This week’s edition highlights Madurodam, a favorite travel destination from a visit in 2008.
This week’s edition takes us to Madurodam! This ranks among my favorite travel destinations, and I heartily recommend that you go there whenever you get a chance. Today I am taking to back to the year 2008, when I visited Madurodam with my youngest daughter.
Let me introduce you to this highlight of my voyages…
City View
We have a lovely city view in front of us on a rather overcast and dreary day. Luckily, it’s not raining! There is a bit of traffic along the canals, and parking is definitely at a premium! And, yes, Madurodam is a small city full of intriguing miniatures and all the sights you expect to see in the Netherlands. As architectural updates take place in the Netherlands, you might just find them in Madurodam as well.
This week’s reflection focuses on a nostalgic photo from home in the Netherlands.
This week’s window goes back to the home in the Netherlands, in which I spent a significant part of my teenage years. The photo is one that I took while my sister, brother and I were cleaning the house for real estate viewing.
Here is that view…
Room with a View
Seeing this photo brought back feelings of loss, as this was shortly after my mother passed away in 2020. Upon receiving the call that my mother had taken a turn for the worse, I immediately booked my travel, but still arrived too late.
An added layer of complexity is that this was during the first set of Covid restrictions. It complicated travel and there was confusion about rules. I had to talk my way through Dutch Customs to be allowed into the country.
It was sad to say farewell in this way…
Please take the opportunity to explore more windows of this week, and visit Monday Window; you won’t be disappointed!
A unique window image from our Amsterdam hotel room.
As I did a quick search through my collection of window images, I came across a rather interesting one. Last week, we looked at the personality that comes from exposure to the weather in Wednesday Window – pt. 5.5. This time, I am going much more for the shape and view from the window.
I am curious what you think about this one…
Inner Harbor View
I shot this image from the hotel room in Amsterdam, where my wife and I stayed before our Rhine river cruise.
Here’s a view of the hotel from the outside…
Hotel Victoria
From this perspective, you see immediately where our room was: in the tower just under the dome. This was definitely an unusual room, due to the shape with every modern amenity included; even the curtains were automated, so they can be closed with a remote.
We enjoyed ourselves by doing a number of touristy things in Amsterdam, such as a canal tour and eating a croquette. Having this day also gave us a chance to get over our jet lag a bit, which was smart before getting on our boat.
This is also a contribution to Monday Window, a great collection of posts!
Cherished memories of the port of Rotterdam, a city filled with vibrance and resilience.
In this installment in this series, I’m going back to the year 2011. This year I had to travel to the Netherlands several times due to family members passing away. While this happens to all of us at certain times, it’s never pleasant and these trips are etched in my memory. At the same time, there are also great memories from these trips. I spent time with my favorite aunt, as well as some good outings with much of the family.
As I was sauntering by the water with my aunt, I captured this photo…
Port of Rotterdam
The port of Rotterdam is a significant part of the city’s industry and pride. It has long been the most important port for getting goods up and down the Rhine river. Getting this shot was a bit tricky due to the low light conditions, so I placed my camera on a mooring post for stabilization. This enabled me to get both a reasonable exposure and depth of field.
Rotterdam will always be my home city, as this is where I grew up. It provides me with lots of great memories, whether school times or museums. More than anything this is a vibrant city, always alive with an energy that connects to its motto: Sterker door Strijd (Stronger through Effort).
Best wishes for Thanksgiving! On a rainy day, we go back to a memorable visit to Kinderdijk in the Netherlands.
Greetings everyone and a Happy Thanksgiving to folks in the United States. As today ends up being a rather rainy day in Massachusetts, I thought that an image with rain in it might be appropriate.
This shot is from one of the stops that my wife had along our cruise with Viking River Cruises from Amsterdam to Basel…
Kinderdijk Rain and Shine
In the Netherlands the weather can change pretty quickly and this day typified that phenomenon; as rain was falling the Sun was already making an appearance creating for a rather interesting vista.
This wonderful site is a great place to visit to get steeped in the history of windmills and what the Dutch did centuries ago to keep their feet dry and water table under control. Of course, this tends to be visited mostly by tourists, as those of us who grew up in the Netherlands are very familiar with windmills, as they literally are just about everywhere across the western part of the country.
As I sit here watching a bit of Premier League football after breakfast, a quick post to provide an idea for a Saturday if you happen to be in the Netherlands…
Institute of Sound+Vision
The Institute of Sound & Vision in Hilversum is an architecturally stunning building, both on the outside and the inside, as captured in this image. Striking colors and angles make this a sight to behold!
Additionally, the exhibits are always thought, ear and eye provoking making this a wonderful visit.
A closer look at these behemoths of power! Don’t tilt at them!
In yesterday’s Kinderdijk post I shared the variety of weather conditions that we experienced at Kinderdijk; during the 90 or so minutes that we were there, the only season we missed was Winter!
The classic Dutch windmill is an engineering marvel that can withstand centuries of whatever Mother Nature throws at it…
Rearview of the Cap
Starting at the top, we have the cap of the windmill; its head, so to speak. This section can be rotated around its vertical axis, as it sits on wheels inside the cap. This enables the miller to turn the windmill into the wind, so that it can generate its power.
Capstan Wheel
This rotation is achieved using the capstan wheel, which is on the tail of the windmill. Chains are attached to anchor points in the ground, and then the wheel is turned to rotate the cap in the direction of the anchor point. Note the gentleman in the wood shoes; he’s the miller responsible for this windmill, the Nederwaard No. 2, which houses the Windmill Museum.
Brake Handle
Of course, you need a braking mechanism to slow down rotation of the sails; the brake handle sticks out from the cap; this on his painted in the colors of the Dutch flag, red, white and blue.
Canvas and the Sail
When the miller wants to operate the windmill, one of the interesting jobs is to unroll the canvas to cover the sail; this involves climbing up the lattice and tying the canvas to the sail. Not that it can be reefed, just like a sailboat, to adjust for the strength of the wind. Imagine climbing up in wooden shoes when the breeze is picking up; I think this could be a harrowing bit of work.
A View through the Capstan Wheel
As we’re getting ready to wrap up, I took one more look back through capstan wheel to soak in this majestic view!
I felt lucky to get this turnaround in the weather, because with this sun and clear air, the scenery of Kinderdijk is simply glorious!
A big part of our Rhine river cruise was the opportunity to visit a lot of wonderful places, including some in the country that I was born and raised in: the Netherlands. As the windmills of Kinderdijk were one of the options, my wife and I decided to do that tour…
Rain and Sunshine
As we arrived at Kinderdijk, the sky looked threatening, so luckily I had put the rain gear on my camera, as it started pouring while the sun was bright across parts of this scene. It made for a great dramatic shot that captures 5 of the 19 windmills.
Nederwaard Windmill Nr. 1
Within minutes was dry again and some of the sky started clearing. This is windmill number 1 on the Nederwaard side; this windmill is of the type ‘Grondzeiler’, which translates literally to ‘Groundsailor’. The name makes sense, as the blades or sails come close to the ground when they turn.
When there is rain and sun…
Of course, one of the benefits of these weather conditions is that rainbows will appear and they were stunning!
And then the sun came out!
And then the sun came out in its fullest glory! Even though the light was strong, I couldn’t resist capturing this shot. Let me know how many windmills you count in this shot!
Our guide for this tour was really knowledgeable and made the whole presentation very interesting; it helps that she was born and raised in Kinderdijk! During a break, we chatted in Dutch and she wasn’t surprised to find out that growing up in the Netherlands, I had never visited Kinderdijk; it’s not uncommon, as there are 1,200 historic windmills in the entire country, so you’re never very far from one. As matter of fact, in the house where we lived when I was just finishing elementary school and going to high school, I had British friends who lived in a windmill.
Tomorrow’s Kinderdijk post, I’ll chat about some of the details of these iconic symbols of Dutch culture, and we’ll talk about their operation.
Last September, Kris, my wife, and I took a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on the amazing Viking Mani; this was our first ever cruise experience, and I can tell you that Viking will raise the bar for any future vacation plans that you might have.
After arriving a day prior to our boarding date, we checked in early into our hotel, the Victoria, which is just across from the Centraal Station; after our flight from Boston, we were both happy to hop into a shower and get a short nap before exploring the city. First stop was to get some food, which for me means that I wanted to get a Dutch specialty: a beef croquette sandwich (Dutch: kroket).
Next up we decided to take a canal tour, which is the best way to see Amsterdam. I’ll highlight a couple of views from our hour-long boat trip.
The Stopera Building
In the image above, the Stopera is where the Dutch National Opera & Ballet companies have performance space, and where Amsterdam’s city hall is located. The name came from a shortening of the protest slogan against the building’s construction: “Stop the Opera”. The design approval for the building literally took decades, as the original commission started in 1955 and took until 1964 years to finally reject all proposals; a new competition was held in 1967 for a new design, which was won by the Viennese architect Wilhelm Holzbauer.
Unfortunately, budget constraints delayed the project once more. In 1979, a new approach was proposed, which would combine the opera space and city hall into a single complex; a design by Wilhelm Holzbauer and Cees Dam was approved. Under much controversy and protest, construction started in 1982 and was completed in 1986.
Jewish Resistance Monument
At the intersection of the Zwanenburgwal and the Amstel river, stands a powerful reminder of the people who once lived in the neighborhood where the Stopera stands today; Vlooienburg was an island that was built in Amsterdam to add space around 1593. This island was part of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter, which was established during the Dutch republic, as many Sephardic Jews moved from Portugal and Spain to the more accepting environment in Amsterdam. The black monument commemorates the efforts by the Jewish population in their resistance against the Nazi occupiers during World War II; on the side of the monument is a text of the prophet Jeremiah, which laments:
“Were my eyes fountains of tears then would I weep day and night for the fallen fighters of my beloved people.”
Het IJ
Another key river of Amsterdam is the IJ, which likely is a remnant of the northern arm of the Rhine delta. Nowadays, the IJ has a seafaring shipping connection through the North Sea Canal, which stretches from Amsterdam to Ijmuiden.
From here our canal tour turned back to its mooring point, close to the main train station, and a bit later we’d go here…
The Viking Mani
There she is, our Viking longship, the Mani; named after the Norse Moon God, Mani, who flies through the night sky in his horse-drawn chariot, chased by an evil wolf looking to devour the moon. Our cabin is in view, albeit barely; it is the last visible window near the end on the upper deck. As the restaurant is at the front of the ship, we had a more than 100 m walk each way, getting our exercise, even on board!
