My last trip to Amsterdam was deliberately timed to be when the UK (or the majority of it) left the EU at the end of January 2020. Ever since I’ve been aware that we, as a country, were part of something bigger than ourselves, I have felt European and I still do, despite our current political status. As a member of Generation X, I’ve grown up without that feeling of a loss of empire or the sense of a martial victory over our closest neighbours that seem to afflict the generation prior to mine – the ‘boomers’. What has this got to do with this picture? I was there for four days and during that time, I discovered where three of the tracks went and only one of the roads. It was taken on my first night in the hotel, arriving earlier that evening. My sense of loss at the time had filled me with sadness and I felt as if the separation was permanent and total, leading to a more monochromatic view of the world. Looking back at it now, it is neither of those, things are only more difficult and challenging than they have been. I’ll be back!
