Saturday, September 19, 2020

The Trip that was: September 19, 2008/2012/2013/2014/2015

 2008

The Golden Bend. 





2012

We spent most of this day with the nephews.  Dutchboy was teaching them how to drive a tractor. 


Is there anything more joyful than a jump in a muddy puddle after a morning rain??





2013
A visit to Maalust Brewery. If you have an opportunity to try a Maalust beer, do it.  I highly recommend it!! 

2014
Here we are again, back in Hattem! Dijkpoort, the 14th century Hattem city gate. 



I call this my "author book jacket photo".  I should use it on the cover of my first novel, which I plan to title: Flat with a Chance of Sheep.  This was taken in the Anton Pieck Museum.





Later that evening, we went to Elburg.  Dutchboy found himself in the line of fire. 

The local beer. A Belgian Quadrupel, 9% alcohol. Strong, and very tasty! Once again, highly recommend!


Overlooking the Elburg harbor.




Vischpoort, the Elburg citygate.


We then returned "home"to Vierhouten.  We were staying with Dutchboy's sister at her caravan in Vierhouten, a little village near Nunspeet. It's part of the Veluwe, a natural area.  When we're there, we alway take lovely walks.  See the video below for a glimpse! 



If the video doesn’t load for you, as it won’t on some
Mobile devices, you can watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZvFYIUFzk54

Tot Ziens!

Friday, September 18, 2020

The Trip that was: September 18, 2008/2012

 2008

A random collection of photos from Utrecht. 

This is one of my favorite sculptures, ever.  Just a random collection of logs, but he's so huge. And so happy. How did they manage to make it look that waywithout a face? He was just outside the entrance of the Centraal Museum, and then he wasn't. We've never seen him again. Dutchboy inquired last year at the museum, and they had no idea what we were talking about.  Sad, that he should be tossed away. 





If you like religious art, give Museum CatharijnCovent a try.  Personally, I enjoyed the old Convent building and the garden much more than the museum.  However, they had the CREEPIEST Pieta ever. 

And Dom Tower watches over all of it. 

On the way home that evening, we apparently decided to switch to the metro at Waterlooplein, and took a couple of night shots of the Blauwbrug and Magere Brug.


2014

This was something that both Dutchboy and I had been wanting to do for a long time: tour Jachthuis Sint Hubertus, the former country house of  Anton and Helene Kröller-Müller,Helene Kröller-Müller, sought out famous Dutch architect, Hendrikus Petrus Berlage to design their country "hunting lodge".  It was a tough battle between Helene and Berlage, and it didn't end well. But for all their stubbornness and disagreements, they created a beautiful building.  Dutchboy and I are both huge fans of Berlage, who I would summarize as the Dutch equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the father of Modern Dutch architecture.  To say we were excited to get to take a tour would be an understatement! As you can see, I was thrilled to bits! As was Dutchboy's sister. 

The tile of Sint Hubertus and a stag. Hubertus is the patron saint of hunters.  The story is that Hubertus saw the vision of a crucifix in the antlers of a stag and heard a voice tell him to turn to the Lord or he would go to hell.  It was a moment of conversion for the young man.










Jachthuis Sint Hubertus in all it's glory! 


Tot Ziens!



Thursday, September 17, 2020

The Trip that was: September 17, 2008/2013/2014/2016

 2008

Haarlem. A beautiful city. With an even more beautiful, old train station.  It still has the first and second class waiting rooms. We all know where I belong.







Grote Markt, Haarlem.



Frans Hals Museum.  


Frans Hals is my very favorite Dutch artist.  I love to sit in the room with all the civic guard paintings.  So many of the faces are modern and familiar. 


This could be Steve Perry! Don't Stop Believin''!  




Another example: doesn't he look like Tim McInnerny? Lord Percy from Black Adder?


2013

Utrecht skyline is dominated by the Dom Toren.  But the city also has it's fair share of odd things.  Like UFOs crashed into buildings, and giant teapots.  It's the Dutch equivalent of Portland, Oregon.  Keep Utrecht weird!



Speaking of weird, on a whim we decided to visit the Speelklok Museum! What is a speelklok? An automated musical instruments-- clocks, automatons, calliopes.  




See the magic for yourself! 

And Dutchboy takes the lead and plays a few bars...


2014

Just a few images from The Hague.  


One of my favorite things about The Hague is this square.  Cafes line the square, and you sit in the shade of the large trees and sip coffee, tea, or any libation, in my case beer, and have a little snack.  



2016

Back in Utrecht, hanging around the Dom. But this time, it's all artsy shots that Dutchboy insisted we take.