Happy & Healthy
5x that's why you want to live outside Amsterdam
Meet Adeline Mans. She is your hope in troubled times. While we are lying stretched out on beach beds and setting up the daiquiri infusion, she will become our pop-up contributing editor who provides you with beautiful words and witty thoughts. Today the first from her hand. Why it is so nice not to live in Amsterdam. Well, Adeline, curious if you make friends.
“Where do you live?” Not in Amsterdam. That is blasphemy in the church, with the pastor on your lap, in the number one city of the country. But really, it has its advantages. Here are five, in case you don't believe me.
1. Join the queue happily – or not
Traffic jam, no one said it would be fun. There you are standing still and just at the moment you open WhatsApp, they start moving. You find this kind of annoyance on The Ring. Almost as nerve-wracking as the eponymous movie, almost then, right? In the rest of the country, you drive freely and happily, spend less time in traffic, and plan your trip around rush hour. Yes, because that is just possible.
”There you are in your running shoes at the edge of the terrace, together with a thousand fellow terrace-goers”
2. “Will you pick a table already?”
Imagine this: it’s an incredible twenty-five degrees, you are free and so are your girlfriends. That screams in big letters and exclamation marks for wine on a terrace. To make everything even more delightful, you want a spot in the sun. That doesn’t happen in Amsterdam. There you are in your running shoes at the edge of the terrace, together with a thousand fellow terrace-goers, waiting for a chair. And then you sprint, right, as soon as someone lifts their butt just an inch. Look, I don’t have that problem. I always sit with my nose in the sun because I can choose. Yes, you heard it right. C-h-o-o-s-e.
3. Being eco-friendly
If you want to run (this point isn’t about me, because I don’t know that urge), then you run alone. You’re not standing still with sweat on your forehead next to that slim pine tree hopping at a red traffic light. No, you just run into all that greenery by yourself. No mass marathon in the park for you, but a forest or such a vast landscape.
4. You already know that nice city
And then the day comes when your city pops up in the top 25 of the nicest municipalities. Everyone is perplexed, because how is that possible? But curiosity raises its head, so people go see it. You’ve known this for years, so those (ridiculously cheap) vintage finds from that nice shop are already on your table. And you get your doppio handed to you among all the tourists at the best coffee bar, because you’re a regular.
5. The I-have-not-been-there-yet party
Just to be clear, this is an argument in favor of the rest of the Netherlands and not against Amsterdam. The city is nice and a new, delightful little spot pops up week in and week out. When you come by again, you have that to look forward to. The Amsterdammers got there first, but that means: plenty of space and no queue. I love that, see number two.
Written by Adeline Mans
