Palace park

 The palace park is part of Het Loo Royal Estate and lies adjacent to Het Loo Palace. It is open all year and with 650 hectare it is ideal for strolling and walking. Traditionally this park was for the relaxation of the royal residents of Het Loo and their guests. The origins of the palace park can be traced back to stadtholder Willem II, who purchased hunting lodge Het Loo in 1684 together with 200 hectare land. (more info from the palace's website HERE)

We followed the orange trail, which is one of eight walking trails in the park.

I´m linking to Weekend Reflections.

Chapeaux!

One of the things we enjoyed during our visit to Het Loo Palace was the temporary exhibition 'Chapeaux! Hats of Queen Beatrix'. She was our queen for 33 years -from 1980 to 2013- and she always wore a hat at special occasions like state visits, receptions, openings and ceremonies. It wasn't allowed to photograph at the exhibition so I can't show anything, but some of the hats that were exhibited can be viewed on the palace's website HERE.

The red hat on the photo is a delicious piece of pastry that we treated ourselves to after a walk in the palace park, together with a cappuccino. Doesn't it have a royal look?  :))

Looking up

My husband took this photo from one of the many chandeliers inside Het Loo Palace.

Inside Het Loo Palace

Since 1984, after a thorough restoration, the former royal palace Het Loo has been open to the public. The furnished rooms and chambers have all you would expect to see in a palace: high ceilings, thick carpets, sculptures, paintings... 

...and beautifully decorated ceilings like this one.
The last residents of the palace were Princess Margriet and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven. Together with their 4 sons they lived in the East Wing from 1967 to 1975.

From January 2018 the palace is going to be renovated again, for essential maintenance. I´m glad we were able to visit it now, as the museum buildings will be closed until 2021.

Silver Sleigh

 Another exibited item at Paleis Het Loo was this Silver Sleigh, constructed in 1885.
"The Silver Sleigh was mainly used by Queen Wilhelmina for trips through Het Loo Royal Estate, often accompanied by het mother Queen Emma. She generally took the reins herself. The coachman sat on the driving seat at the rear; he operated the ice-scrapers..

..The metal runners converge in the front into crowned griffin heads. The mesh metal screen protected the passengers from any snow flying up around them. The upholstery was made of hand-woven rugs. A fur throw kept the passengers warm." (info from Paleis Het Loo)

This last photo, that was placed next to the sleigh, was taken during a rare demonstration of the Royal Stables Department around Het Loo in 2009.

I´m linking to All Seasons.

Austin 135 Sheerline Princess II

In the coach-houses belonging to Het Loo Palace, a number of royal carriages, cars and sleighs was presented, and all of them treasures!

"This luxurious and representative court car was made at the orders of the royal family. The Austin Sheerline is a composite car: chassis and engine are from the British Austin factory, the body-work was built by Pennock & Son in The Hague. Construction date is 1950-1952.
The "waving car" was frequently used for official visits. In 1955, the Austin Sheerline was used for the visit of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard to the Dutch Antilles. Three years later it was used again, this time for the visit of Princess Beatrix to Surinam." (info from Paleis Het Loo)

Getting wet..

Detail of a fountain in the garden of Paleis Het Loo. Het Loo Palace, meaning 'The Woods Palace', is located in Apeldoorn. The former royal palace is now a state museum, but more about that later.

Wall advertising

I photographed this (newly repainted?) wall advertising in Apeldoorn:

"meubelfabrikanten (1901) 

D.N. van Heerden 

ontwerpen voor 

woningsinrigtingen (1923) 

Davoud (1972) 

in English: "furniture makers (1901) - D.N. van Heerden - designs for home furnishings (1923) - Davoud (1972)

This address at the Hoofdstraat used to be the location for Davoud Perzische Tapijten (Davoud Persian Carpets) - hence the advertising on the wall. I haven't been able though to find any information regarding the name 'D.N. van Heerden' and/or the dates that are mentioned. Maybe they also had a store here once?

Tricycle

This carrier tricycle was parked in front of 'WAAR', a shop in fashion and lifestyle accessories in Apeldoorn.

Roof tile walls

The roof tiles on this building are commonly used here in the Netherlands, though I have never seen them applied on walls like it was done here in this street in Apeldoorn.

It seems quite expensive to me, though practical as well in terms of weather-proof and I think it looks rather neat.

Paper art

One more from the CODA museum Paper Art exhibition: a paper sculpture with colour pigments by Korean artist Jae Ko (1961). She works with rolls of paper that are used in calculators and cash registers, and experiments with traditional pigments. She then rolls it up and shapes it.

Jae Ko considers the art she creates as works without a meaning, and therefore the objects are nameless. I enjoyed viewing her website HERE.

Apeldoorn mural

This mural at the Stationsstraat in Apeldoorn pictures several scenes: people cycling towards the horizon, and -as the city of Apeldoorn is located near the forest-rich Veluwe National Park- a variety of animals such as a deer, a wild boar, and a fox.

The mural was painted by local artist Stephan Peters. You can read more about him and his work HERE (in Dutch).

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Paper pulp drawing

Another impressive piece at CODA Museum's current Paper Art exhibition is this drawing from paper pulp called 'Refugees', by Colombian artist Miriam Londoño (1955). With this she draws attention to the refugee crisis, a topical matter obviously.

Looking at a detail it is clear what a remarkable and precise work this is, and the shadows on the wall emphasize that even more.

Faces

We visited the 'Paper Art 2017'-exhibition in the CODA Museum in Apeldoorn today. This was one of the pieces. Can you see the faces?

Paper Art: the Harley

This Harley Davidson was one of the eye-catchers at the Paper Art exhibition last year in the CODA museum in Apeldoorn. The bike was made by using only corrugated cardboard and glue.

The details were impressive! The bike was created by British sculptor Chris Gilmour (1973).

Dry saddle

I had never seen this before until last Sunday in Apeldoorn: a public bicycle rack with foldaway little roofs so your saddle won't get wet when it rains! Isn't that clever?

Paper Art - Forest Lungs of the World

  Hedgehogs? The ends of broomsticks? No, books!

The creator of this art object made of recycled paperbacks is English artist Julie Dodd. She brings new life and meaning to books, magazines and other discarded materials. Her artwork is based on repetition and inspired by pattern and shape found in nature.
These 'Forest Lungs of the World' are part of the current Paper Art exhibition in the CODA Museum in Apeldoorn.

Paper art - Bust of Agrippa

I'm really happy to have visited the Paper Art exhibition at the CODA Museum in Apeldoorn last Sunday! This remarkable piece is the Bust of Agrippa, created from paper by Chinese artist Li Hongbo (1974), who is known for his lifelike paper sculptures made entirely out of paper and glue. His work has been exhibited in museums around the world.

Facade

From the city centre of Apeldoorn is this shop facade with beautiful Art Nouveau details. There is a game-shop at the ground floor now, and when I look at the drawings it may have been a bakery or butcher once.

Mix of colours

A picture from the Stationsstraat in Apeldoorn. When I googled to find more information I learned that the building is used as a shelter for addicts and homeless people. Apparently the coloured shutters are placed so that the people who stay there are able to recognize 'their room' from outside on the streets..