Finally some sunshine. What a lousy spring this has been. Husband Ron suggested we would do one of our favourite things: go to Amsterdam and drink cappuccino on a terrace facing the busy market of the Lindengracht. I decided to wear my dress in yellow, black and white. This dress was amongst the clothes I bought in the department shop while being told off for taking photos. Remember?? (See the full story in this post.) This dress is on the short side for me, as are the sleeves. But I liked it so much, I decided to ignore these shortcomings. Brand: Claudia Sträter.
Daniela (of the blog The Pretty Cute) gave me a (soft) kick up my bottom to wear more dresses and skirts again. Thank you Dan. It is true, people treat you differently when you are dressed elegantly.
I will take you with me on our little tour through my favourite town Amsterdam.
Below: we decided to take Charlie, our dog, with us. Despite the fact she doesn’t always care for our direction. The shoes are pretty comfortable although that might be hard to believe.
Below: this is what some of the houses on the canals look like. 
Below: they make a nice background.
Below: a closer look at a window. Underneath it says: the large green deer. (Don’t ask me, no idea why.)
Below: we crossed the canal. See the bracelet? I bought that through Bella’s Etsy shop.
Below: and onwards, on the other side of the canal. Loads of pubs and cafés that have little tables on the sidewalk to relax, have a drink and sit in the sun.
Below: when you walk with a dog, you always get into conversations. Well… I do. This nice lady came up to me telling me about a great movie with a dog she saw that morning.
Below: this is her, dressed in layers to cope with the fickle weather. We invited her to have a drink with us. She was witty.
Below: houseboats everywhere. With plants everywhere.
Below: the market of the Lindengracht.
Below: have a look at the electricity wire and try to figure out what is hanging off it, before you see the next picture reveiling it.
Below: here is the close-up… shoes hanging on the wire haha.
Below: at the church of the Noordermarkt (Norther Market) a collaegue greeted me. You can see his hand in the air at the right.
Below: The Noordermarkt is always very busy on a Saturday. Biological food, cheese, pancakes and vintage.
Below: checking out the goods. The look on my face is caused by all the stains on the lovely kimono. Too risky.
Below: a bokeh photo with a close-up of the bag.
Below: this dog is a fantastic conversation piece. If you ever want to make contact with other people… walk your neighbour’s dog or get one yourself.
Below: three steps further, another man, another conversation.
Below: I complemented the lady with her two piece suit. Compliments make people happy. Therefore… you should pay people lots of compliments. Sincere ones. They will not only lighten up that person’s day but will also give you a happy feeling.
Can you see the side of my shoes? They are getting a bit.. “wrinkly”? Wrinkly shoes for a wrinkly woman. How befitting.
Below: another houseboat with plants.
Below: this picture is smashing I think. A girl on a surfboard with a dog. Is that a pug Suzanne Carillo? 
Before I end this post I want to show you two pictures of my encounter with Susan of Une femme d’un certain âge last weekend. Susan and her husband are on a tour through Europe and visited Amsterdam. I am so glad we met up as she is a lovely person, very easy to talk to and we talked about all sorts of things, not just blogging. The only thing is…. Susan is a petite woman and I am a tall Dutch woman (5ft74 or 1m75). I was also wearing my long blue coat so the next photo turned out hilarious:
Below: I feel much better when we sit down, as in this coffeeshop. Susan’s husband took the picture.
Next week a simpler post as I am actually on holiday these coming three weeks. Trying to schedule some posts.
Greetje
You look so elegant and your dog is the perfect “accessory”! And that woman who you met on the street – her coat!!!! I love how she’s mixed it with that vest but that coat… I covet.
This is a dress which surprised me. Usually I do not go for the form fitting dresses as they often show “flaws” of my body. This one does not. Yay. I do feel elegant in it.
Hi Greetje, I’m gradually working my way through your posts and I love this one. How fantastic you look – so elegant in this dress and beautifully matching shoes. I don’t think the length is too short nor do the sleeves look short. It looks perfect. I think you’re right about giving compliments when they are deserved. I do it often as I know how lovely it feels to both give and receive a genuine compliment. These small kindnesses are so important in our busy lives. We need to take time to connect with others and what better way than saying something nice to a stranger?
I fully agree. Giving a (genuine) compliment looks like “an act of kindness”, but really you both profit from it. Because it makes you feel so good when you see how glad it makes a person.
Beautiful photos. Love the dress with the shoes. Looks very Queenish. I’m salivating over the black and white coat on the lady in the photo with you……and of course, your dog is so adorable.
Thanks for making me royal haha. Or has Queenish another meaning?
In typical me fashion I missed this post which came during my busy work phase. And it’s a fantastic post! I found it because Sally put it on her Lovely Links today.
Yes, I sure do remember that shop that was nasty because of the photo-taking, but this dress is the ultimate pay-off, it’s smashing. You look like a fun, sophisticated woman about town. Dog as accessory (and true dear friend) is always a good idea. And sincere compliments are maybe even better to give than receive, although I’ve been noticing more people who don’t like them. I wonder if it’s because of social media…? That’s partly why I pulled back on my street style blog.
And there’s Susan! Count on me to miss the best stuff…
I have not experienced that yet …. people not liking compliments. It would feel like a slap in the face if that happened to me. And I was very pleased with Sally’s link. Never thought she would still remember my blog.
Lovely post, Greetje! I feel it needs a soundtrack-you need a theme song. The dress looks great, so stylish and chic and I enjoyed the tour around the city. xo
Hah. that is a great comment. It needs a theme song ….. LOL. Glad you liked it Shawna.
Fabulous post Greetje! I love the dress and colour combination, great length because you have the legs for it! And with heels, well you look like you’re ready to walk the runway! I’m glad Dan inspired you, she is one elegant lady!
Happy Sunday!
♥ carmen
Hi Carmen! Lovely to “see” you again. Thank you for the compliments. I am still more orientated on trousers than dresses or skirts but I am trying. I keep hearing Dan’s soft voice.
I’m a little late to this party but better late than never. The dress is stunning on you and you have the perfect accessory with your 4 legged friend. It’s so lovely seeing photos of Amsterdam. It makes me want to revisit.
I love that photo of you and Susan. How wonderful to get to meet fellow bloggers. I’ve been following both your blogs for a while now and am envious of her Grand European Tour!
That photo exactly resembles when I stand next to my husband. He’s 6’4″ – average for a Dutch guy! And yes, he is Dutch. You truly are a tall race. When we have an annual gathering of all his family, I’m like a garden gnome in comparison!
And who spotted the shoes on the wire??? That photograph made me smile.
http://you-little-wonder.blogspot.co.uk/
What fun, to hear from a loyal reader. Thank you for the compliments. Charlie is indeed a great accessory (poor dog, to be called that haha). If you are in the UK, it is quite easy to revisit Amsterdam. Oh no, I keep forgetting that the UK is so much larger than the Netherlands. I watch Escape to the country very often and keep being amazed by the beauty and the scale of Great Britain. Are you aware of the tab Amsterdam at the top of my navigation? You will find more posts there about…. Amsterdam (you guessed it).
As for being tall… you feel like a garden gnome. I feel like the big friendly giant.
My husband Ron is the one with the eye for photography. He spotted the shoes on the wire.
And I envy Susan too. Must be great.
If I had pins like yours, I’d be parading them every chance I got 🙂 oh and that dress is quite fetching too 🙂
I know I should be more appreciative of my legs. I take them for granted. Thank you very much for the compliment.
Love your dress and shoes! Thanks for sharing all the beautiful pictures 🙂
fashionphases.com
It was my pleasure entirely. Thanks for stopping by.
I just found you (maybe you didn’t know you were lost?) and am completely enjoying your blog. Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities to visit. I love seeing your pics of places I’ve actually been (and shopped – ahem) In fact I’ll be shopping, I mean visiting, again in exactly one month. Reading your blog is getting me so excited for our vacation and my (gulp) 50th birthday which I’ll be celebrating abroad!!
Oh how wonderful. So nice to celebrate your birthday abroad. I did the same when I became 50. We went to London.
Thanks for your compliments (and for commenting). Have you noticed the tab at the top of my navigation? Where it says Amsterdam? You will find more posts there which will show you a lot more shopping in Amsterdam. Especially the Nine Streets are lovely. See it now when it is still lovely and the big chain shops haven’t taken it over yet.
I hope you are going to have a ball.
(And no I didn’t know I was lost LOL.)
Love all your photos, Greetje! Your dress reminds me of a piece that I had in the 60’s with a modern twist. It looks fabulous on you.
You continually tempt me to visit Amsterdam with the photos that you show of its beauty. How wonderful that you had the opportunity to meet up with Susan. Blogger meetings are the best!
Shall I try and do a report on hat shops in Amsterdam? Will that tempt you? No, I don’t think so. You have all the gorgeous hat shops you need where you live.
Greetje since you mentioned the power of compliments may I just say you look stunning in that dress. And since you mentioned having a drink with a witty woman may I add everyone is witty after a drink or two. Especially in their own mind 🙂
Hahaha you are funny Denton. I had coffee (it was 11 a.m.) and she was really witty. And thank you very much for this big compliment.
Greetje, you look so polished and sharp in that dress, and you wear the yellow well. You’re so right about dogs; I don’t think I’d met 1/4 of my neighbors until I had dogs to walk. It’s a great way to get to know people (aside from blogging!). Thank you again for a lovely time, and have fun on your trip!
A camera is also a great way to get in touch with people. But you need to be outgoing for that and not shy. With a dog you can be shy as people will approach you.
You know me a bit now and it will come as no surprise when I say I am not shy haha.
Have a lovely time in Bordeaux and Paris.
I think you have fabulous legs and should show them more often. You look gorgeous.
I just love it when people stop me to talk about my dogs (this must be what a proud parent feels like).
Your photos once again make me want to jump on a plane and head to Amsterdam straight away
Donna and Ron from Melbourne
Be sure to warn me in advance if you jump on that plane Donna. We will have another coffee for sure and I will be your guide for a day or so. Amsterdam is so lovely when the sun is out. Alas, that doesn’t happen too often. As Susan experienced when she was over here. I had planned a boat cruise through the canals with our boat and a picknick… but no, it was pouring with rain. Inspite of the weather forecast. If you ever see a very green country you know it rains a lot there.
I saw Susan and you on Instagram. I didn’t realize she was also petite.
I’m glad you listened to Dan. You look great in this dress, Greetje. The color-blocking works well with your stature.
I think it’s enduring how you and your hubby invited the women to join you for coffee. That would probably never happen in the states. People rarely reach outside their own circle.
Glenda, if I were to live in Amsterdam, I would put a chair on the sidewalk when it is sunny, take a magazine and never read a word because I would be talking to everybody who passes. I love that.
I remember Suzanne Carillo was quite surprised by that side of my character. She said “you are like my father, he will talk to anyone too”. LOL
The dress is so chic, and you look so chic. I like the heels,
Thanks, for visit my blog.
Your blog is fantastic, and now I follow you.
Enjoy your holiday.
Gaby
http://www.stylishsalat.com
Well, I am going to follow you too. I had a look at Zara to copy your trousers. Found them and then I was a very good girl. Because I told myself: “No, you don’t need another pair of trousers, you have already spent too much money and because those trousers look good on Gaby, that is no guarantee they will look good on you”. LOL
Greetje so much to comment on in this post…! Firstly you look so, so chic in that dress – it’s incredibly simple but the colour blocking looks so good on you, plus the heels are perfect with it.
The weather and the town look gorgeous! I love that you stopped and talked to just about everyone on your day out, though I’m sure your outfit had as much to do with it as your lovely dog did!
And you met Susan!!! Isn’t it great to meet bloggers you know online so well – when I met Liz from What Lizzy Loves we had a photo taken that was very similar with the height difference. She’s a couple of inches taller than me, but I was in flats and she was in heels – I looked TINY compared to her (and I’m well above average height). It was so funny and remains one of my favourite pictures :))
Catherine x
P.S. I couldn’t have resisted that kimono, stains or no stains…!!
Thanks for stopping by Catherine. Much appreciated, as is your praize. I am wondering now what your height is.
I know a lot of places where I can get better kimonos with hardly any or no stains. So no reason to buy this one.
And if you ever pop over to Amsterdam… please give me warning in advance and I will show you the town.
You’re most welcome, Greetje! I’m 5’7″ (1.70m) – same as Kate Moss 😉
And don’t worry, you’ll be the first person I tell if I plan a trip to Amsterdam!! xx
WOW! you are really taller than your friend Gretje! hahahaha
I really enjoy this kind of posts,many thinks o see and to enjoy, I like your outfit, your dog and the pics. So nice!
My Fashion Blog
I am glad you like it and said so. I often wonder whether it isn’t too much (too long, too many pictures etc.) So it is nice to get some feedback on this.
Great dress, great photos! Let’s keep it short and sweet for today as I look forward to talking IRL in 2 weeks time. Yay!
Looking forward to it.
I love these photos of you, they look so in the moment and that you aren’t even aware of being photographed. Dan is right, you need to wear more dresses, you need to show off those gorgeous legs. This is an outfit that I just adore and want every piece of it. Have a great week!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.
Thank you Alice. And no I am not really aware of Ron taking photos as he is far away with his long lens. Like a paparazzi. Wearing more dresses is really not that difficult as I wear most of my trouser outfits with high heels too. Which is a bit silly but there you go.
As Marga said, this dress is smashing! And, it looks smashing on you. The length is perfect for a sheath dress and you pull it off with great style. Love the color-blocking of the dress and the sleeves as well. Now for the shoe choice, well could you choose any better fit, I don’t think so. As for the wrinkles at the end of the day, this just proves you had a fun filled day. Thank you for taking me on your outing with you, Ron and Charlie, it was so delightful.
How fun to have met up with Susan, I had no idea she was on such the petite side. Be grateful for your beautiful height.
Every height has its challenge but I suppose mine is quite normal. As long as I stay in The Netherlands haha. And who is Marga?
I hope the wrinkles of the shoes might not show too much. They are patent leather and that shows more than normal leather ones. I can replace them easily with my new awesome black and white shoes, but the heels of the old ones are thicker and lower, which is better for walking in the city. At first I thought the shoes might be too matchy matchy, but I quite like that so I decided not to be bothered.
Oh now I know who is Marga. I completely missed her reply. Shame on me.
Wow! What a fab dress! You have been hitting it out of the ballpark lately lady.
I ADORE the photo of the gal with the pug on the surfboard. A black pug like my parents who is called Zorro : ) That pug looks seriously fierce.
You are always talking with so many people. You are the polar opposite of me, although I do try to compliment people.
I’ve been told that those shoes on the line means it is a place where people sell drugs. Not sure if that is true or not but you see it often here as well.
So much fun you got to meet up with yet another blogger. And yay! I’m not the shortest of them all : )
enjoy the vacay!
bisous
Suzanne
Having Ron as my photographer really helps to get nice pictures. You say you are the polar opposite of me with regard to talking to strangers, but I didn’t experience you like that. Not at all. Remember the French guy we met in that lovely secluded part of Amsterdam when the two of us were out? You chatted with him.
And I suppose when a dog is on a surfboard he knows how to swim??
You mean the fellow with his kid in the street? It took me a while to remember who you were talking about. LOL
I sure hope the dog knows how to swim. Normally pugs aren’t strong swimmers. If it were Zoe I’d have a lifejacket on her. LOL Yes, I’m a helicopter Mom.
Oh Charlie would wear a lifejacket as well. No, I would never take Charlie with me on a surfboard. But then again, I have no skills with a surfboard. Perhaps when you are highly skilled you can do this. But I am a helicopter mom as well.
I adore this color blocked dress on you Greetje! You accessorized perfectly ( the shoes and dog! 🙂 )
Also I must say that these photos are so well done. I love when you are framed with the black door behind you, it really adds perfect contrast so you can see the dress.
I also love the photo of the dog on the surf board! How funny and spontaneous !
I also love the shots of the houseboats!
xx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
Well, by the sound of it, you enjoyed this post. Mission accomplished. Have a nice week.
I love this outfit on you – you look terrific!
Thank you Rebecca.
I talk to soooo many people during my walks with Mr. Bangio! Yes, it’s very easier to get acquainted with people if you have a dog!
I love that dress on you! And no, it isn’t too short. It is classic in shape and it wouldn’t be so nice if it was longer. The length and colours make your look fresh and modern.The shoes are wonderful and they seem to be comfortable too!
It’s nice to see you walking trough Amsterdam, but Charlie doesn’t look too much interested in the tour!
For Charlie there were not enough trees and grass to get excited about. But she always looks like this. I was wearing tights, so maybe that is why, but I walked on these shoes for a whole day. I felt as if I was you haha. Haven’t seen any more photos of your appartment yet… (nudge, nudge).
While you are finding comfortable high heels I am wearing flat shoes often and often!! Funny, isn’t it??
And about my home, I have just realized that taking good photos of interiors is not an easy task, besides… I don’t want to ruin the surprise effect in your next visit!!..
Oh you rotter.. you are going to let me wait to see the interior until I come back??? I am so curious!!!
Greetje! Since there are very few Sunday posts, I must admit to looking forward to yours! It’s always such a nice, little story with pretty pictures!! I certainly agree with you that people treat you differently depending on how you’re dressed. And I think that dress is spot on for you (not too short at all–you have fabulous legs)! I think it’s just so cute you asked that women to have drinks with you…no wonder you have so many friends!!! Enjoy your holiday!! jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks Jodie for all the compliments. As for inviting the woman… I am very chatty. I never think whether anything I do or say to people could be regarded as weird. It just never occurs to me. Call me naive, call me stupid. I like company, I like conversation, I like interaction. Which makes blogging great too.
I look forward to your posts so much Greetje! They are always filled with personality! Dogs are indeed people magnets….my husband stops and talks to every single dog we pass, LOL. {You know, Charlie is the name I had chosen for the dog I never got.} The architecture…so Dutch signature; it took me a moment to figure out those were shutters on the windows…a modern touch on a traditional element. We get the shoes on the wires all the time here. What is THAT about, I do not know? The paddle boarder with dog…so west coast…they’d be right at home here. And the photo of you and Susan…OMG, that is funny. You look so tall! I’m short too, so perhaps we will share a funny photo in July!
The dress is YOU! So gorgeous…I hope you wear a lot!
Yes I wear the dress a lot. And as for heights… I think I am quite tall compared to most bloggers…. sigh. So I will be towering over you lot in July feeling very awkward. Like being back in primary school. I had to stand at the end of the line with gymnastics as well.
I think the Dutch are the tallest people of the planet. Serious.
Melanie is tall, and she wears platforms! So hopefully no awkward feelings. And yes, I agree that Dutch people are often tall. I had a colleague a few years ago, recently immigrated from Holland, and she was only about 5’2″. She was considered quite short in her homeland…well, that is pretty short anywhere, LOL. Over the years, Vancouver has developed a large Asian population….so many more short women…and bonus….shoes in my size more frequently!
That dress looks smashing! But what was it with the weather in Amsterdam this spring. I should have packed my Canadian parka, not my leather jacket.
Your height is perfect, by the way. I loved being somewhere where I was “average”. And the taller you are, the better the clothes look. 😀
I know Marga. We have been complaining so much about the weather. I know we Dutch complain a lot anyway, but this speing was ridiculously cold. As for being tall.. as long as I stay in my own country I am fine. LOL
I am so jealous of Susan’s trip…she is getting to meet so many of my favorite bloggers! How much fun. I love your dress…I really need to get a few dresses…just not sure which direction to go. This one is very nice!
I was a bit puzzled with dresses too. I just tried and tried and some of them proved to be much better than I anticipated.
I agree with you on Susan’s trip. It must be fantastic to go to so many nice countries and meet all those bloggers. The poor soul had rather cold and wet weather in Amsterdam.