Untitled
Written by Alison Christ
August 2000
Let me tell you of a land that my heart is very fond of. A land of amazing
subtleties. A land of fairy tales and illusions. The trees, bushes and flowers
excrete an energy so thick, it glows. If you sit quietly and watch, you can be
absorbed by it. Even when it rains and the sun is on hiatus, there is a light
generated by it's life.
The parks are a place to spend time in every day. Just a walk through one
is like a rebirth, a fix or a confession. It's wonderful in solitude or with company.
The water is the flow of life. It is everywhere, along the streets and under the
bridges. It radiates a sense of freedom. At night you can see the cities soul
reflecting from it.
The streets are intriguing and detailed with beauty. Even a street that you
have walked down a hundred times has something new to offer. Each cobble
stone deliberately laid.
The buildings are surreal. They make you unsure they were created by the
hand of man alone. Every brick, every door, every window frame, every cat
sleeping at it's door step leads you to the inevitable; Man.
The men and women are God like. Tall, slender and beautiful. God like yet
subtle. This is a place you could get lost in and absorbed by in such an intense
way, that you might not notice the beauty that lies within it's people. After all
this is a land that was literally created by it's people, or are they really Gods,
and is this place really heaven or is it Amsterdam?
I could tell you of all this, even though you did not notice, but I won't
because I am selfish. I could instill in you images of a place so at home to my
soul, a place I never want to leave, but always do, just so I can be filled with it's
whirlwind whenever I return.
I could tell you this and still have told you nothing, as this is a place that
has to be experienced first hand to be realized. I could tell you of a place where
I have been lonely, afraid and intimidated, but I have not been there. I could tell
myself that this is the place I belong, this is the place I should strive for, this is
the place I should dream of, but I don't have to.
This is Amsterdam.