Rats With Wings by Gijs van den Berg in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

One thing you will notice when visiting Amsterdam is that the place is taken over by pigeons. Especially Dam Square is covered with the so called ‘rats with wings.’ Amsterdam has a love/hate relation with these animals. Some feed them. Some wish them death. Some even write songs about them. I can’t really be bothered, but I saw one taking off from a fish stall and thought it looked nice.

Name:Gijs van den Berg

Place you live: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Place your photo was taken: This photo was taken in Koningsplein, a small square in the centre of Amsterdam.

Can you sum up the place you live? Amsterdam is the small capital city of the Netherlands. It’s famous because of it’s canals. It is also known as a creative hotspot. I’m not sure what that actually means, but it sounds sweet.

Occupation: I’m an Art-Director at KesselsKramer, a small communication agency in Amsterdam. Besides coming up with creative ideas for brands, I spend a lot of time designing, photographing, directing films and writing music.

A perfect day in Amsterdam? A sunny saturday afternoon in springtime when I ride around on a skateboard with a camera around my neck going nowhere. It becomes even better when friends call unexpectedly and invite me over for a drink. Nice!

If someone was visiting, what must they do? Visit ‘FOAM’, Amsterdam’s excellent photo museum. Wander around ‘the nine streets’ area and have a coffee at ‘Koffiehuis de Hoek’.

A perfect meal in Amsterdam? A cheese toasty and a cup of coffee at ‘Koffiehuis de Hoek’.

What is the best thing about your spot? The best thing about Amsterdam is it’s compactness. You can go anywhere by bike.

What is the worst? The climate.

A little known fact? Amsterdam has less than a million inhabitants, but it harbours 177 different nationalities, that’s more than any city in the world.

Where is your favorite place in the world? At the moment I would say Tokyo, Japan. But I’m still looking for that perfect place.

gijsvandenberg.nl

Comments