Episode 15 - Amsterdam Present: Amsterdam on Ice

The Amsterdam I knew in the past - suspended on ice. Looking as much as it did in the 17th century, as it did in 1996 and now 30 years later. What Golden Ages mean now, and why we should settle more for Golden Moments.

A transcript of this Haiku Life podcast together with photos will be available on the mygreatergood.com website.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram - Haiku Life Podcast.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome to the Haiku Life Podcast, where we take a little exploration into some abbreviated moments. Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry. It is traditionally focused on nature and captures a fleeting moment within the space of three lines and a 5-7-5 syllable count. In a world so overwhelmingly immersive, a haiku is a moment of respite. These haiku are mine, moments of life, thoughts in the ether. When Gordon and Ein Spike moved to Amsterdam in 1996, we arrived in the middle of the coldest winter in fifteen years. So cold all the canals froze over. Conditions which allowed for the famed Elfstedentoch to take place. This is an epic 124-mile ice skating tour that traverses eleven cities in northern Netherlands. It has occurred only fifteen times. The last in 1997, which was our first winter there. Experts predict it is unlikely to ever happen again due to global warming. Connor and I arrived this year in the middle of a snowstorm. Amsterdam on ice. As we wandered I felt the warm embrace of an old friend, canals and bridges built in Amsterdam's golden age in the sixteen hundreds, eternal glow, flow and presence. The Amsterdam I knew in the past, suspended on ice, looking as much as it did in the seventeenth century, as it did in nineteen ninety six, and now thirty years later, still literally on ice. Hirenkracht, Prinzenkracht, and Kaisercht are the three main canals built in the early sixteen hundreds for water management, transportation and defence. Prinzenkracht Prince's canal is the outermost and named after Prince William of Orange, who was also known as William the Silent and was the leader of the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule in fifteen sixty eight, sparking the eighty year war. The Anne Frank House is on Princencracht. Kaiserkrocht Emperor's Canal is the middle of the three main Amsterdam canals. It was named after Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and is lined by massive and luxurious houses, but not quite as magnificent as those along Hirnkracht, Gentleman's Canal. This was originally where the richest merchants, bankers, and city officials lived. The architecture is opulent, covering the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods, exhibiting richly decorated stonework, ordain gables, large windows and deep floor plans. Prinsenkracht, Kaiser Kracht, Hirinhracht canals traversed and guarded in Amsterdam's Golden Age by the militia company of District II, immortalized in Rembrandt's most famous painting The Night Watch. We pressed our cold faces against the protective glass, like the ironic given the title Dawn Light Illuminating Captain Franz Bannink Cock, leading his guardsmen out to defend the city, our eyes lit up to grand scale magnificence. Art that evokes imagination, movement, and history awakening in the golden light of exposure. The Dutch and countless tourists who visit this low lying and culturally enlightened country play out their modern drama on a grand seventeenth century stage built and defended in Holland's Golden Age. Golden Ages Traditionally defined as historical periods of peace, prosperity, stability, and cultural achievement seem very distant, if not impossible goals in the climate of the last few centuries. Golden Ages have been redefined almost, shortened to years when we speak of, for example, the Golden Age of Hollywood nineteen twenty seven to the nineteen sixties and the Golden Age of Space Travel nineteen fifty seven to the nineteen seventies. I suggest instead of reminiscing on golden ages past, we start taking personal responsibility for creating golden moments. You maybe with someone you love. Cold face a light on Night Watch. Thank you for listening to today's Haiku Life Podcast. You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram. A transcript of this podcast can also be found on the myGreatergood.com website. Matane, see you later.