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TRAVEL
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Going native is one of the best ways to rediscover a favourite city. David Leck broke his Airbnb virginity and headed back to the Dutch capital, Amsterdam
s he shows me around the ground floor canal-side Amsterdam apartment he shares with girlfriend Sophie, Laurens says: “It’s really just a big village. An
increasingly busy one but still a village.” I’m an Airbnb novice so this is all
new. Rolling up at a stranger’s home and taking it over feels a tad unsettling. What if I send the shower shield crashing? How do the rubbish bins work? I’m sure
the Dutch embrace recycling in the same delightfully laid-back and effortlessly efficient way they do most things. The apartment is beautiful but homely, blending chic contemporary style within that distinctly Dutch architecture of stone and red brick facades and sunken windows through which passers-by can peer without making any effort – although Amsterdammers are far too polite for such voyeuristic pursuits. “It’s a work in progress; we’ve only been here four months,” explains Laurens as he hops on his bike (naturally) back to his job at the city council. He and Sophie are heading to the small island of Terschelling for the weekend to attend a music festival leaving me in charge of their delightful abode. I’m going to like it here. I’ve visited this charming,
effortless city on many occasions and I’m back because a friend
is working here for a few weeks – and I require no excuse to return to one of my top five capitals. I’ve wandered the museums and galleries, visited the breweries, peaked at the red light district and done the day trips out of town so, this time, I decided the trip will largely consist of reading books, spending time hiding in little cafes (not coffee shops, there’s a difference!) – and hoping a smidgen of that “laid-back” Dutch gene might rub off on me.
Cultured charm
With my friend working, I settle into a daily routine, helped no end by the beautiful spring daylight and shorts and t-shirt warmth. Next to my new home is one of the many charming cafes this city does so well, and which are delightful for a leisurely breakfast – no lists of coffee longer than an itemised phone bill, no pots of cardboard porridge awaiting a boiling kettle, no stale
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