Leonard: “3 years ago we could take over the lease for this house from a friend. We immediately said yes. It felt like coming home because we both used to live in this neighbourhood as students. In the 1980’s I was in love with the free, arty vibe in Amsterdam. Much as I like ‘sex, drugs and rock & roll’ myself, unfortunately many tourists don’t realise that it is not the same thing as vomiting in someone’s porch. I feel ambivalent about living here. We have 3 floors in a beautiful house that is surprisingly quiet. But every weekend we have to clean beer cans out of our bike panniers, and the dark energy outside often keeps me indoors. Someday we may want to live closer to nature.”
Dorian: “Before this we lived in a ‘plastic’ house in a suburb of Utrecht. I longed for an older house with a soul. Sometimes we drink wine on seats in the street, and tourists take photos of us without asking permission. I like the ‘We Live Here’ campaign: a friendly way of nudging people towards better behaviour.”
