6 reactions to this article

Francesco Sinibaldi posted: 11-11-2008 | 6:14 PM

El torrente.

En la palabra
del sueño
escucho el amor
de una paz
infinita, un rayo
de luz y la
dulce poesía
del recuerdo solar.

Francesco Sinibaldi

Jehanzeb Khan posted: 12-11-2008 | 1:45 PM

Well, I live in Amsterdam for the last 10 years and have a hate-love relationship with this city. Sometimes I hate it and sometimes a love it a lot. But one thing is sure that my love is much much bigger then my hate.
I hate when I am waiting for the GVB transportation in the cold windy rainy nights and it is always late or diverted to another route. I hate when see dog poop in the streets. I hate when I see young "criminals" bump in or swirling around my shop and I can not do anything.
But I love when I walk in the streets of amsterdam. I love when I am sitting in front of the Dam Palace in the evening. I love when I enjoy eating at different resturants. I love when I sit in Sarphati Park, Gaasperplas etc on a sunny day. I love, when I enjoy the old buildings,canals and the multi-cultural population of the city.
My hate-love relation is 10 to 90 ratio.

tony posted: 15-11-2008 | 3:00 PM

i have love/hate too, hate the way the tax/gas/electric/water companies don't do business unless you speak their lingo, rudeness of the dutch in general, encouraged by the government, bit slow on the uptake, ask a question and they don't think outside the box, love westerpark, canals, laidbackness, the teenage immagrants who do not want to mix, have a chip on their shoulers, cause trouble, i could go on, but this was why i sold up and took my money back home....

pat posted: 23-11-2008 | 11:26 AM

I love amsterdam but it is not safe anymore due to large increase in young criminals from a particular community. They routinely indulge in hurling abuses at other drivers, eaveteasing, making lewd gestures are women and damaging public property. Their behavior tends to shadow everything you look forward to enjoy in Amsterdam. Police must really do something about it. Otherwise the charm of Amsterdam wouyld be lost !

John Melfi posted: 04-12-2008 | 3:23 AM

Besides the great weed Amsterdam is a real mess of a city. It has no soul. If you like a city full of gays, Arab "Italian" restaraunts and gangs of uneducated surinamese and morrocan causing havoc the it is the place for you. The only thing worse that the constant smell of urine in the city is the attitude of the natives. If you dont crap Oranje you are not welcome.

Mathieu posted: 17-12-2008 | 2:59 PM

John: Yeah, I agree, the gays really are starting to cause problems. The increase in catfights over discounted designer scarves at the Bijenkorf is quite a hazard to retail in these tough economic times. I was recently in Germany, and you might want to avoid Berlin as well. That city is crawling with homos. As is San Francisco. Or New York. Or even London these days (what's the world coming to?). I recommend checking out Riyadh, though. Jeddah's even nicer, since it's on the water. And every beach is totally homo-free. Tradeoff is that you won't be able to cruise, let alone hit on, teenage girls anymore. But that's a small price to pay for the certainty of knowing that the men holding hands in the street intend it platonically, rather than as an attack on your masculinity. And the money is great. I think you'd love it there.

Amsterdam is a small big city, with everything that entails. It helps to realise that it's actually a number of little villages all stitched together. Personally, I don't mind the edgier consequences of a more laissez-faire attitude, but it's certainly not for everyone. That's why I live an hour south and visit A'dam only when I have a good reason.