This photo is a little more than a month old, but I’ve never really told the story behind it. Back in September I took a trip to Europe. For approximately three weeks, three friends and I backpacked and traveled by train through four countries, stopping in about eight “major” cities within those areas. This shot is from Amsterdam. I always refer to it as my last memory of the city.
Amsterdam is something else, and I’m saying that outside of the well known party favors and attractions. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The buildings and canals, the people, the weather, the plants. Everything. Our stay in the city lasted about 3 (or was it 4?) days and during that time we did tons of stuff. Lots of sensory overload, that’s for sure. The first day we arrived, we flew around the city on Dutch bicycles that we rented out of a bike shop located in an alley. We spent most of the evenings smoking joints full of high-grade pot,
and we hydrated ourselves with Heinekens, as if it were water. The day before our departure we took Thai mushrooms and wandered the city like zombies. It was an action-packed visit.
On the day of our departure, while on our way back to the train station, we stopped in this touristy town square-type area. I walked up in a daze, dragging my feet, slowed down by my heavy backpack. This is where I spotted the Asian tourists feeding a large group of pigeons. I stood there to watch the birds, as well as the ecstatic people feeding; their reactions made me smile. You could tell that they were appreciative of these friendly animals. It was honest. Peaceful, even. Then in a blink of an eye, the birds were spooked and took flight. The moment was over and they were on their way to the next destination.
It was then that I checked my clock and gathered with the rest of my group for departure. Like the pigeons, our stay in that moment had reached its end. We were off for Berlin…
