An Artful Exploration of Amsterdam

A lot has changed since the 17th century when the Netherlands basked in glory as the world’s economic powerhouse (in fact, Amsterdam was home to the world’s first stock exchange). What has withstood the tests of time, however, is its enduring influence on the global art scene, from Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vermeer to Amsterdam’s…

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Retracing The Fault in Our Stars in Amsterdam

A month ago today I returned home to Sydney, Australia from a whirlwind 26-day sojourn in Europe (you may start with Day One here). I lament that an entire month has lapsed since my last post, and in all honesty, I have been battling hard about the destination for my first post. In the end,…

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Photo-Blog Day 26 – Copenhagen (Goodbye)

Dear Copenhagen Goodbyes are never easy. But I wonder why they must always be this hard. You’ve always known how much I needed to be here. Now you know how grateful I am to be here; and that leaving you for the second time is no easier than the first. I look at the expectant…

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Photo-Blog Day 25 – Copenhagen

A lack of time has oftentimes been the culprit of everything; from our inability to spend quality time with loved ones, to more fundamentally our inability to see beyond our fingertips. It is just as well then that I am in Denmark – the purveyor of dreams and possibilities – where time is measured not…

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Photo-Blog Day 23 – Copenhagen

They say we should always leave something for next time. So this is my Next Time. Like a secret lover I’ve been counting down the days before I can see you again. Have you missed me, my dear Copenhagen? – Copenhagen

Photo-Blog Day 22 – Amsterdam 

Is there someone you’ve never quite forgotten? Would you lose yourself in streets just like this, hoping for a familiar figure to come into view, a smile on their face, brimming with pleasant expectancy of seeing you again? – Amsterdam

Photo-Blog Day 21 – Giethoorn

If I were to conjure up a perfect day it would start by waking to a countryside radiant with a riot of colours, fireworks in the sky and you by my side. – Giethoorn

Photo-Blog Day 20 – Amsterdam 

There is something about the world’s most liberal city – with the scent of marijuana perfuming the air and red draped windows adorning the canals – that makes me desperately hold onto moments of tranquillity like this. – Amsterdam 

Photo-Blog Day 19 – Amsterdam

I have never been as ambivalent about a place as I am about Amsterdam. It is as if the traditionalist in me has been physically torn between the familiarity of old ways and the insouciant liberalism pervading the land; caught between an urge to run and hide, and an urge to embrace. – Amsterdam

Photo-Blog Day 18 – Neuschwanstein

As a homebody, I used to content myself with the safety net of home. I can almost pinpoint the exact moment when that can no longer content me. Alas, I can’t escape the fate of many; that ultimately we are pilgrims in a social landscape. – Neuschwanstein Castle

Photo-Blog Day 17 – Bavarian Alps

A part of our consciousness will always respond to the vibrations of beauty. Just as a sunflower to the sun, and a heart to warmth. – Bavarian Alps

Photo-Blog Day 16 – Mondsee

Sometimes the smallest of things can trigger an avalanche of memories; the beautiful, the bittersweet. And for the briefest of moments, those memories would be enough to carry us through another year – another lifetime – of pining for what has been missed. – Mondsee Lake

Photo-Blog Day 15 – Vienna

There is something restorative about solo travel, about having the belief – however frivolous and transient – that life can be conquerable on our own. – Vienna

Photo-Blog Day 14 – Vienna

For all my life I have wanted nothing more than a calm course of existence; having a home that is inviting, work that is intellectual, travel that is invigorating and then, on top of all that, you, to anchor my sense of belonging in this world. – Vienna