Tag: volendam

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 200

Pretty boats in a row…

Welcome to the 200th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Thank you for a stunning set of responses to this week’s theme of Numbers! It is not surprising that numerology suited you very well, as the volume of creative out was very numerous! There were some really cool surprises among your responses and some that I could very much relate to. I hope that you enjoy reading this set of posts, as much as I did!

Have fun catching up on your reading!

Here are some numbers for the fish…

Volendam by the Numbers

This image goes back to a visit to the lovely fishing village of Volendam in 2015; these boats were lined up perfectly for me creating a colorful display.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

  1. This week’s challenge responses are kicked off in theOnlyD800intheHameau, where the numbers are aplenty and get us out of the dumps… Wonderful, tongue-in-cheek response!
  2. That is just a wonderful sundial that we get to see in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery, and a great positioning of the numbers!
  3. Diane reminisces of her exploits as a number cruncher in a great post in her blog pensivity101. Plus there are a some great locks to go through as well!
  4. Ann-Christine brings out an interesting number in her post in To see a world in a grain of sand…, and a large number of statues!
  5. Maria counts us up in her post in Kamerapromenader, as we go one, two, three with some wonderful photos!
  6. TiongHan shares photos of an amazing Jaguar C-type in his post in TiongHan’s Blog; number 468 is a stunning example of this car and in great shape!
  7. Jackie shares some cool numbers in her post in JunkBoat Travels, ranging from lucky 7’s to area codes and banks!
  8. Ken is playing a rather moody number in his post in Pictures without Film, as he channels the blues! Awesome post!
  9. I very much like the numbers in the post in the Jesh Studio, as it means I’m almost old enough to get a discount (it helps to read Dutch!)
  10. Nandini shares some amazing haikus in her post in queennandini; also, there are some awesome photos!
  11. In another great post in Don’t Hold Your Breath we travel to Nanjing by train; not just any train, but the Gao train, which goes 247 kilometers per hour!
  12. Tatiana features a wonderfully creative photograph in her post in GiftSmart, where numbers intersect with urban art!
  13. Na’ama highlights a much coveted locale in her post in Na’ama Yehuda; number 10 is the place to be!
  14. Kammie finds a great way to feature the number three in her post in Nut House Central; there’s a bit of the trinity there!
  15. Sarah hits the grocery store in numbers in a great photo in By Sarah, as there’s plenty on the shelves!
  16. Julie takes us along for a walk with the Gods in her post in Eat, Play, Live; amazing hike that is done by the numbers!
  17. David enables us to follow the progress of number 59 in wonderful photos in his post in David M’s Photoblog; 24 hours at Le Mans must be an epic event!
  18. Viveka certainly stayed at a lot of hotel rooms photos in myguiltypleasures; love the collection of room numbers!
  19. There’s something to be said for a nice warm day, but the numbers of the thermometer in the photo in Land of Images are well beyond that level!
  20. Michelle captured an array of numbers in her photo in Take a walk and discover…; makes me wonder what services are being offered!
  21. With a wonderful set of photos in A Day in the Life, we get to see some great numbers; I’m sticking with number 54!
  22. The wonderful post in My Camera and I… asks the question ‘which address is yours?’; might be difficult to figure out…
  23. Elizabatz takes us on a tour of numbers with a Spanish twist in Albatz Travel Adventures; one might might have had a hand in a goal…
  24. It’s clear from Eric’s post in Up North! that he runs things by the numbers! That was a great run!
  25. Sandy use natural numbers in her post in Out of my Write Mind; there’s something natural in that progression filled with beauty…
  26. I really enjoy Deb’s photograph in her post in Twenty Four; I’m curious to learn how many of you know what is in this photo…
  27. Bren might have been running late in her post in Bren & Ashley Ryan Photography, but that’s not for lack of watching the clock!
  28. Cee showcases a wonderful set of numbers in her post in Cee’s Photo Challenges; awesome photos!
  29. Woolly brings us some great numbers in his photos in WoollyMuses, keeping the best for last, as we can all agree that does are great to have!
  30. Brian has got the numbers around town all lined up in his post in Bushboy’s World; for good measure, there’s even an awesome listen!
  31. Irene captured a wonderful image in Heaven’s Sunshine, as fireboat 58 is the pride of the water!
  32. Radhika brings us some really cool photos in her post in radhikasreflection! I will take some of that Belgian chocolate!
  33. Debbie features a rather impressive number in her post in Travel with Intent, as that is a long time to stay underground!
  34. Alice features a street number that is not going to be changed anytime soon in her photo in the59Club; very impressive address!
  35. Rupali showcases probably one of the best known clocks in mazeepuran, which many of you might recognize!
  36. Teressa really does things by the numbers in her post in Another LQQk…; that ruler looks extremely useful!
  37. Joanne finds various useful numbers for her post in Joanne’s Crafts and Adventures; great name for a coffee shop!
  38. I really enjoy the retrospective and the prices in the 1970s in another wonderful post in the blog, One Letter Up – diary 2.0; Crosby, Stills & Nash were a great choice!

Please let all these wonderful authors know how much you enjoy their blog posts!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 121

Lots of pretty things…

Welcome to the 121st round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!  Another record setting week of responses!

I think that your posts touched on every interpretation of the theme of Row that I can come up with.  Filled with creativity, your contributions were great fun for me to read and view.  The effort that you put into each one of these posts shone through!!

A heartfelt thank you for your participation in this week’s challenge.  Now I have to think of a theme for 122 🙂

Here’s another row, even though they are not rowboats…

20150611-Volendam_57A1417_8_9_tonemapped
Volendam Fishing Boats

I’m sure that you can’t blame me for capturing this photo, as the the bright Red, Green and Blue look to be jumping off the screen!  During a visit to the old Zuiderzee fishing town of Volendam, I came across this view and had to catch it with my camera 🙂

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  • Sarah’s entry in By Sarah takes us to some rather interesting rows, as they will be very tasty at some point in the future! [N.B. – blog may be set to private]
  • In pensivity101‘s post is a really interesting read, as she manages to use just about every version of the word row in this post… go see, if there’s one missing!
  • Petra creates another awesome post in Photoworld vol. 3, as she puts all the pretty things in a row! Great photos!
  • Kammie goes exploring in her post in The Nut House, and she finds lots of interesting sets of rows!
  • Shelley’s post in Quaint Revival really sucked me in, as there were some awesome rows, including a row of Batman actors, whose voices are compared!
  • Michelle features a wonderful photo in her post in Take a Walk and Discover, which takes the theme in two directions.
  • In Sync with Deep‘s post, we get a beautiful poem that was inspired by the photo that accompanied this week’s theme.
  • The post in Jordy’s Streamings brings us rows of contradiction, with wonderful photos and celebration!
  • This week’s contribution in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery provides rows in several dimensions…
  • Charles treats us to a view of the Straits of Magellan in his post in charlesewaugh, where we find a very well-trained row of birds!
  • Xenia’s post in whippetwisdom combines beautiful photos with a lovely haibun, as whippets enjoy the tidal pools.  Xenia’s second post in her blog, Tranature, shares amazing photos of black currants all in a row and a great haiku!
  • Lisa captures some great photos on the theme in her post in A Day in the Life, which leads me to wonder which one you like best? I have my favorite!
  • Nicole leads us to Saint Malo, where we visit the breakwaters at the Plage du Sillon in Une Photo, Un Poéme; this is a truly beautiful post!
  • Miriam’s post in The Shower of Blessings takes us to Huntington Library, where there are a number of gorgeous rows!
  • In her blog Out of my Write Mind, Sandy shares row upon row of hand-tied flies, which are little works of art and are useful!
  • Shubham’s post in Hadd Hai Yaar takes a look at a variety of rows with a set of wonderful photos!
  • This week’s post on the theme in One letter UP – diary 2.0 is filled with something that would make me salivate…
  • In Na’ama Yehuda‘s post, she takes us back to some of the darkest times in human history with a deeply touching photo from the concentration camp in Auschwitz and a moving poem…
  • A stunning photo on this week’s theme is in Chateaux des Fleurs, as fish were trained to swim in a row at the Mystic Aquarium!
  • In MV Obsession‘s post, we get to see the benefit of visiting locales during the off-season: plenty of seats available!
  • Stella has a great collection of photos, as seen in Giggles & Tales; there are some amazing rows in them as well!
  • The post for this week’s theme in Fatma Mahmoud is simply lovely!  A beautiful row of crescents frame the Moon in a great image!
  • Klara takes us to a UNESCO World Heritage site with her photo in Sliku svoju ljubim II; Qutub Minar is the world’s tallest minaret!
  • Olga brings us along on a visit to a vineyard in Niagara in her post in Stuff and what if…; now, if we could just taste some of the wine too!
  • Susan takes us for a serious row in her post in Musin’ with Susan, which also features stunning colors in the photo!
  • Jason may be on the right track in his post in Proscenium: just make sure that you look behind you occasionally!
  • In another great post in WoollyMuses, there are some fantastic rows, and I learn the meaning of the word bollard!
  • In an entertaining post in Jottings and Writings, I got the feeling that there may have been a row with a sprayer…
  • Sonia explores the beauty of symmetry of rows in her post in Sonia’s Musings, for which she provides evidence!
  • Sonya gives us a lovely view of Port Nicholson Yacht Club in her post in Middleton Road; the view is simply stunning!
  • Robert shares a great photo in Photo Roberts Blog, which gives me a sense of other-worldly creatures standing next to the port…
  • With a wonderful set of photos, the post in Life Amazing shares a number of rows that are very interesting!
  • In a post that features some relaxed rowing in Serendipity, Encouraged, Todd shares some of his experiences from his visit to India.
  • A lovely post by Ju-Lyn in All Things Bright and Beautiful has a great photo that shows us many rows!  How many can you  find?
  • Debbie’s post in Travel with Intent whisks us away to Madrid this week, where the great vistas yield some wonderful rows!
  • In a great post in the 59 Club, Alice takes us to the theater district in New York City, where she features a wonderful venue!
  • Debbie wrote another wonderful post in ForgivingConnects, as she shares how she manages to forgive herself for being upset about the uncertainties that she faces; a great read!
  • George documents a set of three chairs through the seasons in an awesome post in Alchemist of the Woods; these chairs are looking for some people that they can support!
  • With a great set of photos in Pictures without Film, we get to view the Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle in a novel manner (it involves advanced geometry!)
  • On a magnificent beach in this week’s post in Land of Images‘ we get to look at some weathered groynes… Yes, you better go find out what they are!
  • Bryan treats us to something rather special in Bushboy’s World: black beans!  You have to check out these beauties, as each bean weighs about 30 grams!
  • We always get treated to something interesting in the Blog of Hammad Rais, where we find out about the motorbikes of Karachi!
  • Marie’s post in the New 3 Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect features a truly unusual site: the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa!  This really looks worth the visit!
  • In a wonderful post in Photography Journal Blog, we also visit a grotto: the Blue Grotto in Malta, which looks truly gorgeous!
  • Ron takes us under the bridge in his post in Progressing into Solitude, as we get a different view that looks fantastic! No worries, there are no trolls!
  • Maria’s photo in KameraPromenader‘s post for this week’s theme is a gorgeous capture of water drops!  You’ll want to check it out!
  • Ilka takes us to the nursery in her entry for A Thousand Miles, tree nursery that is! All stand at attention!
  • Tatiana’s post in Travelartpix features a wonderful photo of a row boat that has seen better days!  She also features some great rows of drying fish in another post in Travelartpix.  You can see more of her work in Travelways.

I hope that you enjoy these posts and let the authors know!

Stories of the Zuiderzee

Scheepjongens van Bontekoe

Growing up in the Netherlands, one cannot help but be drawn to the water that surrounds you everywhere you go; as you may know, much of the country is below sea level, which is only possibly through a system of dikes and managing the water level with great care.

20150611-Volendam_57A1413_4_5_tonemapped-8x10
Eel Fisherman in Volendam

As my mother’s family hails from the town of Hoorn in the province of North Holland, I spent quite a bit of time in that town visiting my great-grandmother during Summer during my early years.  These times were magical, as I heard the tales of her youth and also traversed the town and its annual fair with my great-uncle, which was always a lot of fun.  As a result of these wonderful times, I have always been drawn to Hoorn and the towns, such as Volendam, of the Zuiderzee, as the Ijsselmeer used to be known, and its storied history.

Founded in 716, Hoorn rapidly grew to become a major harbor town. During Holland’s ‘Golden Age’ (or ‘Golden Century’), Hoorn was an important home base for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and a very prosperous centre of trade. The Hoorn fleet plied the seven seas and returned laden with precious commodities. Exotic spices such as pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and mace were sold at vast profits. With their skill in trade and seafaring, sons of Hoorn established the town’s name far and wide. Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587–1629) is famous for his violent raids in Dutch Indies (now Indonesia), where he “founded” the city of Batavia in 1619 (now Jakarta). He has a big statue on the Rode Steen square in the center of Hoorn.

In 1618, Willem Bontekoe (1587–1657) undertook his first and only voyage for the VOC. His story of his travel and hardship found its way into the history books when he published his adventures in 1646 under the title Journael ofte gedenckwaerdige beschrijvinge van de Oost-Indische reyse van Willem Ysbrantsz. Bontekoe van Hoorn, begrijpende veel wonderlijcke en gevaerlijcke saecken hem daer in wedervaren (‘Journal, or memorable description, of the East-Indian voyage of Willem Ysbrantz. Bontekoe of Hoorn, comprising many wondrous and dangerous things experienced by him’). In 1616, the explorer Willem Corneliszoon Schouten braved furious storms as he rounded the southernmost tip of South America. He named it Kaap Hoorn (Cape Horn) in honour of his home town.

The Zuiderzee (now Ijsselmeer)

In classical times there was already a body of water in this location, called Lacus Flevo by Roman authors. It was much smaller than its later forms and its connection to the main sea was much narrower; it may have been a complex of lakes and marshes and channels, rather than one lake. Over time these lakes gradually eroded their soft peat shores and spread (a process known as waterwolf). Some part of this area of water was later called the Vlie; it probably flowed into the sea through what is now the Vliestroom channel between the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. The Marsdiep was once a river (fluvium Maresdeop) which may have been a distributary of the Vlie. During the early Middle Ages this began to change as rising sea levels and storms started to eat away at the coastal areas which consisted mainly of peatlands. In this period the inlet was referred to as the Almere, indicating it was still more of a lake, but the mouth and size of the inlet were much widened in the 12th century and especially after a disastrous flood in 1282  broke through the barrier dunes near Texel. The disaster marked the rise of Amsterdam on the southwestern end of the bay, since seagoing traffic of the Baltic trade could now visit. The even more massive St. Lucia’s flood occurred 14 December 1287, when the seawalls broke during a storm, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 people in the fifth largest flood in recorded history. The name “Zuiderzee” came into general usage around this period.

The size of this inland sea remained largely stable from the 15th century onwards due to improvements in dikes, but when storms pushed North Sea water into the inlet, the Zuiderzee became a volatile cauldron of water, frequently resulting in flooding and the loss of ships. For example, on 18 November 1421, a seawall at the Zuiderzee dike broke, which flooded 72 villages and killed about 10,000 people. This was the Second St. Elizabeth’s Flood: see Sint-Elisabethsvloed (1421).

Hope you enjoyed a little bit of history on this fine Monday!

Friday’s Travel Photo

Red, green and blue!

Last year, I went to visit my mother for her birthday; of course, we took the opportunity to go see some of the old sights! Here’s one…

20150611-Volendam_57A1417_8_9_tonemapped
Volendam Fishing Boats

Volendam is a picturesque town in the province of North Holland on the shore of the IJsselmeer, which used to be a sea, named the Zuiderzee.  It originally was the harbor for Edam (well-known for its cheese), but in 1357 the inhabitants of Edam dug a more direct canal route to the Zuiderzee, so the harbor’s dam was used as a starting point for filling in the land, on which the new town of Volendam was settled.

These days, the town of Volendam is popular with tourists, as the houses have their own, inimitable style and many locals dress in traditional clothing to give the feel of being transported into a past several centuries ago.

It’s a great place to visit and when I noticed these fishing boats lined up in this fashion I couldn’t resist getting a shot of the scene.

Technical Data

This was shot with a Canon EOS 5D MkIII, using the in-camera HDR option.  One fine day, I will actually catch up with image editing and processing and do a proper job, but, in the mean time, I still like this one.

Hope you do too!

Best of the Midwest! Hiking - nature - photography

Places - Nature - Photography

From Yorkshire to Overijssel

photo roberts blog 2

ich zeige euch meine stadt wie ich sie sehe

The Wee Writing Lassie

The Musings of a Writer / Freelance Editor in Training

Pencil Notes

Pencil on paper. Images arise. Message received.

nancy merrill photography

capturing memories one moment at a time

Photography Journal Blog: Volume 2

Mama Cormier

.... my journey to a healthy life, making new memories and so much more

Don't Forget the Half

Loving the sum total of all my parts!

sound mind journal

a quiet place where our minds meet

Our Other Blog: Two Sisters and Two Points of View

by Taswegian1957 & Human59

My Camera & I

This blog is my creative outlet where I can share my photos, my travels, my random thoughts and a bit of myself.

Maria Vincent Robinson

Photographer Of Life and moments

Does writing excuse watching?

Wasting time on the couch.

Dare Boldly

Artful Words to Inspire Everyday Living