Nieuwendam is a tranquil part of Amsterdam, featuring historic houses and a calm marina. It offers a contrast to the busy city center, just 20 minutes away. The area has a rich history dating back to the 16th century and has transformed from an industrial heartland to a vibrant community. Daily life includes outdoor gatherings and unique homes with creative living arrangements. The locality embraces a relaxed lifestyle, with artistic displays and opportunities for swimming in the canal, contributing to its appeal as an alternative to the tourist-heavy city center.
The evening sun glints across the quiet marina, and the wooden gable ends of the houses lean gently into a street whose silence is broken only by the trundle of an occasional bicycle.
In fact, the city centre is just 20 minutes up the road, because this is Nieuwendam, whose houses date from as long ago as the 16th century.
Today, almost in response to the excesses on display down the road, the area is flexing its hippy, alternative, laid-back side: my walks take me past floating homes, the occupants of one of which keep goats and chickens in a repurposed fire engine.
In summer, lives spill out onto the pavements: most houses have tables, chairs, even sofas outside their front doors, and a sunny evening quickly becomes a convivial street party.
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