Touching
door Frederiek Biemans
Amsterdam during COVID-19
Even before the hustle and bustle became noticeable again, I wanted to see the peace and quiet of Amsterdam with my own eyes. When I walked to Amsterdam CS this was really impressive. The silence. Once in a while a tram passed by with only one person in it. Then I walked in the direction of De Dam. The always so busy crossing was empty. Bizarre. There were also places that were busy. By the way, De Dam itself wasn’t that empty anymore. The Museumplein was busy, but almost everyone was there with the necessary distance to each other. I haven’t been to the Vondelpark. The main entrance looked too crowded. Cyclists waiting in front of the red traffic light were often on a clod. The Jodenbreestraat was really too busy. But apart from that I saw peace and quiet. Amsterdammers could normally cross the street without being run over by many tourists. It became a lot more pleasant. Another piece of beauty came to the fore. I ended with a walk along Artis, Entrepotdok. There too many people are enjoying the beautiful weather. But here it is clearly visible that they have found a way to enjoy the outdoors and still follow the rules that apply at that time. Often tufts of two people enjoying being together with 1.5 meters distance between them or close to each other because they are housemates, together forming a family. I am going back home and will never forget this experience. Amsterdam on April 19th touched me.
by Jeroen Jansen
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