My trip to Amsterdam - DPChallenge Forums

Pentax DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL [IF] WR DC

05/06/2009 03:21:00 PM · #1

Lest you think I post this so you all go look at my pictures, rest assured it is mostly because I have a small but loyal following (hi Mom!) who likes to see where I've been on my European adventures. I've yet to go through most of the pictures, so there will be more to come! (Yeah, I know, the excitement is unbearable. Snore quietly, please.)

The first day I got there I parked the luggage in a locker at the airport and headed to Tourist Central - Keukenhof Gardens. It's the showplace for Dutch tulips. Now I'm a tourist but I will also admit that the gardens are very impressive and very beautiful. It's billed as "the most photographed place on earth" and I have to concede they probably have every right to make that claim. Everyone had at least one camera - from cell phones to point and shoots to dSLRs, and in some cases more than one dSLR. And you know me, while everyone was taking pictures of the flowers, I was taking pictures of them taking pictures....

tnun

Ricoh GR III

05/06/2009 03:43:03 PM · #2

Photomania beats tulipmania.

JulietNN

Canon EOS R7

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

05/06/2009 03:43:19 PM · #3

You found TULIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AmeedEl-Ghoul

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

05/06/2009 03:44:31 PM · #4

Nice collection, keep them coming :)

KarenNfld

05/06/2009 03:51:17 PM · #5

I would love to visit Amsterdam, and it would have to be in tulip time too. I am jealous!

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

05/06/2009 05:16:25 PM · #6

I LOVE that you were taking pictures of the people taking pictures of the flowers! MUCH more interesting photos.

Jedusi

05/06/2009 05:43:59 PM · #7

Originally posted by KarenNfld:

I would love to visit Amsterdam, and it would have to be in tulip time too. I am jealous!

I'm sure Art could photoshop you into one of the pictures if it would be any sort of help ?

Ecce_Signum

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/06/2009 05:46:34 PM · #8

Whilst I like that you shot people shooting flowers did you forget the Pinhole AND LB Deb?

05/06/2009 11:45:05 PM · #9

Originally posted by Ecce Signum:

Whilst I like that you shot people shooting flowers did you forget the Pinhole AND LB Deb?

Actually, I did forget and I regretted it as soon as I left. I had them with me, but didn't get them out.

Message edited by author 2009-05-07 04:49:23.

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

05/07/2009 04:51:31 AM · #10

More of the flowers, less of the people (though it was hard to get the flowers without the people in a lot of instances!)

JulietNN

Canon EOS R7

05/07/2009 07:11:15 AM · #11

wow they are gorgeous

Beetle

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/07/2009 12:02:40 PM · #12

Wonderful photos of a fantastic place!

We went to our (Washington) Skagit Valley Tulip Festival which was extremely disappointing this year.
Very VERY few tulips, it was pathetic and a total waste of time.

I'm glad you got to see that stunning display in Amsterdam.

05/07/2009 12:43:37 PM · #13

There were a bunch that had already been cut back, so I wonder what it looked like, say, a month ago. They do an EXCELLENT job of planting so that something is in bloom enough to fill the displays throughout the "season" they're open. They close in about two weeks for the year. Really a spectacular place - very nicely laid out, open enough to accomodate the crowds for the most part, and just a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. And thanks for looking!

05/08/2009 04:55:43 PM · #14

In addition to tulips, Amsterdam is known for bicycles. They're everywhere. Better yet, there are bike lanes everywhere! When you get outside of the center part of the city, there are even bike ROADS, separate from the road for cars (and the road for buses.) The bike roads have lights. It's pretty darn amazing. Most of the bikes are single speed cruisers with coaster brakes. I'm not entirely sure how anyone knows which bike is theirs, and there are some that have been parked for quite some time. Everyone uses very sturdy locks.

And when you cross a road in Amsterdam, you have to look both ways at least four times - bike lane, car lane, tram/bus lane, other side bike lane. I'm quite surprised I didn't see anyone get hit by a bike or a tram - I'd imagine when tourist season really gets going it gets even more dicey.

Anyway, some bikes...

05/11/2009 03:51:17 PM · #15

Amsterdam has canals. Lots of 'em. As a port city, they needed ways to move goods from warehouses to the port - voila! Canals! Or they had some sort of competition with Venice going on. I suppose that's a possibility.

A couple of nice photo exhibits to visit (more info on the World Press Photo 2009 exhibit on one of the photos from there); a chess game; and random stuff from random places around the city.

05/11/2009 11:59:04 PM · #16

And Greetmir still needs to post some of his shots... :-)