God, I think I’m becoming a museum tragic. All of my letters home are filled with the stories I find in them, and in the conversations I rarely have the courage to strike up with strangers. I’m sure I’m boring all my long-suffering friends to death, so instead I should start posting these snippets of…
Author: nike sulway
Natura Artis Magistra
Natura Artis Magistra, founded in 1838, is a miniature zoo in the heart of Amsterdam’s Plantage district. It includes an aquarium, butterfly pavilion, planetarium and various other animal exhibits. The zoo is also the site of a range of beautiful old buildings, including Wolf House, which was once The Oak and Linden Inn where guests…
Monnickendam, part the second (pics)
I really enjoyed visiting Waterland, the district that encompasses both Monnickendam, where these photographs were taken, and Broek. I’m not the first to enjoy a stroll through the area. In 1905, an Englishman by the name of Edward Verrall Lucas published a book about his visit to the Netherlands: A Wanderer in Holland. It’s an…
Monnickendam, part the first
Monnickendam is a beautiful village in North Holland, part of what is now Waterland. It’s a short drive from Amsterdam, through some beautiful countryside that, at this time of year, features wide fields of pure white snow dotted with picturesque Dutch country houses and small copses of leafless trees. The village officially became a city…
Bibliotheek
The openbare bibliotheek stands on the fresh earth of the Oosterdokskade. As the local people say: God created the earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands. The Oosterdokskade is an example of the created land of the Netherlands: before the buildings that are spread out along it were built, the land itself had to be…
Gartine
It’s surprisingly difficult to get good food in Amsterdam. There are oodles of cafes and coffee shops, but the cafes often aren’t really focused on food (but booze and coffee), whereas coffee shops are often places that serve coffee, but are mostly famous for serving various types of cannabis. Gartine is one of thee delightful…
December roses
Recently, I read an essay by James M. Barrie called ‘Courage’. It’s not an essay so much as the transcript of a speech Barrie delivered to the ‘red gowns of St Andrews’* on May 3, 1922. The speech was given on the occasion of the students’ graduation. The year when the speech was given…
In the library
This is not really a post at all. It’s just a quote from Jenny Lawson’s blog. I’m not usually into humorous blogs, or books. But I love this bit of her post about the-year-that-cannot-be-named. Apparently, Jenny is afraid of the number … that number. The one between 12 and 14. So she decided to call…
Launch date … and cover
Guess what? My latest novel, Rupetta, is about to be launched by Tartarus Press in the UK. They are hosting a launch in an old, reputedly haunted, pub in York on February 9th. The pub is called The Golden Fleece. If you can make it, I would love to see you there! In the meantime,…
Tabor at the Cafe Tuin
I know, I know. I’m working on that long, wordy post. I promise. I was working on it today, in the snow, at the Cafe Tuin just around the corner in Tweede Tuindwarsstraat. But I got distracted and made a new friend. I hope you like him as much as I do. His name is Tabor…