Thursday, April 30, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Finishing Up
Now I am caught up. I was not able to work as I went along on the trip one of the reasons being because of Wifi. But now I am finished.
I took a 90 minute flight back in brilliant sunshine and S. picked me up at the airport. As usual, I came back with an extra bag. It was a little hard to manage but I was able to get everything in. I have to shop outside of France as I can't find anything here...It's either SUPER expensive or SUPER cheap...H&M cheap and poor quality. I also like to shop consignment.
a few things...
-my little camera died...another one!!!!! The lens will not retract. It's very frustrating.
-I like the people of Holland. Perhaps I should say they they are more like Americans. They are all about problem solving and modernity. I love the old architecture, but I also love the new in Amsterdam. They hold onto tradition but are always moving forward. Everyone speaks English.
-The area that I was in is very flat. You can ride bicycles everywhere. The roads ( except for highways) are more bike friendl y than car friendly. Often the road will be one lane with 2 big bike lanes on either side . The cars have to alternate to share the street. This makes things confusing to people that are not used to this.
I also like to see for miles and miles across great flat plains.
-The sea is always brown...It's turbulence only, not dirty, but I don't know how people swim in it. The beaches are huge with great dunes. There is something so beautiful about it. I am always drawn to it.
- There are horses everywhere. I love to see a horse walking through a town.
-I saw many many labradors of all colors. The Dutch love dogs and horses.
-The Dutch have all different types of shell food....different types of clams and shrimp.
- The traffic lights are very very short...so short that you can't find yourself on a map if you are a bit lost.
- Leiden was very quiet. It was amazing. In the morning, all you can hear are bicycle wheels.
-I have mentioned before about the still life displays in the windows of most Dutch homes. Objects include vases, plants, animal figures, many interesting things...but now I found something else..
Most homes have a big front window ( with still life) but you can look through and see through another twin window at the opposite side of the house into to courtyard. You see this open. It makes the light really lovely in these homes. The Dutch have great taste and display the prettiest things for you to see.
-As in many countries, there are dialects from one town to another. I was told that in Edam, they cannot understand the dialect ( not accent, but words!) of Volendam which is 2K away.
Part of this could also be that Edam and Volendam are enemies...Edam being Protestant, Volendam being Catholic. The Volendammers cal the Edamdammers "Cheese Heads".
I asked at a gas station how to find a country road that you could see from the window...the man told me...I don't know anything about that area over there and I have lived here my whole life.
I took a 90 minute flight back in brilliant sunshine and S. picked me up at the airport. As usual, I came back with an extra bag. It was a little hard to manage but I was able to get everything in. I have to shop outside of France as I can't find anything here...It's either SUPER expensive or SUPER cheap...H&M cheap and poor quality. I also like to shop consignment.
a few things...
-my little camera died...another one!!!!! The lens will not retract. It's very frustrating.
-I like the people of Holland. Perhaps I should say they they are more like Americans. They are all about problem solving and modernity. I love the old architecture, but I also love the new in Amsterdam. They hold onto tradition but are always moving forward. Everyone speaks English.
-The area that I was in is very flat. You can ride bicycles everywhere. The roads ( except for highways) are more bike friendl y than car friendly. Often the road will be one lane with 2 big bike lanes on either side . The cars have to alternate to share the street. This makes things confusing to people that are not used to this.
I also like to see for miles and miles across great flat plains.
-The sea is always brown...It's turbulence only, not dirty, but I don't know how people swim in it. The beaches are huge with great dunes. There is something so beautiful about it. I am always drawn to it.
- There are horses everywhere. I love to see a horse walking through a town.
-I saw many many labradors of all colors. The Dutch love dogs and horses.
-The Dutch have all different types of shell food....different types of clams and shrimp.
- The traffic lights are very very short...so short that you can't find yourself on a map if you are a bit lost.
- Leiden was very quiet. It was amazing. In the morning, all you can hear are bicycle wheels.
-I have mentioned before about the still life displays in the windows of most Dutch homes. Objects include vases, plants, animal figures, many interesting things...but now I found something else..
Most homes have a big front window ( with still life) but you can look through and see through another twin window at the opposite side of the house into to courtyard. You see this open. It makes the light really lovely in these homes. The Dutch have great taste and display the prettiest things for you to see.
-As in many countries, there are dialects from one town to another. I was told that in Edam, they cannot understand the dialect ( not accent, but words!) of Volendam which is 2K away.
Part of this could also be that Edam and Volendam are enemies...Edam being Protestant, Volendam being Catholic. The Volendammers cal the Edamdammers "Cheese Heads".
I asked at a gas station how to find a country road that you could see from the window...the man told me...I don't know anything about that area over there and I have lived here my whole life.
Last Half Day...Monnickendam
on the way south to the airport. This town is about 5K south of Volendam...very small, but very pretty.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
The Map
Originally, Volendam was the location of the harbor of the nearby Edam, which was situated at the mouth of the IJ bay. In 1357, the inhabitants of Edam dug a shorter canal to the Zuiderzee with its own separate harbor. This removed the need for the original harbor, which was then dammed and used for land reclamation. Farmers and local fishermen settled there, forming the new community of Vollendam, which literally meant something like 'Filled dam'. In the early part of the 20th century it became something of an artists' retreat, with both Picasso and Renoir spending time here. The majority of the population belongs to theRoman Catholic Church, which is deeply connected to the village culture. Historically, many missionaries and bishops grew up in Volendam. Today there is the chapel of Our Lady of the Water of the controversial 'visionary' Mrs Hille Kok, which is located in a village park.
A Monday Wedding With Doves
The newly minted husband looks like he's just going a long for the ride ( under his breath he's saying...I'm not doing this stupid bird release thing...it's silly.)
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