A bit of an update...

So it's been a fair while since Amber or I updated this blog thing, so for the few of you out there who've been breathlessly awaiting an update, here goes... starting with last weekend.

Keukenhof

The week before last we had Carmella, a friend from Australia, staying with us, a visit which happened to coincide with the 8 week opening-period of Keukenhof, a massive tulip garden located around an hour south of Amsterdam. So on the Saturday, we set off on the train, heading down to Leiden before getting a bus to the park itself. The weather couldn't have been better - fine and warm (but not too hot) - and the range of tulips (and other flowers) on display is breathtaking, both in the park itself, and in the fields surrounding it. The scale of the place is the most amazing aspect, and photos don't really capture that, but there's a pretty extensive range of photos below in any case!

Keukenhof - Flickr slideshow

Vitreous live @ Club 8

The other big event of the week was my return to live music, playing a laptop set of original music at Club 8 in the west of Amsterdam. The occasion was a charity event organised by Pedro, a colleague of mine, and featured a strikingly diverse line-up (my very tech-flavored set was preceded by Goesting, a Dutch band playing original folk music, Y-Bond, a group of Conservatoire students doing an intriguing set of covers, and Vleppie Auwurs, whose sequined outfits and translated standards, including 'I Will Survive', really defy any further description). The beautiful weather outside didn't help with crowd numbers, but all in all, a good show (I even had my Dutch teacher up and dancing!).

We're sitting here this afternoon listening to them soundcheck across the road in Westermarkt for Queen's Day celebrations, which kick off in about an hour - more photos (and maybe even a video) of that next time!

<-- Chris @ Club 8, as taken on Amber's shiny new mobile, with its 3 megapixel camera!

Tulips

We are in Amsterdam - what do you expect?! A little slideshow of a fresh bunch of tulips that we picked up at the markets on Saturday.

Tulips - Flickr slideshow

Some musical moments...

We've finally begun to take advantage of the music that Amsterdam has to offer, starting last weekend with a solo show by Gomez singer Ben Ottewell at Paradiso. If you're not familiar with Ottewell or his work with Gomez, just think of the growliest, gravelliest (is that a word?) blues singer you can imagine and then picture it coming out of a twenty-something white boy from England. The show, which was in the small room at Paradiso with an audience of a couple of hundred, was just Ben and an acoustic guitar, so it was even more of a showcase for that voice than usual, and the sound was simply awe-inspiring!

Thankfully this series of shows wasn't in aid of some new solo project, so we were treated to a mixture of covers (Nick Drake, Tongue, Jackson Brown) and re-worked Gomez songs, which was exactly what the audience was clamoring for. In their new format, the most striking thing about the Gomez songs was how simple they are when stripped of the multiple harmonies and complex rhythms of the full-band versions. Ottewell's delivery didn't leave any time for missing those other elements though. Having seen Gomez several times in concert, I'd almost begun to be a little bored by their shows (as fun and interesting as they are live, they seem unable to escape their first two albums) - seeing those songs presented in a different format was just what I neeeded to renew my love for the band and their music!

The other notable musical moment is the release of the new album by The Shins, Wincing The Night Away. Get it! The Shins have exploded internationally since their last album, Chutes Too Narrow, so this follow-up has been fervently awaited, and on the basis of a few listens, it's at least on par with their past work!

And finally, My Ninja Lover played the Big Day Out on the Gold Coast this past weekend, so thanks to anyone reading this who was there supporting them - I'm very jealous!

Some photos from Barcelona!

Having been knocked for a six by the flu since getting back from Barcelona on Jan 2, I didn't get round to uploading any photos from the trip until now. Needless to say, Barcelona is a very different city to Amsterdam: different climate, different vibe, different scenery... As a first taste of the city it was an interesting experience, but given the New Year's celebrations that ensued, we didn't get to do many of the traditional tourist things (eg. Sagrada Famila). There will be a next time though!

Barcelona - Flickr slideshow

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So we´re in Barcelona for the New Year with Alex and Joey, who are ensuring that we enjoy the Spanish nightlife to its fullest! We´re really just happy to be somewhere that you can wear a t-shirt outside (though the locals are rugged up like it´s about to snow!). Stay tuned for some photos in the next few days, but in the meantime here´s a dodgy new year´s greeting from our Spanish pad!

Merry Christmas (from Amsterdam)!!

Our first winter Christmas, celebrated with a (largely) successful roast and much red wine! Ho ho ho!

Christmas in Amsterdam - Flickr slideshow

Welcome to our Ikea world!

A few photos of our apartment, this time with furniture! A work in progress...

Westermarkt apartment - Flickr slideshow

Mum and Dad and Haarlem

So the main even tof the week has been Mum and Dad (Buckridge) visiting - they'd been in the UK since just before we left Australia, so this was a sidetrip just before they headed off back to Australia.

As well as looking around Amsterdam, we headed (briefly) out to Haarlem, which is another town not far out from Amsterdam (about 15 minutes train ride). In the centre of the town is a spectacular cathedral, though we also managed to stumble onto an old natural history museum and Haarlem's own little red light district!

Anyway, Mum and Dad have headed off back to Australia now, having apparently missed the worst of the UK's fog problem, and we're preparing for a quiet Christmas, followed by a boisterous Barcelona NYE!

Happy Christmas!

Haarlem etc. - Flickr slideshow

Day trip to Utrecht

A few photos from my work team's "summer" outing to Utrecht, a small town about 45-minutes train ride south of Amsterdam. One of my colleagues describes it as a miniature Amsterdam - same canals, same old streets and buildings, just all on a smaller scale. True for the most part, except for the cathedral bell tower, which is the tallest in Amsterdam (about 110 meters). The canals are also a little different, being much further below street level, with cellars on canal level, many of which have restaurants and other businesses - can't wait to go back when it gets a bit warmer!

(the slideshow also includes a couple of b&w photos of the Westermarkt and the Homomonument, across the road from our apartment in Amsterdam)

Utrecht etc. - Flickr slideshow

A few more photos

Well, work has started for me, and Amber's job hunt has begun in earnest, so things have begun to settle into a bit of a rhythm. The weekend has presented a few photo snappin' opportunities though, with a trip across the water to Amsterdam Noord with my cousin Michael (visiting from the UK for the weekend). A very different atmosphere to the old center that we're slowly coming to think of as home...

Old & new - Flickr slideshow

Bikes from the Black Lagoon

...so apparently a lot of those care-free, helmet-less Amsterdam cyclists are ending up in the picturesque canals. I'm guessing these bikes are back on the streets within a week!

Amsterdam apartment

This is a look at our new apartment on Westermarkt (sans furniture, or anything much else for that matter!)

UPDATE: Here's the Google maps location! (it's the square grey building in the centre)

'Dam bustin!

Well we're finally here, and this blog can begin in earnest... well, nearly. An unanticipated paucity of cheap connectivity has put a temporary hold on gratuitous blogging, but the kindness of a fellow Amsterdammer (who generously left their wireless network unprotected) brings you this first taste of Chris and Amber's Amsterdam adventure! Stay tuned for more details very soon!

Amsterdam, and getting there - Flickr slideshow

Congratulations Sam and Porl!!

A little shout-out to my good friends and band-mates Porl and Sam, who got married last weekend.

It turns out that between being part of the bridal party and having a good deal to drink, very few of the already small number of photos that I took turned out very well...

Nevertheless, here are the few that made the cut:

Porl and Sam's wedding - Flickr slideshow

Flickr fun

Searching around for the quickest, easiest way to keep everyone abreast of our adventures, and i've stumbled onto the joy that is Flickr online photo service (ok, so I've known that it existed for a while, but I had never actually tried it out, and now that I have, I may well be hooked!)

To kick things off, here's a slideshow of some pics from Amber and my recent trip to Malaysia.

Flickr Malaysia slideshow

UPDATE: Click on the photos and check out the "See where this photo was taken" link - Google maps integration! Love it!!

Less than one month till the fateful day... eek!

A beginning...

...and a brief one at that, particularly given the inaccuracy of the blog title! In fact really just a placeholder for the moment!

Now playing: Transition Transmission No. 6 (a great mix of Detroit electro, techno, and house - groovy rather than banging)