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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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. … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
The foam photography museum is on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. Recently, I went there to see an exhibition of photography by Diane Arbus, the American photographer. The exhibition is laid out over several floors, with narrow stairways leading up and down between rooms. This is not a museum for anyone … Continue reading
… and to a fresh new look and direction for Perilous Adventures. For the past several years, Perilous has been an online magazine, featuring interviews with writers, and lots of wonderful new works. You can still access the archive of material by visiting our old site here … In 2013, Perilous … Continue reading