is a multitalent artist in all sense of the word, but his biggest fortune and the biggest problem is his hit single "Somebody that I used to Know". The people around me were shouting (I had earplugs, didn't help) that they only know that song and that they think they ought to go see artist they know. Geez, thanks for figuring that out there and then! :/ There's ethiquette to all sorts of events, including gigs.

But having said all that the show was more than I expected and made the waiting worth while. It was more than a gig, it was a performace that delighted the ears, eyes and the soul. There was one song I wasn't familiar with, otherwise I was thrilled to hear my favourite songs live. The guy is amazing. He plays everything - at one moment he is singing and playing a triangle, then he goes to his drum set and starts banging. He's also very audience-friendly. Looking good and he's also had the sense to gather up a band of good-looking men in their corduroy jackets, hipster hair and beards. ;)  I can't wait to see him/them again!  

Note taken: carry the proper camera with you even when it doesn't fit into your handbag. 

Hope you feel the spirit anyway! :) 

I want a dvd with the songs and the amazing animations!

Please, check out his albums on Spotify or YouTube or where ever. Do not limit your listening experience to the amazing single of Somebody that I used to Know. It's a great song.  It was also a great moment at the gig when the audience was doing Kimbra's part of the song and Gotye sang the rest. The song is very emotional for me and and there are days the song still really shakes me up. But Gotye is so much more. His music is pure passion. 

Ending this post by the last song of the evening:  Learnalilgivinanlovin.

Sunday mornings. <3

Sunday sunset before heading home. Amsterdam, we will meet again. Gotye, so will we. ;)