Although very close to bustling Nieuwmarkt, De Wallen (Red Light District) and Central Station, Lastage remains one of the most peaceful areas in Amsterdam, conveniently located right in the heart of the city. On its Eastern parts, where it meets Rapenburg, it gets even more quiet. There are hardly any bars and restaurants here and the few ones are almost entirely frequented by locals.

Kalkmarkt, a point where Lastage and Rapenburg connect to each other, is one of my favourites in the whole city, where some of the most picturesque houses in Amsterdam are to be found.  I take photos of them whenever I happen to pass by.

Both Lastage and Rapenburg are to me intermediate areas (to get me to the Entrepotdok, for example) rather than destinations. But whenever I find myself here I am pleasantly surprised by how calm life in these parts of Amsterdam can be. If it`s a sunny day, then it`s even better: almost everyone living here will be out on the street, in front of the house, with an improvised lunch or dinner arrangement (it might look as a terrace, but it`s not! – see photo no. 2) or simply relaxing on the “porch”. It really is a delight to see all this display of pure Dutch dolce vita!

You might want to convince yourself about this: