sand pattern

At the Ameland beach.

Ameland horse grave

"Op 14 augustus 1979 strandde de Windspiel 4 / bij de lancering van de reddingboot verdronken 8 paarden"
"On August 14, 1979, the Windspiel 4 stranded / during the launch of the lifeboat 8 horses drowned"


Until the late 1980's the Ameland lifeboat was launched with the use of horses. On August 14, 1979, a launch went terribly wrong and 8 horses died. Their grave, pictured here in the dunes near Hollum, is a well known spot on the island.

WELCOME

When you arrive in Wedde you are welcomed by a sign in Groninger dialect.

In English: 

Welcome in our little town

gateway to the beautiful Westerwolde

have a look and surprise yourself

how the past could hold it's ground.

In Dutch:

   Welkom in ons kleine dorp

poort naar het mooie Westerwolde

kijk maar rond en verbaas jezelf

hoe het verleden stand kon houden.

And on the other side:

Come again!

Kom nog eens terug!

Wedde is a small town in the Westerwolde region in the province Groningen.
Linking to signs, signs.

showcase

Following up on yesterday's blogpost about the entrance of the Arsenaal in Coevorden, this is a picture of one of the horizontal showcases in the floor. TORECO stands for 'Stichting TOeristisch REcreatief COevorden', referring to the tourist info in the building.

In the showcase are typical 'tourist things' like a pair of walking shoes, a map of the region, a (miniature) bicycle, and some postcards.

the plan on the floor

This is the entrance of the Arsenaal, a historical and multifunctional building in the centre of Coevorden. Inside are the library, tourist info and museum. The image on the floor here shows the star shaped fortification plan of Coevorden, this is how the city looked like at the end of the 16th century.

When you would take a view from the sky on the city today, some parts of the star shape can still be seen.

snow

Snow, -6°C / 21F. It seems winter has arrived after all.
I took this picture in our garden this morning, it was soooo quiet :)

from the archives #1

From now, each Saturday a random choice from the digital stack of (a bit) older photo's.

Watching our airplane being de-iced, minutes before take off from Rovaniemi Airport in northern Finland. (2007)

feet on a fence

A very nice fence with feet outside a shoe shop in Coevorden.


Linking to Friday's Fences

horizons

An impression from the exhibition 'Horizonnen' (Horizons), in the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden. 

the sheep of Exloo

A picture from the 'Molenveld', as the heather fields near Exloo are called, taken last month. The flock of about 200 sheep that you see in the distance is owned by the local authorities, and is taken care of by a foundation named 'Stichting Schaapskudde Exloo'. The flock has been in the local news recently as Tienus Kaspers, their shepherd for the last 27 years, passed away in December, and an add was put in the newspaper for a new shepherd.

De Vlijt

The high and narrow building is more than a 100 years old and was built by Gerson Levie -a grain merchant then-, to function as a grain storage in the harbour of Coevorden. A few years ago a restoration saved it from total decay, and now it's the location for hotel De Vlijt. I haven't been inside but according to photo's on their website it looks beautiful inside with many details from old times.

New Year's resolution menu

I personally believe that when you want to start working on your health, you do not necessarily have to wait until January 1st. But I guess that if "a new Year / a fresh start" works for you, you should! :)

A well known restaurant in Coevorden currently offers a 'New Year's resolution menu', and with that they promise you not only a delicious but also a healthy dinner, according to their website. I know from experience that they serve excellent food.. And, 3 courses for eur 19,95 is really not bad either!

seize the day

WATCH      LISTEN      ENJOY

-a bench along a forest path near Exloo. I wish you a great Sunday!

boat bench

The lower half of this bench was the scale model (scale 1:15) for a new ship for the TESO ('Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming' or, in English 'The Texel Steamboat Company'). It was used for tests in a water basin in order to determine the best possible shape of the under water part. After the testing was done and the new ship had been built, TESO donated the model to the island Texel. In 2007 Gert Reijmerink from Hilversum gave it a second life and transformed it into a bench. The eye catching structure can be found in the harbour of Oudeschild. 

having a look..

..from the wall around the garden of Museum de Buitenplaats in Eelde.

runway

Lights leading to the runway of Groningen Airport Eelde.

BOB

BOB / Ook als je op visite gaat / Daar kun je mee THUIS komen.

BOB / Also when you're going to visit someone / Bringing you HOME.

These signs can be found all over the Netherlands, and everybody here will be able to tell you what it stands for. 'Bob' (i.e. the designated driver) is the person who is selected not to drink alcohol on a social occasion in order to drive his or her companions home safely. The slogan of this Dutch campaign that started back in 2001 is: "Bob jij of Bob ik?" ("Do you Bob or shall I?")

What I didn't know untill today is that is was originally Belgium who started the Bob-campaign in 1995. Later not only the Netherlands 'adopted' it, but also France, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Germany.

In 'our' Dutch December holiday version of the sign the letter 'O' pictures a 'oliebol', traditionally eaten in the Netherlands on New Year's eve.

Linking to signs, signs.

a late afternoon view..

..seen from the back of our garden, several days ago.

One day, this year or next year or who knows when, a series of huge windmills will be standing somewhere on the horizon there. The government and province's plans are ready and waiting for quite a few years now, but time will tell I suppose.

bike mural

Part of a mural I found in Nieuw Buinen. 

For more murals go to Monday Mural.

our Dutch winter

Very much unlike other parts in the world, the Netherlands is experiencing the mildest winter ever  -so far anyway, after all it's only the 12th of January. In the meantime, in our back garden, the seeds in this birdfeeder are sprouting new plants..

weekend reflections

This photo shows glass shelves with old ceramic pots, seen from above with a reflection that seemed intensified by the many lights in this room of the Fries Museum.
And yes, I'm in the reflection too.. ;)


Linking to Weekend Reflections #224.

Kostvlies

Another picture from last Sunday, here entering Kostvlies. This hamlet with less than 150 inhabitants is located halfway Gieten and Gasselte, and belongs to the Aa en Hunze municipality in the province Drenthe. You can see a glimpse of some houses on the left.

Juttertje

My favorite way of ending a dinner in a restaurant is coffee with a kind of liqueur. And whenever we visit Texel that would be a 'juttertje'. The word refers to the Dutch word 'jutten' or 'beachcombing' in English.
The juttertje is a sweet and herb flavored alcoholic beverage that can be served pure, or for instance with coffee like here on the photo. It's the island's specialty!

húskes

The meaning of the Frisian word "húskes", here on this door in the Fries museum, speaks for itself I think.

Enjoy more signs around the world at Lesley's blog signs, signs.

going downstairs

It's not just the variety of exhibitons, it's also views like this that makes your visit to the Drents Museum a joy for the eye.

Sunday walk

Yesterday, near the village of Gieten. It almost felt a little bit like Spring..

Texel 44

The ship 'Texel 44', here in the harbour of Oudeschild on the island Texel, offers sight seeing cruises on the Waddensea.
It was the painting of the seals that got my attention..

MUSEUM

This photo was taken while waiting in line to enter the Drents Museum in Assen, as I watched the reflection of the the buildings across the square. Can you see the word 'MUSEUM' spelled there in the logo?


For more reflections around the world go to Weekend Reflections.

view from a bridge

Leeuwarden city centre. And aren't these fences perfect to park you bicycle while you shop.. :)

Linking to Friday's Fences.

hiking with a dog in Westerwolde

Exploring the region around Sellingen on foot, we came across these maps along the route that point out a detour for those walking with a dog. As the path will cross an area where sheep might be grazing, dogs obviously aren't allowed there, so you then follow the blue dots instead of the red ones, and join the normal route later. 

I think it's a nice service Staatsbosbeheer (a Dutch organisation that controls and conserves Dutch nature reserves) is offering here, and tourist (and sheep!) friendly.

no dogs

NO DOGS ALLOWED

including dogs from friends and other people we know

-from a door of a Leeuwarden pub. 

  

Wishing you all a wonderful 2014! Linking to signs, signs.