Morning

I love Amsterdam as it is stirring... 

You can sit in the stillness then, breathing in time with the rhythmic sound of the water lapping against a nearby boat. Just being as sun filters through the leafy green trees and dances across the water making it sparkle like a diamond. It stirs for a moment and you hear the familiar rattle of a well loved Dutch bicycle, or the gentle rumble of an early morning boater gliding his way along the canal. Then the rhythm settles and Amsterdam is yours again.

This is my city, before it shares itself with the world. Before it wipes the sleep from its eyes and the streets start to buzz with sounds of suitcases rattling along the old cobbled streets, and it's coffee shop doors are flung open and its red light turned on.