Let’s go for a little architecture walk in the Jordaan neighbourhood of Amsterdam, shall we? I’m sure you’ll like it. I found myself with a couple of hours spare one afternoon, as Z was at a meeting and Oomoo did a work experience shift at L’s deli shop (he did really well and really enjoyed it. I was so proud of him and he seemed to have matured a few years in just two hours). So, I used my trusty Monocle Amsterdam guide to see what it recommended. Seeing as I was only about a five minute walk away I went to check out the 17th century Karthuizerhojfe (hofje - courtyard) almshouses on Karthuizerstraat. It was originally built as charitable housing for elderly widows, and is now residential. I was lucky enough to be there by my own, and stood there for a while just taking the quiet in.

It felt so apart from the rest of the neighbourhood, and I thought how awesome it would be to live there if you got on with your neighbours, and maybe how less awesome it would be if you didn’t.

This is the street side of the courtyard. I like how the residents make the most of the tiny spaces they have by their front doors.

See what I mean?

You can just picture yourself with a cup of tea and the paper on one of those benches couldn’t you? I don’t think you could do that here going by the chat on my local Nextdoor app. People seem to have their plant pots and anything that isn’t chained down stolen from their front gardens.

Anyway, time to keep walking. Have you ever seen a letter box in stairs before? I sure haven’t. It says ‘The Holiday Cyclist’ and there was a bike shop right next to the stairs, so I guess that kind of explains it… I’m pretty sure it had a door though, so I have no idea why this has come about.

Hoi little doggie. Fiiiiine, don’t look at me.

One of the many many many many many canals. I was texting my friend D back in London, sending her pictures as I was walking along, which she thoroughly enjoyed seeing as she was my architectural walk partner in the lockdowns. She’ll be able to see it all for herself when we go there in May - yay!

This doesn't look like much I guess, especially the shorter grey building on the right, but it was the one that caught my eye. In real life it looked incredibly cosy.

And old bank building which I think has been converted into flats. I couldn’t quite make it out standing and looking at it with a canal between me and it.

Dutch (or at least Amsterdam houses) are usually quite narrow, and as a result the inside stairs are equally so, as well as ridiculously steep. In one Airb’n’b we stayed in years ago the stairs were so much so that you practically had to crawl up them on all fours. Winching your furniture through the windows is the only way to get them in, so most buildings have hooks so you can set up a rope and get your winching on - like here.

Nice bit of randomness above my head.

Amazing bit of brick work above my head.

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Dutch architecture, new or old. It’s just so different and beautifully done. Even the new builds look stunning, and not like the soulless glass buildings that keep popping up here. British architecture was great up until the Victorian era, but something went very wrong there. It just got really bland. Sure, there are some great buildings from the past 100 years, but as a whole something is aesthetically amiss.

This row of plants - YES! Nicely done.

The bricks are so nice, aren’t they? And the little coloured glass panes in the windows of the left hand building? And the lettering on the right hand building? It’s so funny to now be able to read it and know what it says (it was a life insurance office in a former life).

Hoi little cat. Fiiiiine, don’t you look at me neither.

And finally, it was time to pick Oomoo up from work. I’m pretty sure he’ll be taking up a summer job here once he’s old enough (and lucky boy now also has a Swedish passport so it’s actually an option). I hope he won’t mind if I tag along too.