Can a photograph actually speak a thousand words? Can it really tell the whole story? In my new series I shall be picking out a few of my favorite photographs and talking about them; where I took them and if at all they really "speak" about the place it was taken in. I do not intend to count the words to a 1000, but still try and see if a picture can really be as descriptive and informative as we claim it to be.
Taken
on a gloomy afternoon, The Blues Brother’s Coffeeshop photograph has been one
of my favourites over the years particularly because I stumbled upon the place
in one of my treasured cities, Amsterdam. Situated close to the Central Train
Station in a by-lane, it is easy to skip the cafe if you are not paying
attention as it is nestled amidst a variety of everyday shops. But then, that's
the beauty of Amsterdam; there are so many hidden gems in plain sight that one
really needs to explore the city with all their senses on high alert and most
importantly, explore the city on foot.
So what makes this photograph so special for me? For starters it signifies Amsterdam for what it is. It's quirky, it's funky, and just like the movie the cafe is named after it's full of adventures.
A closer look at the photo and the architecture will amaze you. That's Amsterdam for you, art and culture seeped into every iota of the city. Amsterdam's fascination with art and culture doesn't just end with its buildings or the countless museums that grace the city, Blues Brother’s Coffeeshop also signifies Amsterdam's love with cinema.
Those of you who know a little about me, and follow my film blog (shameless plug) would have guessed that it was primarily the name of the cafe that drew my attention towards it. Walk around this city of canals and you'll find small independent cinemas in nooks and corners that are both charming and an experience not to be missed.
While
Amsterdam might be famous for the other kind of coffeeshops, wink wink, there
is no denying the fact that if you want to take in the multiculturalism of
Amsterdam you need to sit in a cafe by the canal and just watch and observe, in
a non creepy manner, people from around the world go about exploring the city.
The photo for some weird reason also reminds me of the best French Onion Soup I
ever had even though it was in a cafe a good couple of miles away from Blues
Brother’s Coffeeshop.
Lastly, the photograph signifies Amsterdam because as luck would have it there was a bicycle parked outside the cafe. Bicycles are to Amsterdam what a heart is to a human. You can't escape them and if you don't look out you'll probably end up banging into one.
That's Amsterdam for you, a city abridged into a few words and memories thanks to one single photograph.
