On the last day of HiveFest, we had a spare day to explore Amsterdam by ourselves. It was drizzling all day, not the best time to go sight seeing, but I felt so at home. The wet depressing weather was exactly like UK so I wasn't bothered at all, and went out for a walk.
Canals and bridges
Everywhere you walk around Amsterdam, you're bound to come across a canal. The vibe is so different from London which is full of concrete, albeit nice slabs. Having so much water in the city feels a lot nearer to nature.
And with canals, you get many bridges. That adds another level of character to the city. Some are grander, like the lady of the house that makes an entrance sweeping down the grand staircase in her beautiful ball gown.
Whereas other are more basic and practical, like the lady's maid who only has one purpose, to support and serve, and blends in quietly in the background. Sorry everyone, I've been watching too much Downton Abbey.
Interesting things along the way
I love it when I find interesting shops during my travels, especially one that has a colorful window display. This is a stamp shop, unfortunately it was closed on Sunday. In the old days (I know from TV programs) people used to seal their letters with wax. They would melt the colourful wax sticks into a little ladle, pour it on the envelope and then press the sealing stamp on top till the wax hardens. That way the recipient would know if someone has opened their letter.
A bit further along, I can't remember where, is the statue of Spinoza, a 17th century philosopher born at this site to Jewish refugees. He defended, amongst other things the freedom of religion and speech. I thought that is very apt for what we aim to achieve on Hive.
Het Begijnhof
My walk around Amsterdam that day wasn't totally without purpose. I read about a neighborhood called Begijnhof in the middle of the city and decided to pay a visit.
Begijnhof is a group of private houses that dates back to the middle ages and is one of the oldest residence in Amsterdam. The inhabitants were all females, Catholic sisterhood, who lived like nuns but were more independent and had more freedom. Source Entrance to Begijnhof is via a rather obscure doorway, and if you're not looking for it, you would easily pass by without noticing it.
Once inside, you see a very pretty courtyard lined with 47 Amsterdam style houses all looking a bit different from one another, but blending in seamlessly as one complete complex. People still live here nowadays, and parts of it were cordoned off to maintain privacy for the residents.
I'll tell you a funny story about my visit. The whole Begijnhof is very well maintained and visitors can walk around in the public area that wasn't cordoned off. It was drizzling all the time, I had my umbrella, so was a bit occupied in trying to stay dry, take photos, and admire this lovely neighbourhood all the same time. I noticed a small building in front of one bank of houses. It was pretty and looked a little unusual, like a guard's house. Occasionally I'd see a person go in, and someone else come out but I wasn't checking all the time as I was wandering around and taking photos. Eventually I stopped to take a photo, and thought...
"How thoughtful of them to have a toilet here for the visitors, and such a pretty one as well!"
Then I saw two guys go in together, and thought, what the heck!!! Amsterdam is pretty liberal, but this at a historical neighborhood is really pushing it!
I took a step back to take a proper look. I can't read Dutch but saw RK Begijnhof of Kapel, and it dawned on me. This wasn't a toilet!!! Kapel must mean Chapel because the Catholic sisterhood used to live here. This is the entrance to the Chapel😃😂 It turns out that during the 16th century, Catholics were banned so Begijnhof hid their church behind an unassuming doorway.
And all became apparently once I stepped inside!! I wasn't expecting this behind the little doorway. A proper church that is still is use today. What a great way to round of a wet afternoon in Amsterdam
