Johannes van Dam is currently living out his dream, performing famously in his role as the number one restaurant reviewer in Amsterdam. He works for the newspaper “Het Parool” and is currently spending his Sunday morning at a his local coffee shop reading his own review in the newspaper, smiling ruefully.

He is happy to talk to me and motions out at the rainy street. “This was a canal about 30 years ago,” he nods, looking over his glasses. “Then we build road because we not need that canal anymore.”

He shakes the newspaper and backhand slaps his review in a gesture of disbelief. He utters some Dutch explicative while laughing, and then stabs at his column with his finger. “This is a good review my friend!”

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

This was taken around midnight in the middle of the red light district of Amsterdam. You can see one of those eerie pink windows off to the left. For this one, I recommend you click on this Large on Black version.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

Here is a mustard-coated Dutch Biker navigating the narrow streets of Amsterdam.

And these are some cool little houses I found all in a row in another part of the city:

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

This is the interior of a cool church in Holland.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands

Here is a very unusual shot I got of the train station in Amsterdam with this cool advertisement out front. At least, I think it is an advertisement.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

I often use an outrageous photographer persona when trying to gain access to places I am not allowed, and that persona is super-bad-British-accent Benevius Throckmorton the Fourth, the National Geographic photographer who is too aloof to carry proper documentation and too aghast to understand why anyone would ask for such a thing.

You would be amazed that this persona has worked 100% of the time, and I get to take my camera into places where photographers are not normally allowed. The best place I infiltrated was the impervious Altar of the Duomo in Milan.
Below is a famous restaurant in Amsterdam that Benevius was allowed to photograph. This first picture is taken in an underground area where they keep all sorts of mysterious wines and meads that have been fermenting since the Renaissance. The second picture has some original Rembrandt sketches right above your dinner table.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

Here is a really cool church I found in Amsterdam that had very nice paintings on the organ cover. You have to zoom in to see the Large version to see the detailed work.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

Here are a few images from my trip to Haarlem. This first one comes from Amsterdam and it is where you can see about 10,000 bikes parked at the train station.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

I found this guy in a busy crowd in the middle of Amsterdam. There were a bunch of soccer hooligans running around Dam Square, and he was watching in eager anticipation, probably hoping a horse race would break out.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

Here are two very different structures from Holland.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Haarlem, Musings, Netherlands

Here are a night and day night of various parts of the Netherlands. One is reflected off glass and the other off the water.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Haarlem, Musings, Netherlands, Travel

Here is a very cool train station with a old timey feel I found in Holland.

Filed under the categories: Amsterdam, Musings, Netherlands, Travel