Wandering the streets with a camera and an open and free mind - that's how I spent a week in Amsterdam whilst en-route to Sweden last summer.
There's something quite be-freeing I find when I'm travelling. The premise of being anonymous gives me courage to be bold and sieze the moment. While it takes a great amount of strength to ask if it would be ok to take a photo or strike up a conversation, the fact that the I won't be returning makes it feel a lot safer.
In this inquisitive frame of mind I think I open myself up to positive experiences. For e.g. it took me completely by surprise at Scandinavian Embassy when I spoke Swedish with the barista, and found that we had a mutual friend in common that I later met in Stockholm.
The beautiful images from this post must in part be attributed to the lovely and talented photographer and blogger, Ingrid Hofstra. Without her recommendations, I'm not sure I would have stumbled on these beautiful places. In fact one of the reasons I wanted to travel to Amsterdam, was after stumbling upon Ingrid's blog, then called 'Lets Talk Evergreen', as well as another blogger/photographer idol Renee Kemps.
My top picks from my wanderings are Toki Hangout (friendly cafe with amazing matcha latte), Scandinavian Embassy (coffee, fashion and simple Scandinavian dishes in a thoughtfully designed Scandinavian setting), Restored (design/concept store with carefully curated and inspiring designers), The Cold Pressed Juicery (organic juices, smoothies and raw food at 4 stunning locations - one with a full grown tree growing out of the floor!).
