from the archives #19

Lanzarote (2005)

Camels and birds on the volcanic grounds of Lanzarote, one of the Spanish Canary islands.

Sand sculpture

Another picture from the sand sculpture festival 'Sculpture Park' in Zuidlaren.

A mammoth from sand

This is from the Sculpture Park in Zuidlaren, an indoor exhibition with sand sculptures telling the story about the ´Hondsrug´: a ridge of sand in the north of the Netherlands dating from the Ice Age.
The mammoth is one of the animals that wandered around this area during the last Ice Age (110,000 to 10,000 years ago), when the Hondsrug was no more than a large tundra.

Sign

Again a sign we photographed in Bruges last March, and I´m sure you´ll agree with me that it´s an attractive one for a B&B!

Participating in signs, signs.

Making music

A picture from the Friesian Street Festival in Leeuwarden, last weekend. It was much fun to see and hear this band of 3 playing on the Wilhelminaplein, and they obviously enjoyed themselves as well!

Measurable Water

..or 'Meetbaar water' in Dutch, is the title of this 'swimming pool' in one of the canals near the Berlikumermarkt in Leeuwarden. It says  'H2O' on the side (near the head) and it should be possible to read the temperature there as well -though not visible on this photo.

It was made in 2004 by Dutch sculpturor Jan Ros, apparently to show the temperature and clarity of the water in the Leeuwarden canals.
Hmm...clarity?

Can a bath tub be art?

Yes, it can! This is a small exhibition of bath tubs in the streets of Leeuwarden, as part of the ´Fries Straatfestival´ (Friesian Street Festival) this weekend.

Onnerpolder

The Onnerpolder is a nature area in the province Groningen, near Haren and Groningen city. Even though industry isn't far away -you can see it clearly in the distance- it's a beautiful place with lots of birds and other wildlife.

from the archives #18

Norway (2009)

This is one of the many amazing views we had during our journey on the archipelagos Lofoten and Vesterålen, that belong -in my opinion- to the most beautiful parts of Norway.

Cheers

Some people will try everything to get noticed.. ;))

Waffels

Waffles are a popular 'dish' in Belgium, like here in Bruges. Not only can you buy them throughout the city, there are numerous variations of fillings to choose from. How about warm cherries and whipped cream?

..And after a few days in Bruges, you think you see waffles everywhere!  ;)

Linking to signs, signs.

2 Houses.

A view from the village Schiermonnikoog on the island Schiermonnikoog.

Geert Teisplein

Lovely skies above the centre of Stadskanaal. The Geert Teisplein is a square with a parking place near the theatre.

Drawbridge

This drawbridge crosses the 'Stadskanaal'. The street left and right on this side of the canal is named Handelskade, and it's the Handelsstraat on the other side.

from the archives #17

Athens, Greece (2010)

I don't really know why, but for some reason I do not take many photo's at night. This however is one of the rare occassions that I did :)   The rooftop terrace of our hotel in Athens was not only a great place to sit and have a drink after a day of sightseeing, it also gave a magnificent view on the Acropolis.

Greenhouse

A view from inside one of the garden centres in our region. The size of this particular greenhouse is really huge, on the photo you only see about half of it (!) Look at all the tiny plants placed on the floor, it's impossible to guess how many thousands of them are for sale here..

Colourful

The colourful side of an apartment building in Stadskanaal.

love locks

During our stay in Bruges in March, we noticed a few love locks at the entrance gate of the Béguinage. As I explained earlier, a béguinage is a collection of small buildings used by Beguines: a religious movement of women. Even though it is a very private area, you are allowed to walk around as a tourist but there are signs everywhere asking you to be quiet (click HERE to see a 'silence please'-sign I posted before). 

The béguinage is a peaceful place and attracts lots of tourists from around the world every day. These pictures were taken almost 2 months ago, how many couples have put a sign of their love here since then?

Linking to signs, signs.

the white pipe

The 'Vischmarktpijp' (Fish Market Pipe) by Dutch sculptor Ineke Ekkers can be found in the centre of Leeuwarden. The design of a 17th century pipe has a fish head at the end, and relates to the fact that long ago this was the location for a fish market.

open air museum

Enkhuizen

relief

FLORYS PEETERS DE WILD

1699

IN WEELDE SIET TO

A relief on a wall in Enkhuizen. When looking for more information I found that the words 'In Weelde Siet Toe' more or less mean 'Beware of Luxury' or 'In Luxury, Look Out' and refer to a painting by 17th century Dutch painter Jan van Steen.

from the archives #16

United Kingdom (2011)

A moss covered wall with Kielder Water on the right. Kielder Water is a large artificial reservoir in Northumberland in North East England, surrounded by Kielder Forest. This picture was taken on an August day with strong winds and rain showers followed by sunshine followed by rain showers followed by sunshine etc. ;)

jay

I like to watch the jays in our garden. They have a loud scream too!

Oranjekoeken

Dutch photographer Tryntsje Nauta made this collection of 177 'Oranjekoeken' (Orange cakes), a typical Friesian delicacy. For this project she visited Friesian confectioners in the north of the Netherlands to view and photograph their Oranjekoeken, and even though they are all decorated and square shaped, it´s obvious that every single cake is unique!

The photo's were made in the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden.

nostalgic sign

F. HEITZ JR. 

ITEMS FOR WEDDINGS & PARTY'S

Part of the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen is an open air museum where you can walk through the streets of a village and picture yourself in the first half of the 20th century. Besides nice small houses , a church, and maybe the more obvious like for instance an old post office and a bakery, there was this place where people would go when they had to organise a party.

  

Not sure if the items displayed would look very exciting today, but well, why not? ;)

Linking to signs, signs.

decanter

How about one of these lady´s shoes as a decanter?
Seen while window shopping in Bruges.

railway tracks

View from a bridge on the railroad yard just south of the Haren train station.

book covers

Collected book covers in museum De Buitenplaats in Eelde, currently showing an exhibition of Dutch writer Dick Bruna. Bruna is best known for his children's books with Miffy (in Dutch known as 'Nijntje'), however he also illustrated and designed book covers, posters and promotional materials for his father's publishing company A.W. Bruna and Zoon. His most recognized illustrations were for the 'Zwarte Beertjes' series of books, including The Saint, James Bond, Simenon, and Shakespeare.

from the archives #15

South Africa (2006)

If you look closely you can see our car reflected in the zebra's eye. The picture was taken in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

down again..

I'm standing on the top floor of the watchtower 'Poolshoogte' (lit. 'Altitude of pole') here, just before going down the stairs again. It is located near the village Odoorn at the edge of a large nature area with trees and heather, not so far from where we live.

the watching nun

From an open window above a restaurant in Brugge, near the beguinage, a nun was watching..