View from The Melkweg, 5:00 pm
The new DeLaMar theatre will open in a couple of months. At the moment they are still building the theatre. I am not really a theatre-type. I’m more of a comic book and film type. But when I leaved through the programme of the Amsterdam City Theatre this weekend, some plays did seem interesting. I am very curious about the performance of ‘Faust’, for instance.
Stanislavski, 3:00 pm
Last weekend it was Uitmarkt in Amsterdam. The Uitmarkt is the national opening of the cultural season and the largest cultural festival in the Netherlands. Visitors get a taste of what is to come in the cultural season and see free samples of musical performances, theatre, film and all kinds of other cultural outings. Since a lot of people come to town, it basically boils down to standing in line for long lengths of time. I took this shot while waiting for Liselotte, my coffee date for Sunday. What you see is only a small portion of a very long line of people, waiting to get into the theatre to see a free preview. When Liselotte arrived a few moments later, it was so crowded that we could forget about getting a cup of coffee, so we moved to Vertigo in The Vondelpark. It was pretty busy there too, but they only forgot to bring us the second round of drinks this time. Which, considering, isn’t a bad score for Amsterdam catering.
Chiellerie Gallery, Amsterdam 8:00 pm
Friday night, authors Wim T. Schippers and Theo van den Boogaard presented the new omnibus of Sjef van Oekel strips, titled: ‘Ik word niet goed.’ Cartoonist Peter van Straaten held a speech and the duo sang a couple of songs. Later on they signed the books. A lot of writers and actors were present yesterday. A while ago I interviewed Van den Boogaard about the book.
Prinsengracht, Amsterdam 3:45
Yesterday, when I came from the ABC I walked by this nice colourful little houseboat.
A long time ago I got an offer to rent a houseboat in Amsterdam. Since it was only short-term, I didn’t do it. And besides that, I am not really a houseboat person. I am not really a boat person as a matter of fact. A houseboat usually is too close to the street, so you get a lot of noise from traffic passing by. And a lot of boats with drunk students or tourists passing by your window. So basically I don’t see the fun of living on a houseboat.
Daily Webhead: Vondelpark – Take 1 from Mike’s Webs on Vimeo.
The Vondelpark in Amsterdam is one of my favourite places to hang out. Though, since it usually is very crowded, with hundreds of joggers, tourists, dogs and other visitors, one doesn’t really find peace and quiet. This video is another experiment with the Sony Cybershot. It’s a first take on the Vondelpark. I figure more will follow.
Leidsegracht, 2:00 pm
Four guys are sitting on a bench, watching the boats in the canal go by. I assume they are friends who are hanging out. Or maybe they keep an eye on the other four guys who are sitting on the bench at the other side of the canal?
Stanislavski, Leidseplein 12:00 pm
Yesterday, Jeroen Mirck and I met for coffee at Stanislavski. When I walked on, he was reading Het Parool. The newspaper I write for about comic books. While we talked about the media, his new job at Deloitte, blogging and working for the VARA (he just left the broadcasting agency, while I started a couple of months ago), I noticed something different about his face. Then it occurred to me that he has shaven off is beard. 🙂 (See also this entry.)
Shot through the window of the café.
Leidseplein, 1:30 pm
I just came from my coffee-date with Jeroen Mirck, when I stumbled upon this dude. He appears to be levitated above the ground, with only a stick to hold on to. But is it real? Or is this just some kind of parlour trick? Well maybe to answer that question: he’s a magician and goes by the name of Ramana.
Some Café, Amsterdam 3:30 pm
Any self-respecting café should have some good magazines to read. I always like to just sit somewhere where it’s nice, read some good articles while I am sipping a nice cup of coffee. I just don’t do this often enough. Today my girlfriend and I went for a walk and drink in the neighbourhood somewhere. We talked and drank our tea. I didn’t like the music though: too much eighties stuff. Bad beats and bad lyrics. Not a really good place to read anyway.
Fame, Kalverstraat, 6 pm
Today I just had to buy some dvd’s. I craved for some new movies to watch. It turned out I also bought some old ones but what the heck. (500) Days of Summer, read my review on this movie here. Red Dragon – I still had to see that one and any film with Antony Hopkins in it is worth watching in my book. Basic Instinct – one of Paul Verhoeven’s best Hollywood movies. Bram Stoker’s Dracula – I just had to see this one after reading about it in Fangoria. And 9 – very curious about this flick. It’s gonna be a great weekend.
Vertigo, Amsterdam 6:00 pm
Today I had a hamburger for dinner at Vertigo. I had dinner with my girlfriend and her mom. It wasn’t the greatest burger ever, but better than the crap they serve at McDonald’s and Burger King. On the picture it kind of looks like a Pac-Man sandwich. Anyway, Before that I had a wonderful meeting with my client at Het Parool. We discussed new article propositions. I am looking forward to writing them. September and October are going to be busy months 🙂
Leidsebosje, Amsterdam, 8 pm.
‘What, another tree pic?’ You might wonder. Yes, another tree pic because I like trees. Can’t help it, always have. Yesterday I walked home after a long day at work. The sun was going down, and the remaining beams gave a magic glow to everything. In film jargon we call it ‘magic hour’ for that reason. The light made the trees at the Leidsebosje stand out, it gave me a peaceful feeling while standing in the busy, crowded city.