Having been captivated by this most unlikely of structures in the heart of this most bizarre European capital, myself and various friends have made 4 trips back to the Temple in the last few months. The fortunate factor that facilitates such frequent jaunts is the fact that here in my home town of Southampton we have an airport that has a budget airline with flights direct to Amsterdam airport and its excellent rail link to the city center. At this end, not only is the airport nearby, it is most conveniently on the bus route the stops at the end of my road!

So, not only is the Fo Guang Shan He Hua Temple in Amsterdam, Holland the largest Buddhist Pure Land temple in Europe, it is perversely actually cheaper to get there than to London which is only 80 miles up the road from here.

Its a crazy world we live in! Amsterdam demonstrates that point.

I was asked, Is it my outré to have a bicycle in all of my Amsterdam photos? The answer is no. I'd rather they weren't there at all but have found that It is just not possible to take a snap in the streets of Amsterdam and not have at least one bike in frame.

It is very difficult to take a picture of the whole frontage of the He Hua temple anyway because it is in a narrow street filled with pedestrians ... and bikes that come at you all directions ! Stationary bikes are OK - its the ones in motion that you got to keep an eye on - and that is hard to do with one eye in a lens .

In the pic right the He Hua Temple is just around the bend ahead, obscured by green scaffolding sheets. Repair works to the roof were nearing completion, prior to the Temples Buddha Birthday celebrations and parade through the streets 6 months later. Click here for photos - including parade.