A little more than a week ago, almost 100 Spotters from 48 different cities came to Amsterdam for Spotters Weekend 2014.
Expectations were very high, after the epic first Spotters weekend in 2012. But once again, it was amazing.
All Spotters have a very different background, we were born in 50+ different countries, but yet we instantly connect. Somewhere in our DNA you’ll find a Spotter gene. It’s impossible to describe (anthropologists, please do your PHD thesis at Spotted by Locals!), but some of the things that connect us Spotters: a deep love for giving & sharing, curiosity, a positive life attitude. And of course: we love our cities.
Nobody can describe the weekend better than the people we organized this for: our Spotters. Here’s a small selection of some of the spontaneous updates our Spotters did on our (closed for non-Spotters) Facebook group. And some of the 800 pictures we received…
Glenn Wells, Oslo Spotter: “Until Friday I wondered what the Spotter network was. Now I am in complete wonder over finding myself in an absolutely fantastic network of creative, talented, open-minded, interesting, intelligent people. This weekend was a life-changing, inspiring event for me. And I want more!”
Stefan Skov Hedegaard, Copenhagen Spotter: “Being a part of Spotted by Locals is truly an amazing thing!”
Cláudio Carneiro, Lisbon Spotter: “Another fabulous weekend spent with the most fabulous people on Earth!‪#‎spottersweekend2014‬”
András Barta, Geneva Spotter: “I find myself checking facebook a lot these days, hoping for a new fix of never before seen pictures of the weekend, dreaming up new and impossible ways to bring everyone together again. I hope it will not be 2 more years until I see you all again!”
Albert Corona, Madrid Spotter (on Facebook): “See the faces that make Spotted by Locals real and down to earth. People that like their city so much they want you to get the best out of it in every visit.”
Anne-Marie Ros, one of our Rotterdam locals: “A BIG thank you for an unforgettable ‪#‎spottersweekend2014‬. Proud to be a spotter and happy to be part of the spotters family as we are an amazing crowd. Great job Sanne van Poll-Bakker and Bart van Poll for organizing such perfect weather too;) xx”
Meghan Phillipp, who came all the way from Chicago (!): “Words and photos can’t really capture the magic that happened at the Spotters weekend, but the photos I see posted are all a small reminder of what an incredible experience it was.”
Ivan Marra, Rome Spotter: “One of the most incredible experiences of my life”
Stu Anderson, from Edinburgh: “Thank you for organising such a lovely weekend. I had a fantastic time, and it was great to see all of my old friends from 2012 as well as making friends with newer spotters. I would count some of the people I know through Spotted by Locals to be some of the most interesting people I have ever met”
Barcelona Spotter Cynthia Uribe: “I am lucky enough to be part of a dream by two wonderful people: Sanne and Bart. They have given us many things, among those, the possibility to meet a hundred other natural travellers in beautiful and unusually sunny Amsterdam. I wish I had taken more pictures… but I was way too busy sharing, laughing and living. Long live Spotted by Locals!”
Porto Spotter Tiago Megas, after the weekend: “I have a happiness hangover”
Berlin Spotter Marcel Krueger, who also wrote a very nice article about the Spotters weekend: “I’m sitting here endlessly tired, adding new friends on Facebook and looking at the photos they took all the while again convinced that I was part of something tangibly good and positive.”
Julie Gauthier, from Montreal (!): “All the good and sweet words I wanted to share with you guys have all been said already… cuz’ you are such an amazing group. I feel lucky to be part of it. Of course, the weekend has passed way too fast… I wish we could do it again soon! Until then, I hope to see some of you in Montreal.”
And me? I have been feeling like Copenhagen Spotter Cindy Fonvig for the last 10 days already: “Suffering from Spotters weekend withdrawal …”. I love these people!
A big thanks to our amazing locations for the day: the beautiful Compagnie theater and deSlang!
Want to join live the magic at our next Spotters Weekend? Become a Spotter for your city!
