Amsterdam, Netherlands

🇳🇱 Paris stinks right now. The French are furious over the pension reform, even though they can still retire earlier than everyone else in the world. They are going to storm the bastille again. The first time was revolutionary. They changed the world. This time it feels very shallow.

We decided to visit Amsterdam. I've been wanting to visit Amsterdam for years, and every time I planned a trip something crazy would happen like the pandemic. This time we didn't plan at all, we just spontaneously decided to do it. And it is lovely.

I love Europe. With just a short train ride you're in a whole new country. And Amsterdam is one of the coolest cities in the world. I'm happy I was finally able to visit. We arrived just in time for the tulip season, and the coveted Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum.

Did you know New York City was originally New Amsterdam? The Dutch were the first settlers in New York. The British confiscated it and renamed the city. But there are a few sites in Lower Manhattan, the oldest part of the city, where you can still find the old name - New Amsterdam. And many of the streets in New York are named after Dutch cities and Dutch surnames.

I've decided to turn my visit to the old Amsterdam into an artist residency to work on more traditional art forms. I'm focusing on painting like the old masters.

xo