Amsterdam is an intoxicating jumble of old and new, a place where street art, sex shops and cannabis cafes coexist with world-class art museums, well-preserved Golden Age architecture and traditional bruine kroeg (brown cafes). A feeling of casual tolerance prevails, due in part, maybe, to the fact that Amsterdam is home to people of 177 nationalities – the most of any city in the world. And then there are the bikes. Everywhere bikes. "The most Dutch of all vehicles," it has been said. Our canal boat tour guide tells us that there are more bicycles here than people. And quite possibly the most excellent collection of custom retro two-wheelers to be seen in one spot anywhere on the planet. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an excerpt from my book Live Without Dead Time: The Streets of Amsterdam, which was originally published in 2009, with a second edition published in 2011. The video showcases photos from the book set to one of my original instrumental tunes, "Sophie & Boscho." -Starling
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in a small Wisconsin blue-collar town, Mike Starling ditched the assembly line for a long, sometimes circuitous career working with words, sound and images. His original music is heard on numerous recordings and soundtracks, and his stories and photos have been featured in books, films, mags and other media. Among his other interesting career moves, he has edited a beer magazine, played bass in a reggae band and sold potato chips door-to-door. He started a year-long web-based project called I Remember Travel in January 2021. more work samples Comments are closed.
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I REMEMBER TRAVELJourneys in sight and sound by Mike Starling categories
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All text, images and music in the I Remember Travel weblog ©Mike Starling unless otherwise noted. Music published by Bean Hoy Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
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