Elephants in Amsterdam

Elephants in Amsterdam

I have seen them here and there. I have seen them everywhere.
I have seen elephants in the streets. I have seen elephants next to fiets (bikes).
I have seen elephants in the park. I have seen elephants after dark.
Is it a mass break out from the zoo or has my mind finally said, “goodbye, toodaloo.”
I have seen elephants here and there. I have seen them everywhere.


I have seen elephants in lots of cool places. Some of them are covered with strange faces.
Elephants in Amsterdam 1

I have seen many elephants covered in flowers. But only one with super human like powers.
Elephants in Amsterdam 2

I have seen an elephant trying to be Dutch. I have seen an elephant using too much clutch.
Elephants in Amsterdam 3

I have seen an elephant in a case. I have seen an elephant who could play bass.
Elephants in Amsterdam 4

I have seen an elephant who was very minimal. I have seen an elephant who was a smooth criminal.
Elephants in Amsterdam 5

I have seen an elephant that had the blues. I have seen an elephant all covered with tattoos.
Elephants in Amsterdam 6

I have seen an elephant covered with birds. I have seen an elephant all written in words.
Elephants in Amsterdam 7

I have seen an elephant that arrived through the mail. I have seen an elephant that would be hard to read in brail.
Elephants in Amsterdam 8

I have seen an elephant with a lot of heart. I have seen an elephant that was a peace of art.
Elephants in Amsterdam 9

I have seen an elephant covered in mice. Wait a sec! What the hell!? Look again, twice.
Elephants in Amsterdam 10

Elephants on Parade is an open-air exhibition taking place all over Amsterdam between the 5th of September and the 31st of October. If you get a chance see them quick. There are over 100 of them. The projects aim is to raise awareness for the Asian elephant which is in danger of extinction. Many Dutch artist and celebrities have taken part, giving elephants their own unique style. The project has already been successful in raising a lot of money during previous exhibitions in Rotterdam and Antwerp. A new set of elephants will also be arriving in London in May to July of 2010.

For more information check out the Elephant Parade website.

Stuart

Stuart is an accident prone Englishman who has been living in the Netherlands since 2001. Even his move to the country was an unintentional accident, the result of replying to a cryptic job advertisement he found one day in a local British magazine. Since then he has learned to love the Dutch (so much so that he married one of them) and now calls the country home. He started the blog Invading Holland in 2006 as a place to share his strange stories of language misunderstandings, cultural confusions and his own accident prone nature.

15 Responses

  1. zed says:

    They are awesome! I love your post to go with it – very Seuss ;)

  2. Simone says:

    :D The rough version was great…but this one is amazing xxxx

  3. Manictastic says:

    I love those animal art city exhibitions. Great rhyming btw :d

  4. Invader Stu says:

    Thank you all very much
    I am really very touch(ed)

    Ok. I tally cheated then but thanks for the feedback.

  5. Lizzy says:

    I just found your blog and it’s cracking me up. So clever and I love the one about mice invading Amsterdam. Consider me a new follower :-)

  6. Tess says:

    These are awesome! I thought you had been eating brownies again… ;)
    (I still do actually… :p )

  7. Invader Stu says:

    Lizzy – Thanks. It always nice to know people get as much of a laugh out of reading it as I do writing it.

    Tess – I still wonder if I was

  8. Anita says:

    Thanks for you visit. You have found incredible elephants ! Your blog is very cool, I have added a link to it in my blog.

  9. Lotty says:

    OMG so many elephants! Love it. Nice site!!

  10. VallyP says:

    What a great idea! Just love them, and your combinations have inspired great poetry too ;-)

  11. Isabella says:

    I really like how you’ve captioned these :-) Very comical! One trying to be Dutch & one with too much clutch. And the one with the mice is hysterical! I need to come check these out!

  12. Life Abroad says:

    Wow I hadn’t realized there were so many of them! I love the traditional little dutch girl elephant!

  13. Invader Stu says:

    Anita – Thanks. You have a lot of great photos too, including a few I have not found yet.

    Lotty – Thank you.

    VallyP – I was channelling Dr Seuss :p

    Isabella – You’ll bump into them every where in Amsterdam.

    Life Abroad – That was one of the first I spotted.

  14. Aledys Ver says:

    Great post! I love street art and these elephants look fantastic. I love the way you’ve presented each photo with your rhymes – very original!
    Thanks to Isabella for posting a link to your blog ;)
    A.

  15. Dragonlady says:

    Wow, your a poet as well. Brilliant blog. I can’t wait untill they come to London

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