If you had asked for my opinion of Amsterdam’s Red Light District (Dutch: Rosse Buurt) before my travels I would have said something along the lines of “Prostitution, the world’s oldest trade, is not going away anytime soon, so if a country can find a way to keep it safe, destigmatized, and regulated by making it legal, […]
Tasting Notes – Puccini Bomboni
How can I go all the way to Amsterdam and not go to the best chocolate shop there? I can’t. Many rave over the expensive yet delicious artisan chocolates of Puccini Bomboni with two branches in the heart of Amsterdam. They are not mistaken. The store is clean and quite bare with the exception of the […]
Exploring De Oude Kerk in Amsterdam
The Oude Kerk (Old Church) is the oldest surviving building in Amsterdam. Part of my fascination with it is that it’s right next to De Wallen, home to the Red Light District. It seems to me that that area has always been derelict. The church was consecrated in 1306 as Saint Nicholas Church, with Saint […]
Black in Amsterdam
Isaac Israel. Portrait of a Wounded Soldier (1882) Rijksmuseum. Depicts a Belanda Hitam (Zwarte Hollander) originally from Elmina, Ghana When I was deciding on a European break this summer, I purposely decided against Barcelona or any other locale that I envisioned I could be mistaken for a prostitute simply on the basis of my dark […]
Eating Amsterdam
For convenience sake, we ate close to our rental apartment in Leidseplein on our first and last nights in Amsterdam. As expected, the food was generally tourist crap and not worth the expense though N’ku enjoyed the fries and condiment that came with her ribs at one of the first venues we were convinced to […]
Exploring the Arts in Amsterdam
Collage of holdings at the Rijksmuseum I’m not much of an art connoisseur but my sister N’ku was hell bent on seeing iconic Dutch paintings. She was rattling off names like Vermeer and “Night Watch” and I felt like I must have missed some part of vital education somewhere along the line. I mean since […]
Wall plaques and decor on Amsterdam buildings
A favourite part of my trip was to look up at the buildings and identify any wall plaques. This came at the risk of being run down by a bicyclist. Said bicyclist would invariably be texting with one or neither hand on the bars and a passenger precariously balancing at the back. Pure talent. The […]
Amsterdam Canals, Houseboats, and Dancing Houses
Canals, lopsided houses, and houseboats are what come to mind when I think of Amsterdam. I’m glad, I’ve had an opportunity to see them for myself and learn about their origin and history. I’m actually amazed by the technological feats that went into transforming a fishing village on marshy land at the mouth of the […]
Amsterdam – The Sights
My sister N’ku and I arrive in Amsterdam early on a Sunday morning and take bus 197 from the airport to Leidseplein where our AirBnB apartment is located. After a refresher nap, we decide to take in the sights. We walk to The National Monument in Dam Square to join the Sandeman Amsterdam Free Tour. […]
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.