02-19-13 Centraal Station - Amsterdam (Reprise)

TS Eliot was wrong. Februrary, not April, is "the cruelest month." At least for me. Yes, the days are getting longer. Yes, the temperature ocassionally soars into the high 20s. But it is often in the heart of February that what I think is SAAD (seasonal affective disorder) hits me. And I lose my will to post new photos to this blog.So I'm posting old stuff. . . But, in the event that you haven't meticulously looked at all four years of my posts, you've probably never seen some of these. So maybe they're not old.

What Kind of Coffee Do They Serve Here?

Some of my readers will know right away that this "coffee house" sells more than coffee and that's why there is an age restriction. I was looking at the photos I took in Amsterdam a few years ago and decided to post this.What do they serve here besides coffee? They serve pot in a variety of forms. Not only can you buy joints (so I'm told) but marijuana infused brownies and cookies, too. Only a desperate person would smoke the last two but you can eat them and get more than I sugar high.For the record, I didn't go in to one of these coffee shops. Neither did my wife. Or my Lutheran pastor friend Billy. Honest!

10-20-09 Seeing Red: Amsterdam

If you were hoping for a photo of the famous "red light" district of Amsterdam, sorry. I've heard that taking photos there can be very risky - the women working there want their privacy protected.

Instead, here's a photograph of a fairly typical dwelling in Amsterdam - very narrow and several stories tall. You can't see from this angle, but the buildings are slightly sloping, with the top hanging out over the sidewalk. The reason for the slope is that furniture is lifted to upper floors by a winch attached to the roof rafter on the outside of the building. The stairs have too many twists and turns.

08-23-09 The Sirens of Amsterdam

By Scott Shephard

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Amsterdam is known for many things, including coffee bars that sell marijuana brownies, and young ladies that sell . . . well, I'd just as soon not mention it.

These ladies were selling lingerie and leather goods. I and my friend Billy didn't succumb to any of the temptations of Amsterdam, other than the great art museums.

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07-17-09 Centraal Station - Amsterdam

Scott P and I were waiting to catch the morning train to Paris. As busy as this train station is, I was struck by the peacefulness at the moment I took this photo. As I look at the picture, I am also drawn to the fact that the golden morning sunlight streaming in the windows echoes the golden color of the trains. I didn't see this when I took the picture. What I saw were all of the lines and curves and if you go back and look at my architectural photos, it's clear that I have a penchant for lines and curves.