Turns out that in 2020, midway through the year off that I took in the heart of covid, I really got into the festive decorations for the holiday season. That year, I sensed that many homeowners put in an extra effort, and I enjoyed biking and walking all over town to enjoy and photograph many of these creations, which I shared in many blog posts that December. Fast forward to this third Christmas in my current Amsterdam-based life. I’ve been too busy w/work and travel, and Amsterdam weather too absolutely abysmal whenever I’ve been around, for me to want to do any walking or biking to just seek out any holiday decorations one might find. (Picture me, instead, biking home after a long work day in my new rain-pants and fighting heavy headwinds with driving rain instead.)
Moreover, though they do a good job of neighborhood lights here, there’s no culture of holiday decorations in anywhere near the over-the-top manner you’ll see if you click that December 2020 link. (The image below shows you what they do on the central plaza that hosts both Dam Square & A’dam’s Royal Palace – see, just not such a thing, eh?) But on a day-trip to Brussels shortly before I flew off for that exhausting trip to Southeast Asia, I did have the distinct honor introducing my dear friends Howard & Gene to the national symbol of Belgium, already decked out in his seasonal finery on that last (rainy, naturally) Saturday in November. They’d never known of the existence of this unusual national symbol of that neighbor nation-state to the south! 🙂
Those paying any attention may notice an unusual theme in these two posts which’ll go up on the 25th – the prior post being an entrance my cousin Sam & I were a tad surprised by while walking to a movie theater during his visit. It’s just coincidence, friends, not a commentary on my mental state. Or, to the extent it is, let’s just say I and most colleagues I’ve spoken with will not be sad to see the end of 2023. Here’s my first of many wishes for a kinder, gentler 2024.
Point 1: I realized to my chagrin that I skipped this series in the last number cycle, so we’re catching up; Point 2: The oldest canals have been collapsing bit by bit, so the city of A’dam has a massive multi-year budget to slowly shore them up, since the center city’s canals and streets are so old that they were never built for the sheer volume of tourists, buses, cars, etc that load the roads alongside them now – this being an example of the repairs on one canal in the heart of the old city.
Runners passing what I think of as the “front entrance” to Vondelpark on marathon Sunday this year. (Front b/c it’s closer to the city center than the entrance near my old place, at the opposite end of the park near my old place.)
So I took all the photos in this post on one early-October stroll around my neighboring park at the end of a desk-heavy work-from-home day. Not long after I’d realized I could start splurging my “city lights” photos because I was entering the season where Urban Garden entries would be harder to find than City Lights ones would. 🙂
Recent strolls in the neighborhood have given me cause to revive this long-neglected, first-ever series. The taller, square building in the top right corner of the photo, to the left of the sign saying it’s not an official beach and swim at your own risk, is home for now.
(so much world, so little time....) 