Amsterdam may no longer be their address, but it will always be part of their story.

Smiling couple standing together on a brick street in Amsterdam near a Noorderstraat sign.

For three years, Amsterdam became their home away from home. They created new routines, found their favourite places and built a beautiful little life far away from everyone and everything they knew, all while knowing that, one day, they would return to South Africa. They learned the rhythms of the city, found their familiar places and made a home together far away. What felt new and exciting to me was simply their everyday life, the streets they knew, the canals they had crossed countless times and the little corners of Amsterdam that had quietly become theirs.


I feel so lucky and genuinely blessed that I got to visit them before this chapter came to an end. For a little while, I got to step into their everyday life, experience the city through their eyes and photograph them in the place they had called home for three years.

Couple kissing by a lamppost on an Amsterdam canal bridge surrounded by parked bicycles and historic Dutch buildings.
Bicycles parked on a bridge over an Amsterdam canal lined with historic buildings and boats on a sunny day.
Young woman in beige sweater sitting on a boat, enjoying a sunny day on an Amsterdam canal.
A man in sunglasses sits near a classic wooden canal boat cruising Amsterdam's waterways with historic buildings in background.

 

Danie & Marlise, in the city they once called home


I’ve always thought Danie and Marlise were incredibly brave, to leave behind everything familiar and build a life together on the other side of the world.

 

A classic white canal boat cruising on the Amsterdam river with a bridge and city buildings in the background.
Man and woman enjoying a sunny boat ride on a scenic urban canal surrounded by trees and historic buildings.
Silhouetted couple sitting together on a boat under a bridge on a calm urban canal in black and white.
Couple laughing joyfully on a boat along a scenic canal, enjoying a sunny day outdoors together.

 

 

On my final day, they took me on a little boat through the canals, showing me the city from the water. We drifted past narrow houses, bridges and scenes that felt unmistakably Amsterdam. They showed me the city they had come to know so well, and the city they would soon be saying goodbye to.

 

 

Couple holding hands on a boat by an Amsterdam canal, woman sitting looking up at standing man in beige jacket.
Black and white photo of Amsterdam canal with the historic Montelbaanstoren tower and moored houseboats on a clear day.
A smiling couple walks across a zebra crossing in Amsterdam with a colorful restaurant facade behind them.
Colorful Amsterdam canal houses with orange facade, trees, and waterfront promenade reflecting in calm canal waters.
A white swan gracefully swimming in an Amsterdam canal beside moored boats in golden afternoon light.
Couple sitting together on Amsterdam canal bridge, smiling, with historic buildings and waterway in background.
Black and white photo of a canal bridge in Amsterdam with a boat passing underneath, historic buildings and church tower in background.
People walking on a historic brick arched bridge over an Amsterdam canal with a boat below and lush green trees.
A smiling blonde woman embraces a man outdoors near a tree, looking back at the camera with joy.
Black and white photo of a couple holding hands while walking along a historic Amsterdam canal street.
A couple walks together on a city street, the woman smiling at her partner near a crosswalk.
Black and white photo of a smiling man and a woman with flowing hair enjoying a moment together outdoors.
A serene Amsterdam canal lined with trees and moored boats, flanked by historic buildings on a sunny day.
A smiling blonde woman hugging a man outdoors on a tree-lined brick pathway on a sunny day.

Somewhere between exploring the streets and floating along the canals, we captured a small piece of their life there. Nothing overly planned or complicated. Just Danie and Marlise, together, in a place that had become part of their story. They have since moved back to South Africa, giving these photographs a meaning we perhaps didn’t fully understand when we took them. They are no longer simply photographs from an afternoon in Amsterdam; they are a little time capsule of the life they built, the adventure they shared and the home they carried together for a while.


Amsterdam may no longer be their address, but it will always be part of their story.

A classic white canal boat cruising on the Amsterdam waterway with a bridge and city buildings in the background.

Dive into the visuals

 

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Our Amsterdam Chapter, Erasmus

 

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