Day 4

Travellers to Amsterdam can view what to expect of this beautiful city through my lens.  We spent 5 days in this busy yet relaxing city. Tourists fill this city to capacity and yet as a result of, travelling along the canals on a river cruise and watching the crazy world go by from their many coffee shops, I felt completely relaxed.

The Hop on Hop off Bus took us on a tour of the countryside on Day Four. It was amazing to see how much lower the Netherlands is below the see …that is definitely something that needs to be seen. I also found The Hague a beautiful city …its definitely a beautiful backdrop to the U.N’s International court of Justice.

Day 3 of Amsterdam through my lens can be viewed here!

Day 2 of Amsterdam through my  lens can be viewed here!

And our first day of Amsterdam  can be viewed here

The Hop on Hop off Bus took us on a tour of the countryside on Day Four.  It was amazing to see how much lower the Netherlands is below the sea and therefore is definitely something that needs to be seen.  I also found The Hague a beautiful city and hence a gorgeous backdrop to the U.N’s International court of Justice.

Day 5

Finally, on Day 5, we got to visit the Van Gogh Museum. I was disappointed that they did not allow photography in the museum like they did in the Rijksmuseum.  There were two designated points where photography was allowed and hence the reason why you won’t find that many photos in this blogpost of our visit there. As much as my fingers were dying to press the shutter button, I respected their policies.

Finally we took a walk through Vondelpark and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before heading back to our hotel and getting ready to say goodbye to Amsterdam!  We had spent a wonderful 5 days in this friendly city.

As a word of advice, deplete those savings, Amsterdam is definitely worth it. Grab the opportunity and visit this European city

In conclusion, keep an eye out for my next trip to Germany, Austria, Italy and Vienna!

NB:  For grooms who want to wear something unusual, like the pac man suit featured below, check out Opposuits in London!

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Day 2 can be viewed here!

Our “Tour Amsterdam” went more cultural on Day 3.  We visited the Rijksmuseum and I loved every minute of it.  In fact, I felt totally inspired from a photography point of view as we walked around this monumental building.  The architecture of the museum was impressive. Most of all, before we had even entered, I felt my creative juices start to bubble.

The iconic art in this museum consequently made me stand back and ponder how certain effects were created.  The masters were on full display.  I was impressed that  they had a great understanding of light and how well they had lit their subjects.  In fact, many photographers will know that we learnt lighting from these great masters.  Many of us know about the Rembrandt lighting technique.  But it was not just the lighting that interested me, there was so much else that appealed to me, not least, capturing people enjoying and pondering over the great masters!

The Albert Cuyp Market

Once we had caught our breath, we put our walking shoes back on and went on to find the outdoor market.   The Albert Cuyp Market is just one of a few markets around the city. It was here, that I had my first taste of their Stroopwafel.   It is delicious and very popular in the Netherlands. The market definitely had something for everyone, from food, clothing, cheeses, books, materials, fresh vegetables and flowers and much more.

The Anne Frank Museum

The only regret I have is that we were unable to do on our “Tour Amsterdam” program was a visit to the Anne Franks Museum.  Unfortunately, our decision to visit was Amsterdam was a quick decision and therefore we were unable to find an available booking for this museum.  You can queue and try your luck without an appointment, but when we saw the queues, we decided to rather give it a miss than waste our whole day in a queue.  My advice to anyone planning on visiting Amsterdam is to book these tickets as early as possible.  Everyone I have spoken to say it is definitely worth a visit. Maybe this is my excuse to visit Amsterdam again, although I do not think I need an excuse, it definitely has to be one of my most favourite destinations and the locals are warm and inviting.

I believe Amsterdam has something to offer everyone and definitely needs to be put on your bucket list.  If you do decide to tour Amsterdam, then check out the “I am Amsterdam” site for lots of worthwhile information.

Day 2 can be viewed here!

Day 1 can be viewed here!

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Travel – Amsterdam

Day 2

To travel Amsterdam was a longtime wish and I am so happy to say that I was not disappointed.    I found the Dutch people to be extremely friendly and helpful.  We never had a language issue either as they seem to speak English well.  Even if they hadn’t, Dutch has got many similarities to Afrikaans, one of the languages from South Africa (we have 11 official languages in SA).

We found it easy to get around Amsterdam as it is not a huge city and it is possible to walk the place flat.  You will realise this as you go through my photographs today and see how much of the city we covered on Day 2.  I apologise, but I seriously couldn’t help myself!  This is a beautiful, picturesque city.  If you have the opportunity, travel Amsterdam, it should be on your bucket list.

Whenever I think about this gorgeous city, the one thing that flashes into my mind instantly, is that it is a city of Bicycles.  They have parking garages for bicycles like we do for cars.  There are over 1 million bicycles in Amsterdam.  Apparently bicycle theft is very common here but as one local told me …its a question of not recognising your bike amongst the hundreds and thousands and just taking someone else’s …must admit it does seem hard to differentiate between them.

Travel to Amsterdam, but keep in mind that this city teems with tourists.  On any given day, apparently, the city is occupied by over 2 million people and only 800,000 are locals (as told to me by a local).  Normally something like this would sound off-putting, but I found it gave the city a great atmosphere.  Travelling to Amsterdam will appeal to all the generations ..young and old ..there is something for us all here!

Day 1 can be viewed here!

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Amsterdam Travel

Day 1 – Red Light District

Our  Amsterdam travel was amazing and I would go back there in a heartbeat.

As a result of moving to Dubai, we have  the opportunity to travel more freely.  This is definitely one of the perks of the relocation.  It is not difficult to hop on over to Europe for 4-5 days when we have a long weekend.  Whereas  travel from Cape Town to Europe for 4-5 days would be ludicrous and expensive.

Due to Eid, we had  5 days to play with and we decided that we wanted to go to Amsterdam.  So I jumped on lastminute.com.  I found a fantastic deal for a perfectly located hotel, The Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky.  If you are ever lucky enough to enjoy a stay at this wonderful hotel, make a note to enjoy their breakfasts in their beautiful Winter Room.  It feels as if you are in a bygone era.  The room is gracious, light and airy due to a slanted glass roof.  Be warned that the breakfast room is very busy due to its popularity.

Mark and I both fell in love with this city.  It is a beautiful city and has something to offer all the generations.  Upon arrival at our hotel, we were excited to realise that the Red Light District was a canal behind our hotel.  Needless to say, we dropped our bags in the room. We hurried out and  joined the throngs of youngsters from across the globe as we teemed through the narrow streets and alleys. The whiff of marijuana was prevalent. The prostitutes in the windows had  very captive audiences.  Consequently, you would imagine this area to be quite seedy.  Yet, I found the opposite to be true.  There was an energy that emanated from this area that made you look around in total awe and it totally energised you and you couldn’t help but feel the buzz even if you hadn’t smoked any marijuana!

Day 2 to be viewed here!

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Celeste & Marinus

A Nooitgedacht wedding in winter, is just absolutely special!  The venue never really disappoints, no matter the season, but in winter, it is colourful.  Add to the mix a truly, beautiful, loved up couple and it can only be magical.

Celeste and Marinus are a gorgeous couple who have kept their love alive while Celeste commutes between Cape Town and Iraq where she is currently working. Luckily for me, her commuting tied in perfectly to my own commuting lifestyle at the moment.  I am currently commuting between Dubai and Cape Town so I totally felt we were a client/photographer match made in heaven.  The only unfortunate moment was their engagement shoot, when I was so sick with flu but luckily they were absolute naturals that my loss of my voice was a non-issue! Their engagement shoot can be viewed here!

Marinus was the happiest man once Celeste has said her vows …as she had a bit of a reputation with the bridal party of being a “Runaway bride” and for giving Julia Roberts some serious competition.  But he needn’t have worried ..it was pretty obvious to all of us that he was her “Richard Gere” heart throb …and the only running she was doing …was straight into his arms!

I admire Celeste because one thing is pretty obvious about her …if she doesn’t believe something is right..she won’t go through with it.  Her wedding dress was typical of this situation.  She had organised her dress six months before the wedding but two weeks before the wedding, she wasn’t happy with the final product. Without any hesitation, she cancelled the order and decided that she had two weeks to find her perfect dress …..and boy, did she find the perfect wedding dress at Eve’s Bridalwear, Cape Town.  The dress was definitely made for her!  Alicia Buckle performed her magic and created a make-up and hairstyle look that embodied Celestes look and personality.

Celeste and Marinus choice and taste in suppliers was phenomenal.  I was introduced to their event planners, Pretty in Stains and  these two sisters pulled off Celeste’s vision of an elegant, classic, pastel wedding to perfection.  Me and Mr Brown were the evenings entertainment and once again, they did a sterling job and had the crowd on the dance floor until the early hours.

I hope I get many more opportunities to have Celeste and Marinus in front of my lens!

This Nooitgedacht wedding truly does not disappoint.

Suppliers:-

Venue – Nooitgedacht

Wedding Dress – Eve’s Bridalwear

Event planners & Stationery – Samantha and Melissa from Pretty in Stains

Flowers  –  Blommeprag

Decor – Makiti

Lighting –  EC Lighting

Live Music – Me & Mr Brown

Brides make-up and hair – Alicia Buckle

Bridesmaids & moms make-up & hair – Anna B

Wedding Cake – The Cake Lady

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