Free ping pong!

To immediately veer away from the enormously consumerist nature of the first post, I thought I'd talk about something free. Table Tennis was a sport thought up by Victorian English people who were apparently bored a lot of the time. Every now and again in Victorian England, it would do something very unexpected, rain. Now when you are wearing about 10 kilogrammes of cotton and woollen clothing, wet is not something you want to be. This of course means lawn bowls, croquet and tennis are off, as well as the cucumber sandwiches and tea under the tree.

While it was raining, the Victorians looked around for something else to amuse themselves with. And when you can't play tennis outside, hell, play it inside. And thus the birth of table tennis. Originally played with a pile of books as a net and a champagne cork or ball of string and a couple of cigar box lids, table tennis has come a long way. Not only is it now an Olympic sport, it is played widely throughout Amsterdam. You can of course play it in a sports hall (or even with a whole lot of other people in Overtoom 301 on Tuesday evenings from 9pm onwards - recommended!), but I think the best way to play it is in a park on a sunny afternoon. Preferably with a sneaky beer in hand.

The two European cities I have lived in - Berlin and Amsterdam - both have many of these concrete outdoor tables. I think the best ones in Amsterdam are in Saraphati Park, but I would of course love to be corrected! They can get quite busy on a Saturday afternoon, as there is a hard-core of older gentlemen who play there, but they are very friendly, and very good. They'll happily give you a game, and probably a lesson! On top of the table and net, you'll also need a ball and paddles (unless you happen to roll with a handy stash of champagne and cigars...). Paddles and balls can be bought at any Intertoys store - click "Toon meer filialen" to see more Amsterdam store locations. I've added three table tennis locations to the Eco Amsterdam google map: Saraphati Park, one close to the Albert Cuypstraat and a third in Rembrandt Park. The last location brings me to what I hope is self-evident by this point - if anybody ever names a park after me, it BETTER have table tennis tables in!

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Posted by Glen Tyler

Late night organic shopping

I love eating organic food, not just because I think it's healthier, but more because I think it gives the environment a better deal. I would love to grow my own organic veggies, but the housing situation being what it is in Amsterdam, I have struggled to find a place to grow and I don't know of any Dutch equivalent to the allotment system.

Ultimately this means I am restricted to buying my food from shops. I'm definitely not a fan of all the plastic packaging that "normal" grocery stores like Albert Heijn inevitably sell their organic food in, and I just feel more at home in a shop that sells predominately organic food. This takes me to shops like Organic Food For You and the Natuurwinkel as well as many smaller independently run shops. The problem I find with most of them is that they close really early - 7pm at the latest. This is fine for planned shopping, but what about picking up some organic beers and snacks on your way to a party or summer evening picnic (I realise mentioning this as winter creeps in is a bit cruel!)?

There are two shops I've found that stay open a bit later than most, and are also open on Sundays - bonus! The first is the Organic Food For You store at 129 Vijzelstraat which is open to 9pm, seven days a week. The second is the Biomarkt which is behind the Rijksmuseum at 133 - 137 Weteringschans (this is the road the trams run along on the Central Station side of the Museum's Plein) which is open until 8pm everyday, except Sunday when it closes at 7pm.

I've added both of these shops to the Eco Amsterdam map which you can access via the link at the top right of the blog.

I'd also like to put out a quick Whoop Whoop as this is the first Eco Amsterdam blog post! Expect loads more eco awesomeness :-)

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Posted by Glen Tyler, organic maniac