When in Amsterdam....the Red Light District hosts an Art Fair once a year. AIR (Art in the Red Light) is now in its 8th year. Contemporary Art, Photography and Jewelry go on display in the Old Church of Amsterdam.

AIR has been at the forefront to diversify Amsterdam's notorious Red Light District. The exhibition is displayed in the Gothic church in the middle of the district. This year the exhibition extends to the windows of the Church's outbuildings.

Installation by Jompet Kuswidanato

59 local and international Artists are on display. Local artists include product designer Marjan van Aubel, landscape photographer and Amsterdam resident Wouter van Buuren and jeweler to the celebrities Otazu. International guests include acclaimed Indonesian visual artist Jompet Kuswidanato, Icelander and instillation artist Thorvaldur Thorsteinsson, and video, performance London artist Alexis Milne winner of the Start Point Prize.

Installation by Razia Barsatie

By Midas Zwaan

Printed Glass by Deborah Roffel

Paintings by Thorvaldur Thorsteinsson

By Tjalling Visser

In addition that all the art pieces are for sale each Artist provides a piece for auction. This auction is held towards the end of the exhibition. Part of the proceeds go to charity. AIR is supports Orange Babies, an organization that assist those suffering  AIDS in Africa.

The AIR exhibition runs 20 -23 September at the Old Church in Amsterdam.

The exhibition is free with admission. Those with an IAmsterdam Card or a Museum Card entrance is free.

When in Amsterdam...enjoy!

When in Amsterdam.... drink a Raging Bitch. Beer of the week at Cafe Batavia 1920 is a Belgian style Indian Pale Ale. On pouring there was a lovely white head. The first sip was immediately full of hops but then changed to flavors of citrus, apples and grapefruit.

Raging Bitch at Cafe Batavia 1920

 For those that like gin and tonics this is a beer for you. The Raging Bitch was easy to drink. After having two Bitchs the evening was kicked off in a great fashion.

When in Amsterdam.....drink an Indian Pale Ale.

For more Batavia Beers of the Week:
- Affligem Dubbel
- Maredsous Blonde
- Barbar
- Delirium Nocturnum 
- Golden Dragon

When in Amsterdam....drink a beer that is not pilsner. Happy Queen's Day Weekend everyone. Amsterdam  is set for a long weekend of celebration. Therefore we need a beer that is not to heavy, a beer that is different to earlier weeks. This week's beer is to help you enjoy the freshness and excitement of Spring and the Amsterdam party atmosphere.

With the help of Cafe Batavia 1920 the beer of the week is Maredsous Blonde 6 Ale.


This was the first beer to be produced by the Benedictine Abbey of Maredsous in Denee, Belgium. This Blonde 6 is now brewed by the well renowned Duvel Moortgat Brewery.

On pouring the Maredsous Blonde there was a large sticky head with wheat citrus aroma. The taste is a little tart to start with a dry finish. Citrus, spice, fruit and biscuit flavors burst through and disappear on the palate. The 6 stands for 6% alcohol. This 6 is an easy to drink blonde Belgium beer.

When in Amsterdam....enjoy Queen's Weekend!

On 16 December 1983 the famous sex theatre, which had opened in 1969, the Casa Rosso burned down. The theatre is famous for showing live sex acts performed on stage. The fire was started by a disgruntled former employee Joseph Lan at the former location of 92-100 Oudezids Achterburgwal. He poured petrol through the building and then reportedly lite it with gun. Lan was eventually arrested and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Click on the link to see the crowds watch the fire be put out.

ANP Historisch Archief

The owner of the Casa Rosso, Zwarte Jopie (original name Maurits De Vries)  wanted to leave the business and Amsterdam after the fire. The City authorities thought drug dealers from the nearby Zeedijk would take over the place. Jopie was encouraged to rebuild and moved the location of the theatre to its current spot 50 metres up the canal.




A memorial was built to remember the victims of the fire and stand there to this day.

When in Amsterdam....enjoy!

Amsterdam is a busy place all year round. November is no different. As the clocks change time, the weather drops in temperature and the trees lose their leaves, Amsterdammers scramble to get building projects finished before winter and the film buffs take over down town Amsterdam.

It is the month of IDFA: Amsterdam's International Documentary Film Festival. When in Amsterdam has been attending a two week festival in its 24th year and the largest of its kind in the world. Over 300 documentaries are screened attracting 200 000 visits and around 2600 international visitors.

The city and especially the Rembrandtplein (square) area is crawling with industry people and film fanatics. Talking, selling, networking or just enjoying, you can't get away from the enthusiasm for documentaries in November. As the festival comes to an end it is time to tell you the stars and the prize winners this year.

This year the talk and especially the Dutch chatter has been about Amsterdammers, the Fokkens. Two sweet old Amsterdam ladies in grey knit sweaters identical twin sisters Martine and Louise.

At the age of 69 they have been working in Amsterdam's famed Red Light District for 50 years. One of the sisters still works while the other does not because of problems with her hips. A Documentary Meet the Fokkens about their lives and adventures premiered this year. In time for Christmas the imaginative sisters have also released a book about their lives.

There has been no better example of Dutch honesty then to watch and hear the Fokkens on the television and radio talk show circuit over the past two weeks. Click on the link of an interview with the sisters by the National Broadcaster with English subtitles to watch the women talk about their profession.


With over 300 titles and many events and exhibitions running paralel to IDFA it is hard to list favorites. Below is a list of this years prize winners.


Prize Winners:


Best Feature Length Documentary:
Planet of the Snail (South Korea) is a story of a deaf and blind man and his beloved.

Special Jury Mention and the Audience Award:
5 Broken Cameras (Palastine/France/Netherlands) tells the story of a Palastinian village dealing with Jewish settlement and encroachment over a period of 5 years.

IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary:
Montenegro (Argentina) is about the hermit life of a man and a dog on a quiet island.

Dutch Cultural Media Fun Documentary Prize:
Floating Bodies (Netherlands) about an unidentified corps

IDFA Award for 1st Appearance: The Vanishing Spring Light (China/Canada) life of West Street citizens in Dujiangyan City.

Best Music Documentary Prize (inaugural):
Last Days Here about the crack cocaine addicted front man Bobby Liebling

Best Green Screen Documentary
Bitter Seeds about why an Indian farmer commits suicide every 30 minutes.

Student Award for Documentary
The Betrayal (England/Norway) making mistakes in the world of Norwegian squatters and seeking forgiveness.

Blackberry sponsored Youth Award
Last Days of Winter (Iran) is a portrait about the lives of 7 Iranian boys in a youth detention center.

For more information visit the Film Festival's page:
IDFA