Amsterdam - My New Favorite City

I love Amsterdam. I have to confess that for the moment at least, Amsterdam has overtaken Paris for the title of my favorite city. I absolutely love this place! Let me tell you why.

It's the pace, the quiet, the way I can duck off a main road and ride my bike along a quiet canal. It's the way the bikes flow with traffic and pedestrians in a seamless, graceful flow. Okay, there are casualties when bikes and cards and people collide. A bike city! How much more me can it be? It's not perfect, this Amsterdam, but I love it anyway.

I adore the architecture, the way the towering brick houses line the canals, trees just budding, flower  boxes overflowing with tulips and other brightly blooming bulbs.

The first time I came here in 1988 I wanted to stay. Last summer I got a better sense of the city but wanted to come back when alone so I could explore more.

In this city you are constantly lost, but if you are alone, it's easier. I have seen countless couples grappling with the map, fending off frustration and power issues. That happened to me and Denise last year and I am quite content to be lost alone. Though it's getting easier to navigate the city and with a bike, I feel incredible freedom.

But there's more.

Shopping Spree

The shops here hold more temptation for me than any other city. Since I am going home soon, I have been lured into buying gifts, both for others and myself. This is a book maven's paradise, with quirky bookshops, card shops and paper shops in abundance. At the Waterlooplein market the other day, I went a little overboard. I've been searching Europe for a ring for me and I finally found one while buying a gift for Scarlett, my assistant in Boulder. I indulged in a set of German cards from the mid-19th century, replete with colorful and magical and whimsical illustrations. It's a series of advertisements for a meat extract company - fleisch extract. Not the kind of thing I would buy but the cards are precious. The guy selling them told me that the cards became quite a sensation. I bought a bunch for me and for gifts. Jan, the stall owner, is also a miniature artist, painting adorable scenes with watercolor pencils. Of course I had to get a painting, and one for a friend too. But the real indulgence came later. Jan had directed me to a stall where a guy sold vintage postcards. Jan told me I could find special things there. And I did.

There, among the folders tucked with vintage postcards, was a box. The lid said something like - postaljes 7,50. The whole box? I asked. Yes, the guy said. They all go together. So I bought it. Someone's lifelong postage stamp collection. Thousands of stamps from decades, from around the world. I had that day been drawing my own stamps as a creative travel key. I felt it was complete juju. Now I can make stamp art and also share the stamps with people who come to my creativity workshops. They make great collage items.
I've been indulging so much that my suitcase is bulging. I packed up a box of precious gifts, cards, etc and sent it home.

Today I went to the organic market. I bought tulips, bread, cheese and mushrooms from the most incredible mushroom stall I have ever seen. Delicate, exotic, earthy and yummy, these mushrooms were the most elegant thing in the market full of beautiful things. I bought a mix, some fresh pasta, and some broccoli and garlic. I plan to get some wine and enjoy an evening at my beautiful apartment on two canals in the Jordaan.

What? My beautiful apartment? How did that happen? It didn't start that way.

The Juju Turns

I rented a room in an apartment near the Rijksmuseum from someone online. It looked great, great location, price okay, for a week, no problem. But when I arrived my nose told me that this was the worst place I had ever stayed. It reeked of cat - pee or spray, who knows. THe guy who checked me in smoked a cigar. When I arrived I was on the verge of getting sick and when I spent time in my room, the gag relefex was in full force. I can only say I was blessed to be sick, because I couldn't smell very well. I can only imagine the stench if I had been in full use of my nose!

Luckily, juju kicked in. I had received an email from an American woman named Brandy who lives in Amsterdam. She offered to take me to the best yoga in Amsterdam and lunch. Of course I accepted that amazing offer. The morning after I arrived we met and went to Svaha yoga studio. There we took an excellent class with a kooky and caring yogi named Gosta (which in Portuguese means I like). I vowed to go back and have been to three classes at the studio. It's such a blessing to find a good yoga studio.
Over egg salad sandwiches in the park, I told Brandy about my horrible room. I planned to spend as little time there as possible, but being sick, I also wanted a place to rest if needed. Turns out that Brandy was going away this weekend and asked if I could housesit with her black cat, Fatty. Of course I said yes, so now I am happily ensconced in one of the most amazing apartments in a perfect neighborhood in Amsterdam. Much better.

Finishing My Projects

My goal this week has been to work on my book, and I have. I lurk in cafes and linger in restaurants, busting out the watercolor crayons, pens and notebooks. I am making a lot of progress on the book and think I can have it complete by April 1st. I am also nearing the end of my accordion notebook, and have started a page-a-day book using a Japanese book I had made years ago in a book binding class. I have a few more postcards to make and send. Overall I am happily engaged in my artmaking and not struggling too much with lack of computer. I miss writing and with so much inspiration here, I had to sit down and write this blog.
It's miraculously sunny in Amsterdam this week. I plan to have lunch today and then stroll the Jordaan, looking for more goodies to buy. I'll sit near a canal and draw a few postcards. I'll relish my last few days in my new favorite city.

What's Next

I'm planning a creativity workshop here for next year, so I will be able to share this amazing place with others who want to travel with their Muse.

I leave for Carcassonne on Monday, where I will stay with Blake, a wonderful woman I met in December.

After that I head to Italy, for a few days in Cinque Terre before the CREA conference on April 1st.

I fly to Denver on April 9th from Paris. And for all of you kind souls who have offered me a place to stay, I thank you! I have friends picking me up and will be moving into my new attic apartment in Denver with my friends Vic and Gigia.

I am planning an art and performance show to share the juju from my trip. It's been quite a ride and I look forward to developing more from it! Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and holding the space. I will try to continue with a weekly blog post until I get home, get a new computer and can write more.
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Comments

[Helen Harrop]

Hi Cynthia :-) It was so lovely to meet you at the Design Your Creative Life conference in London. A creative workshop in Amsterdam sounds fantastic and I can't wait to hear more about it - Do you have a date in mind yet?

[Lisa]

Cynthia -I'm sorry you're missing Croatia, but it sounds like Amsterdam was the right decision! I've enjoyed following you on journey juju, and through Impulses. I would love to catch up when you return to Colorado...I'll send you an email in April sometime. Cheers!

[Cynthia Morris]

Helen,
I don't have a date planned yet, but probably April/May 2010. I would love to have you join us! I'll be working on next year's Europe workshops this summer. So great to meet you in person. Good luck with your shows and have fun with your art!
Lisa, Thanks for following and sharing the journey with me! I can always go to Croatia next year! See you in CO!

[Denise Dambrackas]

Congratulations on mastering the streets of Amsterdam, or at least beating them at their game to lure you into a state of complete and utter confusion! Man... a week of trying and I still couldn't find my way home without help, last summer.

OMG. Your return is just around the corner! How exciting for us (here in Colorado). I think that I'll be out of town 4 Wheeling in Moab the week of your return, but I'll definitely be asking you to come over for dinner the next... like old times. X

[Scott]

Cynthia, It is such a pleasure to read your blogs and enjoy your journey through your writings. I trust that more than you can imagine will open up for you because you have been so passionate honoring your values and desires.

[Kathy]

Here's a toast to the return of the juju!
Amsterdam holds a special place in my heart and you bring back memories with your story.

Housesitting juju has returned to my life as well. Sonoma wine country last week and in April Larkspur in Marin County.

Some of us just have that wild horse spirit.

Love following yours! - Kathy Loh

[Mary]

Hi there--I was in Amsterdam for the first time last year and was totally unprepared for how hard and how fast I fell in love with the whole city. And I'm going back this May! Can't wait. I think I could live there for a while (I'd miss my kids and grandkids too much to stay forever ;-)

[Cynthia Morris]

Mary,
Have fun in Amsterdam! I can't wait to go back.
Thanks, Scott, for the kind note about my blog and journey! I look forward to the next phase!
Denise, it is so much easier to navigate Amsterdam solo. I can't count how many twosomes I saw fighting over the map...while the mischievous spirit of the city giggled under a bridge! It's such a great place!
Kathy, here's to housesitting juju! I am still housesitting!

[Lily]

Am just now catching up on your blog! Maybe trying to find motivation to keep mine going...since I got back from my time away I can't seem to find the motivation!

In any case I'm off to Amsterdam next week for the long weekend..!! I remembered you raving about it. I'm excited, as I alaways am discovering a new place. Will let you know!