#haarlem modern architecture

[dashalbrundezimmer]

zijlstraat // haarlem

architect: hermann friedrich mertens

completion: 1920

the former bank building was built in the style of the amsterdam school and now houses several tenants. the façade has been largely preserved despite the resulting alterations.

das ehemalige bankgebäude wurde im stil der amsterdamer schule erbaut und beherbergt heute mehrere mieter. die fassade blieb trotz der dadurch erfolgten umbauten größtenteils erhalten

[nitsaholiday]

Explore the Wonders of the Netherlands: 8 Days, 7 Nights Tour Package

The Netherlands is a country of timeless charm, where history, culture, and nature merge seamlessly to create an unforgettable travel experience. The "Explore the Wonders of the Netherlands: 8 Days, 7 Nights Tour Package" offers a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the Dutch way of life, from vibrant cities to serene countryside, showcasing the essence of this picturesque European gem. This comprehensive itinerary is designed to help you explore the country’s most famous attractions, hidden gems, and local traditions, ensuring a well-rounded and enriching vacation.

Day 1: Arrival in Amsterdam – Begin Your Journey

Your journey begins upon arrival in Amsterdam, the vibrant capital of the Netherlands. Known for its scenic canals, historic architecture, and lively cultural scene, Amsterdam offers the perfect blend of old-world charm and modern elegance. After being transferred to your hotel, take some time to relax and refresh.

In the evening, embark on a canal cruise that will allow you to see the city from a unique perspective. As you float along the iconic canals, you’ll pass by beautiful bridges, picturesque houseboats, and the charming facades of Amsterdam’s historic buildings. The shimmering lights reflecting on the water create a magical atmosphere, providing a perfect introduction to your Dutch adventure.

Day 2: Art and History in Amsterdam – Museums and More

Day two is dedicated to exploring the artistic and historical treasures of Amsterdam. Begin your day with a visit to the world-famous Rijksmuseum. Home to an impressive collection of Dutch art and history, this museum is a must-see for culture enthusiasts. Admire works by renowned artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals, including the iconic The Night Watch by Rembrandt. The museum also houses exhibits on Dutch history, including its golden age, colonial past, and innovative maritime achievements.

Next, visit the Van Gogh Museum, which showcases the works of Vincent van Gogh, one of the most influential artists of the post-impressionist era. Explore the vivid, expressive style that marked van Gogh’s evolution as an artist, and learn about the trials and triumphs that shaped his iconic art. Afterward, stroll through the charming neighborhoods surrounding the museum, such as the trendy De Pijp area, known for its eclectic cafés, boutiques, and markets.

Day 3: A Day in the Countryside – Windmills and Traditional Villages

On day three, you’ll venture beyond the city to discover the peaceful countryside of the Netherlands. First, visit Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum where you can experience traditional Dutch culture. The star attractions here are the windmills, which have long been essential to the country’s water management and land reclamation efforts. Learn about the importance of these windmills and watch as artisans demonstrate traditional crafts, such as clog-making and cheese production.

Continue your countryside journey to the picturesque village of Marken, a former island village famous for its wooden houses and charming streets. Explore the village at your leisure, visit local museums, and discover the unique character of this historic town. Afterward, head to Volendam, another quaint fishing village known for its beautiful harbor, colorful houses, and bustling streets. Sample fresh seafood and traditional Dutch snacks before returning to Amsterdam for the evening.

Day 4: Keukenhof Gardens and Haarlem – Blooms and Heritage

Day four takes you to two beautiful destinations outside of Amsterdam. In the morning, visit the Keukenhof Gardens, one of the largest flower gardens in the world, and a must-visit in the spring when tulips are in full bloom. Keukenhof is renowned for its dazzling array of flowers, with over seven million blooming tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and more. Walk through the themed gardens, enjoy the vibrant colors, and take in the fresh, floral scents.

In the afternoon, head to Haarlem, a picturesque city filled with charming canals, historic architecture, and a lively cultural scene. Visit the Grote Kerk (Great Church), a Gothic masterpiece, and explore the medieval streets that are home to quaint boutiques, art galleries, and cozy cafés. Haarlem is the perfect blend of rich history and modern flair, making it an ideal place to spend a relaxing afternoon before heading back to Amsterdam.

Day 5: Kinderdijk and Alkmaar – Windmills and Cheese

Day five is a true celebration of Dutch heritage, with visits to two iconic locations: Kinderdijk and Alkmaar. Begin your day at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its collection of 19 windmills. These windmills were built in the 18th century to manage water levels and prevent flooding in the region. A visit to Kinderdijk offers an incredible opportunity to step back in time and understand the engineering feats that helped transform the landscape of the Netherlands.

In the afternoon, travel to Alkmaar, a charming town famous for its historic cheese market. On Fridays, the town comes alive with the traditional cheese auction, where cheese traders display their goods in colorful, lively fashion. Watch the auction process and learn about the different types of Dutch cheese. Afterward, take a stroll through Alkmaar’s cobbled streets and enjoy a leisurely lunch at one of the local cafés.

Day 6: The Hague and Delft – Art, Politics, and Craftsmanship

Day six takes you to The Hague, the political heart of the Netherlands. Start your day with a visit to the Binnenhof, the seat of the Dutch government, and marvel at the medieval architecture that houses the nation’s political institutions. The Hague is also home to the Mauritshuis Museum, where you’ll find an exceptional collection of art, including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and other Dutch masters. Don’t miss Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, one of the world’s most iconic paintings.

In the afternoon, travel to Delft, a charming town known for its blue-and-white porcelain. Explore the narrow streets lined with canals, visit the Royal Delft factory to see the iconic pottery being made, and learn about the city’s historical connection to renowned painter Johannes Vermeer. Delft’s peaceful atmosphere and rich artistic history make it a delightful destination to explore.

Day 7: Maastricht – A European Blend of History and Culture

On day seven, venture south to Maastricht, a city that offers a unique blend of Dutch, Belgian, and German influences. As one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, Maastricht is steeped in history. Visit the Basilica of Saint Servatius, one of the oldest churches in the country, and learn about the city’s role in European history, especially its connection to the Maastricht Treaty, which founded the European Union.

Afterward, explore the charming town center, with its medieval buildings, cobblestone streets, and vibrant café culture. Don’t forget to try Limburgse vlaai, a traditional fruit pie from the region, before heading back to Amsterdam for the evening.

Day 8: Departure from Amsterdam

On your final day, enjoy some last-minute shopping or sightseeing in Amsterdam before your departure. You might want to visit the Anne Frank House, a moving museum that tells the story of Anne Frank’s life during World War II. Alternatively, relax in one of Amsterdam’s beautiful parks, such as Vondelpark, or simply enjoy a leisurely breakfast at a local café before transferring to the airport.

Conclusion

The "Explore the Wonders of the Netherlands: 8 Days, 7 Nights Tour Package" offers an immersive experience that showcases the best of Dutch culture, history, and natural beauty. From the artistic masterpieces of Amsterdam to the historic windmills of Kinderdijk, this tour takes you through the highlights of the Netherlands while also offering a chance to explore its lesser-known treasures. Whether you’re an art lover, a history buff, or simply someone looking to experience the tranquility of the Dutch countryside, this tour promises to leave you with lasting memories of one of Europe’s most enchanting countries.

[ahmedz01]

Wonders of The Netherlands: Exploring the Most Amazing Places

The Netherlands, often known for its picturesque landscapes and charming cities, offers a myriad of incredible places that captivate visitors from around the world. From bustling urban areas to serene villages, this country has it all. Here’s a glimpse into some of the most amazing places in the Netherlands.

Ahmad Numan

Amsterdam: The Vibrant Capital

Amsterdam, the capital city, is a vibrant hub of culture, history, and modernity. Known for its iconic canals, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site, the city offers beautiful canal cruises that give visitors a unique perspective of its architecture and daily life. The Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, and Rijksmuseum are must-visit attractions, providing a deep dive into history and art.

Giethoorn: The Venice of the North

Giethoorn is a picturesque village often referred to as the “Venice of the North” due to its intricate network of canals. Here, you won’t find cars, but rather boats gently gliding through the waterways, making for a tranquil and serene experience. Visitors can explore charming cottages, beautiful gardens, and quaint bridges, all contributing to the village’s fairy-tale-like ambiance.

Keukenhof: The Garden of Europe

Keukenhof is a stunning display of the Netherlands’ famous tulip fields, often called the “Garden of Europe.” Spanning over 79 acres, this park is home to millions of blooming tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. The vibrant colors and meticulously designed flower beds create a visual feast that attracts photographers and nature lovers from across the globe. The best time to visit Keukenhof is during the spring months of April and May, when the flowers are in full bloom.

Delft: A Historic Gem

Delft, known for its historic charm and blue-and-white ceramics, offers a delightful journey back in time. The city’s old town is filled with well-preserved buildings, narrow streets, and charming canals. The New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) and Old Church (Oude Kerk) are significant landmarks, and a visit to the Royal Delft pottery factory allows visitors to witness the traditional craftsmanship of Delftware.

Haarlem: A Cultural Delight

Just a short trip from Amsterdam, Haarlem is a cultural treasure trove. The city is renowned for its medieval architecture, art museums, and vibrant market squares. The Frans Hals Museum, named after the famous Dutch Golden Age painter, showcases an impressive collection of Dutch art. Haarlem’s Grote Markt is a lively place where locals and tourists gather to enjoy the city’s unique atmosphere.

Zaanse Schans: A Glimpse into the Past

Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum that offers a glimpse into the Netherlands’ rich cultural heritage. Located near Amsterdam, this village features well-preserved windmills, traditional wooden houses, and workshops where visitors can learn about Dutch crafts like cheese making, wooden shoe carving, and oil pressing. The scenic beauty and historical significance of Zaanse Schans make it a popular destination for those seeking an authentic Dutch experience.

Conclusion: The Best Time to Visit

The Netherlands is a year-round destination, but the best time to visit depends on what you wish to experience. Spring (April to May) is ideal for enjoying the tulip fields in full bloom, while summer (June to August) offers pleasant weather for outdoor activities and festivals. Autumn (September to November) brings beautiful fall foliage, and winter (December to February) transforms the cities into cozy, festive wonderlands.

Whether you’re drawn to the bustling streets of Amsterdam, the serene canals of Giethoorn, or the vibrant colors of Keukenhof, the Netherlands promises an unforgettable journey filled with beauty, culture, and history.

Plan your trip and immerse yourself in the wonders of this enchanting country! 🌷🛶🏛️

Book now and enjoy a journey filled with excitement and wonder!

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[fabiankiss]

Embarking on a journey into Gothic architecture, my exploration led me to discover remarkable historical books, dating back to the 12th to 15th centuries, available on archive.org. These invaluable resources provided an authentic glimpse into the intricate details and technical drawings of that era's architecture.

Diving into these historical texts, I meticulously studied the roof structures, marveling at their ability to craft circular shapes, examined the artistry of columns, and analysed the diverse window shapes and arches characteristic of Gothic design. This in-depth research not only deepened my understanding but also equipped me with a robust knowledge base, inspiring me to take the next step in my creative process.

Armed with newfound insights, I felt confident to venture into the modeling phase, where I began the intricate task of reconstructing the various elements of Gothic architecture. The fusion of historical authenticity and modern modeling techniques became a pivotal aspect of my creative journey, allowing me to bring the essence of Gothic design into a contemporary context.

Concept designer, Vasilij Kourkoff's work gave me inspiration and the idea of the conctruction.

An attempt to discriminate the styles of architecture in England : from the Conquest to the Reformation ; with a sketch of the Grecian and Roman orders /by the late Thomas Rickman : Rickman, Thomas, 1776-1841 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive (1881). https://archive.org/details/gri_33125009323565/page/n168/mode/1up?view=theater.

Examples of English mediaeval foliage and coloured decoration, taken from buildings of the twelfth to the fifteenth century: with descriptive letterpress : Colling, James Kellaway : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive (1874). https://archive.org/details/examplesofenglis00coll_0/page/n265/mode/2up.

Gothic Window (no date). https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Ciudad_Rodrigo_Catedral_Claustro_183.jpg.

Kurkov, V. (no date) Vasiliy Kourkoff Jr.`s Sketch Blog. https://vasilijkourkoffjunior.blogspot.com/2012/05/.

MeisterDrucke (no date) Interior of the Church of St. Bavo, Haarlem, C.1611-12. https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/Hendrik-Cornelisz.-van-Vliet/585205/Interior-of-the-Church-of-St.-Bavo%2C-Haarlem%2C-c.1611-12-.html.

Ornamentik des Mittelalters : Heideloff, Carl Alexander von, 1788-1865 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive (1838). https://archive.org/details/ornamentikdesmit00heid/page/n427/mode/2up?view=theater.

Retro Church interior corridor photo backdrop D994 (no date). https://dbackdrop.co.uk/products/retro-church-interior-corridor-photo-backdrop-d994.

The interior of a Gothic church with elegant figures strolling and conversing Oil painting, Peeter Neeffs The Elder Oil Paintings - NiceArtGallery.com (no date). https://www.niceartgallery.com/Peeter-Neeffs-the-Elder/The-Interior-Of-A-Gothic-Church-With-Elegant-Figures-Strolling-And-Conversing.html.

The interior of St Bavo’s Church, Haarlem (the ’Grote Kerk’) (no date). https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/5669.

The practical draughtsman’s book of industrial design, and machinist’s and engineer’s drawing companion: forming a complete course of mechanical, engineering, and architectural drawing. : Armengaud, aîné (Jacques-Eugène), 1810-1891 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive (1857). https://archive.org/details/practicaldraught02arme/page/n329/mode/2up.

The pursuit of Gothic (no date). https://drawingmatter.org/the-pursuit-of-gothic/.

Готика - Архитектура и Архитекторы (no date). https://www.archandarch.ru/%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8/%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/.

Сульмона. Вход на Виа Эрколе Чиофано | Архитектурная классика | Totalarch (no date). https://classic.totalarch.com/node/80.

[europeantravel1]

10 Best Day Trips from Amsterdam

Best Day Trips from Amsterdam 

Amsterdam is arguably one of the best cities to visit in the world and it is a great place to visit museums, art, coffee shops and culture — but there is much more to the Netherlands than Amsterdam. Within an hour from Amsterdam, you can visit the tulip fields, windmills, and even climb up sand dunes and lie on the beach and work on your tan! The Netherlands is a relatively small country, so you can get to Utrecht in 30 minutes or even Belgium in 1.5 hours since the country is relatively small. Even traveling from the northernmost city in the Netherlands (Groningen) to the southernmost point (Maastricht) takes roughly two hours. The Netherlands has an excellent system of public transportation that allows travelers to travel anywhere in the country. The trains generally run on time and are modern and comfortable. The Dutch railway company NS has a website on which you can get train schedules. Holland is the world capital of cycling! There are over 32,000 kilometers of bike paths stretching out in all directions, letting you cycle from one city to another with ease if you wish. For nearby cities like Haarlem and Leiden, it is possible to bike from Amsterdam Centraal in an hour to these cities. With this list of the top day trips from Amsterdam, you can get away from Amsterdam and explore the rest of the Netherlands.  

Amsterdam Day Trips

In this list of day trips from Amsterdam, only places within a two-hour train ride from Amsterdam were included. It is possible to access all of these sights in one day by public transportation.  

Recommended Amsterdam Day Trips

1. Haarlem

The short train ride to Haarlem makes it an ideal day trip from Amsterdam. Haarlem is often described as a smaller, more compact version of historical Amsterdam. Haarlem is less hectic than Amsterdam and offers a more authentic experience. It is essentially a suburb of Amsterdam so it is easy to get to. In fact if the hotel prices in Amsterdam are to high for you staying in Haarlem is a good alternative. Haarlem is seen as a quieter, gentler Amsterdam – which is in fact only 15 minutes away by train. Haarlem's Christmas market is quite possibly the top Christmas market in the Netherlands. The event is centered around the city’s Grote Markt (main square). On a regular Saturday, however, the square will have local stalls offering cheese, clothing, souvenirs, and more. There is a church located right near the square and a variety of bars and cafes. Throughout your stay, be sure to enjoy a boat ride along the canals, observe the authentic windmill located directly in the city, and finish the day at Jopenkerk, a church-turned-brewery. And, trust me the beer here is way better than the beer at the T'ij brewery in Amsterdam even though that one is located in a cool windmill.   2. Tulip Fields in Lisse and Keukenhorf, Netherlands

Most tourists come to the Netherlands in the springtime to view the world-famous tulip fields. Lisse is the best place to see them. Just 40 minutes by train from Amsterdam, Lisse is an easy day trip from Amsterdam. The striking colors of the flowering tulip bulbs are a typical sight in Holland during the spring. The bright red, pink and yellow colors are overwhelmingly beautiful and are a must see, or should we say, a must experience! Keukenhof is situated in Lisse, and is one of the world's largest flower gardens. The park is home to over 800 beautiful tulip and flower arrangements. There are several attractions around the gardens, including a petting zoo, art installations, restaurants, and boat trips. Tourists do tend to overcrowd this area. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you purchase fast-track tickets that include transfers. You don’t have to go to Keukenhof to see the tulips; there are plenty of tulip fields scattered all over the Lisse province that are open to the public. We suggest renting bicycles and cycling around the fields to admire them. You can also take a tulip bicycle tour with a guide to see them.   3. Zaanse Schans

The Netherlands isn’t complete without mentioning the iconic Dutch windmill and wooden clogs. The Dutch are known for their windmills, and the closest one to Amsterdam is Zaanse Schans, a town dating back to the 19th century. Looking around you at the Zaanse Schans, you will see nothing but history. Take a tour of the wooden windmills and try on traditional Dutch clogs and savour some Dutch cheese. Zaanse Schans is one of the very best places to visit in the Netherlands. The Zaanse Schans takes its name from an earthen sconce, a fortification from the Eighty Years’ War (the uprising against Spanish rule). From 1961 to 1974 old buildings from all over the Zaanstreek were relocated here from all over the Netherlands. Getting to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam by bus can be accomplished in 30 minutes from Central Station.   4. Delft

In the Netherlands there is no shortage of adorable towns, however, Delft stands out as my favorite. Delft is best known for its pottery, especially Delftware pottery! There is even a factory here that produces Delftware. Delft is not only known for the pottery, but also for its beautiful churches, charming boutiques, and cozy cafes. Delft is a popular tourist destination in the Netherlands, famous for its historical connections with the reigning House of Orange-Nassau, for its blue pottery, for being home to the painter Jan Vermeer, Vermeer is buried in the Old Church. Make sure you climb the clock tower for the best view in Delft. Delft is the perfect place to visit if you'd like to see beautiful Dutch architecture without the crowds that Amsterdam attracts.   5. The Hague (Den Haag) & Scheveningen Beach

The Hague is located approximately one hour train ride away from Amsterdam and is the perfect day trip destination. The city is beautifully designed and the city has a sense of calm about it, even though it is surrounded by a large amount of activity. It is a city on the western coast of the Netherlands on the North Sea. It is famous as the place where war criminals are tried but it is much more than that. Koningsdag, or King's Day, is held annually on 27 April. It is traditionally celebrated with fairs and flea markets throughout the city. On this day, the color orange predominates at a festival (which sells orange cotton candy) and has scores of informal street markets. The Hague is also home to one of the finest beaches in the Netherlands called Scheveningen Beach. This beach is one of the most popular attractions to The Hague and is particularly popular with tourists and locals alike. The white sand beach stretches for miles and includes a Ferris wheel on its pier. 6. Alkmaar Cheese Market

If you are eager to experience the world-famous cheese of the Netherlands, then you should visit Alkmaar. Alkmaar, not Gouda is the cheese capital of the Netherlands, and there are many cheese-related attractions for visitors to enjoy! Every Friday from March through September, there is a cheese market, which is particularly interesting to say the least. Alkmaar has many medieval buildings that are still intact, most notably the tall tower of the Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk, where many people from Alkmaar hold their wedding ceremony. This Dutch city is 30 minutes from Amsterdam by train and has more than just cheese. Visit the Dutch Cheese Museum or the National Beer Museum, while Belgium and Germany are more well known for beer, the beer scene in the Netherlands is very healthy.     7. Rotterdam Among the most popular cities near Amsterdam, Rotterdam is one. The reason for its popularity is that it is modern and different than any other state in the country. During World War II, the whole city was destroyed by bombs and rebuilt in a totally different style. Rotterdam is home to many fine examples of modern architecture, much of it inspired by the city's waterside setting, as well as a response to the devastation of WWII.

This unique city can be reached by a fast train in just 45 minutes. This allows plenty of time for exploration. The most popular sites here include the famous cube houses, the Markthall (market hall) and the Erasmus Bridge. Nevertheless, a leisurely stroll through the streets and a discovery of the city is much more enjoyable.   8. Utrecht

Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and has a fascinating history. This city is located only 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam and is among the most popular Amsterdam day trips. While most people think of Amsterdam when they think of the Netherlands. Utrecht is the lively, beating heart of Holland, an ancient university town built around the Dom Tower. Utrecht is known for its city center with wharf cellars along the canals housing cafes and terraces by the water. Utrecht is celebrated for its canals, which run through the center of the city. In addition to the unique design, the lower section of the canals is complemented by outdoor eating areas for restaurants during the warmer months. Besides the unique canals and restaurants, Utrecht is an amazing city to stroll around and explore. Upon exploring the city, you'll find that Utrecht is full of special places. For example, you can drink the best coffee in the city in the vibrant Voorstraat, find all your groceries in the multicultural Lombok and taste and feel the city's archaeological history at Castellum   9. Leiden

Leiden is an old and historical city in the Netherlands that can be reached by train in 30 minutes from Amsterdam. It is best known for its historical significance as a university town and for its stunning old architecture dating back to the year 1575. It reminds me a lot of Leuven in Belgium or Heidelberg in Germany. It is the best place to explore museums, canals without tourists, restaurants, and coffee shops. Although Rembrandt spent much of his life in Amsterdam, he was born and raised in Leiden. In fact, he attended classes at the city’s university for some time before deciding to pursue a career as an artist. There are several tributes to Rembrandt around the city including a plaque on Weddesteeg that marks his birthplace. The Floating Christmas Market in Leiden is another favorite of Amsterdammers. This quaint market boasts more than 90 stalls that sell a variety of festive foods, warm drinks, and handcrafted items. You'll also find a floating ice rink, as well as a small stage where performances are performed round the clock. This yearly event has won multiple awards, including the “Best Christmas Market in Europe” in 2016.   10. Antwerp, Belgium

Taking a day trip from Amsterdam does not necessarily mean remaining in the Netherlands. By crossing the border into Belgium, you will arrive in Antwerp in no time at all. It may seem impossible to travel from The Netherlands to Belgium in one day, but thanks to the high-speed Thalys train it is quite doable. Antwerp is an ancient center of medieval architecture and history, completely distinct from the Netherlands. Taking this day trip will provide you with a chance to explore another country, learn about a different history, and see a beautiful city nearby. The old city center is steeped in history. You will find it in ancient building-fronts on narrow streets or in the imposing Grand-Place. The Plantin-Moretus Museum is the only museum in the world to be classified as a Unesco World Heritage site. Belgian beers are world-famous, and Antwerp is an excellent place to improve your acquaintance with them. The De Koninck Antwerp City Brewery offers an ideal introduction to the world of beer. Het Pakhuis and Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie are other breweries where you can taste authentically brewed Belgian beer. One of the top-rated beer bars in the world, the Kulminator is located in Antwerp and there are a host of other good pubs.   Related Story: Amsterdam Red Light Area Bars   Read the full article

[1962dude420-blog]

Today we remember the passing of Maurits Cornelis(MC) Escher who Died: March 27, 1972 in Laren, Netherlands

Maurits Cornelis Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. Despite wide popular interest, Escher was for long somewhat neglected in the art world, even in his native Netherlands. He was 70 before a retrospective exhibition was held. In the late twentieth century, he became more widely appreciated, and in the twenty-first century he has been celebrated in exhibitions across the world.

His work features mathematical objects and operations including impossible objects, explorations of infinity, reflection, symmetry, perspective, truncated and stellated polyhedra, hyperbolic geometry, and tessellations. Although Escher believed he had no mathematical ability, he interacted with the mathematicians George Pólya, Roger Penrose, Harold Coxeter and crystallographer Friedrich Haag, and conducted his own research into tessellation.

Early in his career, he drew inspiration from nature, making studies of insects, landscapes, and plants such as lichens, all of which he used as details in his artworks. He traveled in Italy and Spain, sketching buildings, townscapes, architecture and the tilings of the Alhambra and the Mezquita of Cordoba, and became steadily more interested in their mathematical structure.

Escher's art became well known among scientists and mathematicians, and in popular culture, especially after it was featured by Martin Gardner in his April 1966 Mathematical Games column in Scientific American. Apart from being used in a variety of technical papers, his work has appeared on the covers of many books and albums. He was one of the major inspirations of Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1979 book Gödel, Escher, Bach.

Maurits Cornelis Escher was born on 17 June 1898 in Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands, in a house that forms part of the Princessehof Ceramics Museum today. He was the youngest son of the civil engineer George Arnold Escher and his second wife, Sara Gleichman. In 1903, the family moved to Arnhem, where he attended primary and secondary school until 1918. Known to his friends and family as "Mauk", he was a sickly child and was placed in a special school at the age of seven; he failed the second grade. Although he excelled at drawing, his grades were generally poor. He took carpentry and piano lessons until he was thirteen years old.

In 1918, he went to the Technical College of Delft. From 1919 to 1922, Escher attended the Haarlem School of Architecture and Decorative Arts, learning drawing and the art of making woodcuts. He briefly studied architecture, but he failed a number of subjects (due partly to a persistent skin infection) and switched to decorative arts, studying under the graphic artist Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita.

Despite wide popular interest, Escher was for a long time somewhat neglected in the art world; even in his native Netherlands, he was 70 before a retrospective exhibition was held. In the twenty-first century, major exhibitions have been held in cities across the world. An exhibition of his work in Rio de Janeiro attracted more than 573,000 visitors in 2011; its daily visitor count of 9,677 made it the most visited museum exhibition of the year, anywhere in the world. No major exhibition of Escher's work was held in Britain until 2015, when the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ran one in Edinburgh from June to September 2015, moving in October 2015 to the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London. The exhibition poster is based on Hand with Reflecting Sphere, 1935, which shows Escher in his house reflected in a handheld sphere, thus illustrating the artist, his interest in levels of reality in art (e.g., is the hand in the foreground more real than the reflected one?), perspective, and spherical geometry. The exhibition moved to Italy in 2015–2016, attracting over 500,000 visitors in Rome and Bologna, and then Milan.

In 1935, the political climate in Italy under Mussolini became unacceptable to Escher. He had no interest in politics, finding it impossible to involve himself with any ideals other than the expressions of his own concepts through his own particular medium, but he was averse to fanaticism and hypocrisy. When his eldest son, George, was forced at the age of nine to wear a Ballila uniform in school, the family left Italy and moved to Château-d'Œx, Switzerland, where they remained for two years.

The Netherlands post office had Escher design a semi-postal stamp for the "Air Fund" (Dutch: Het Nationaal Luchtvaartfonds) in 1935, and again in 1949 he designed Dutch stamps. These were for the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union; a different design was used by Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles for the same commemoration.

Escher, who had been very fond of and inspired by the landscapes in Italy, was decidedly unhappy in Switzerland. In 1937, the family moved again, to Uccle (Ukkel), a suburb of Brussels, Belgium. World War II forced them to move in January 1941, this time to Baarn, Netherlands, where Escher lived until 1970. Most of Escher's best-known works date from this period. The sometimes cloudy, cold, and wet weather of the Netherlands allowed him to focus intently on his work. After 1953, Escher lectured widely. A planned series of lectures in North America in 1962 was cancelled after an illness, and he stopped creating artworks for a time, but the illustrations and text for the lectures were later published as part of the book Escher on Escher. He was awarded the Knighthood of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1955; he was later made an Officer in 1967.

In July 1969 he finished his last work, a large woodcut with threefold rotational symmetry called Snakes, in which snakes wind through a pattern of linked rings. These shrink to infinity toward both the center and the edge of a circle. It was exceptionally elaborate, being printed using three blocks, each rotated three times about the center of the image and precisely aligned to avoid gaps and overlaps, for a total of nine print operations for each finished print. The image encapsulates Escher's love of symmetry; of interlocking patterns; and, at the end of his life, of his approach to infinity. The care that Escher took in creating and printing this woodcut can be seen in a video recording.

Escher moved to the Rosa Spier Huis in Laren in 1970, an artists' retirement home in which he had his own studio. He died in a hospital in Hilversum on 27 March 1972, aged 73. He is buried at the New Cemetery in Baarn.

[architectnews]

The Gustav, Amsterdam

The Gustav, Amsterdam Real Estate, Dutch Apartment Building, Housing Development, Architecture Images

The Gustav in Amsterdam

14 Jan 2021

The Gustav Apartments

Design: KCAP Architects&Planners

Location: Zuidas, Amsterdam, North-Holland, The Netherlands

Residential ensemble The Gustav in Amsterdam’s Zuidas area completed

The Gustav, a residential ensemble of two individual buildings with various housing types for young professionals and starters, is completed. The project, designed by KCAP in commission of Zuidschans CV, a collaboration between developers BPD and AM, focuses on the well-being of the residents. With high-quality outdoor spaces on different levels, the buildings are a much appreciated asset in Amsterdam’s Zuidas area.

The Gustav adds two new buildings to the Gershwin area in Amsterdam Zuidas. As the city’s financial district, Zuidas is home of the World Trade Center Amsterdam and the Dutch hub for many international businesses. Fitting to the young target group, dwellers at the beginning of their housing career, the buildings’ material range is light and modern. Both volumes are composed of continuous horizontal bands filled with structured brick panels in a warm white tone: an architectural solution that adds luminosity to the street.

Large windows create a great visual connection from the inside to the surroundings and the green exterior spaces that the client and the architects consider as a valuable extension of the interiors. “The project aims to create high-quality open spaces on different levels considered of particular importance in a densely built area like Amsterdam Zuidas. In dense cities, people need more green and outside space to relax and meet”, comments Han van den Born, former partner of KCAP.

The northern building, along the more urban and business-oriented Mahlerlaan, comprises 96 studios and communal spaces on each level. KCAP has carefully designed the generous rooftop terrace on top of the building to create a peaceful oasis, a hideaway from the city.

Technical installations, often dominant in roofscapes, have been integrated into a subtly undulating heather grass landscape. The chosen plants invite insects and birds to share the space with those who want to enjoy the panorama or relax in the open air, transforming the rooftop into a biotope. Sunken areas offer secluded, intimate spaces and protection from the wind and the ideal setting for social interaction and a community feeling among the residents.

On the ground floor, a transparent plinth opens to the surrounding city life. A café invites you to enjoy the semi-public green courtyard covering the parking garage in between the two buildings. KCAP has developed the courtyard concept as “garden space”, which means a second and green living room. Here residents and visitors can have a coffee on the sunny terrace, meet with friends, stay outdoors, watch the children play.

The courtyard is designed as a compact version of a birch-oak forest, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere. A white concrete band, related to the bright facades, is transformed into one long architectural furniture element in the garden. Conceived as a versatile addition to the landscape, it defines the courtyard and animates people to occupy the space in multiple ways. It can be used as a bar, seat, and dining table and fosters togetherness between the users.

The terraced building on the southern edge of the plot combines 19 small studios on the lower levels with 29 more generous apartments on the upper floors. Private gardens, large balconies, and roof terraces enrich the dwellings with additional exterior space. The landscape concept adopted for these spaces follows the green courtyard. White concrete elements on the ground level unify the project’s overall visual impact.

In response to the high demands for affordable housing, The Gustav explores a new way of living. Compact residential units offer indoor and outdoor communal spaces for collective use as an extension of your private living realm. The rooftop terrace, the garden, the communal rooms, and the ground floor café are places that enrich the quality of everyday urban living, foster social interaction and provide informal space for home working during Covid times.

The Gustav counts 10.750 m² in total and offers 144 apartments that vary between 32 and 137 m² of size, 490 m² retail space, an underground parking garage for 48 cars and 22 scooters, and bike storage accessible via a stair with an automatic band. The Gustav is the third project of KCAP in Amsterdam Zuidas alongside the hotel and office building 2Amsterdam and the residential block Django. With both, The Gustav shares a strong material driven identity as well present all three projects well-designed gardens.

 

The Gustav Apartments in Amsterdam, NL – Building Information

Design: i29 architects

Client Zuidschans CV, Haarlem (a collaboration of BPD and AM) Architect KCAP Architects&Planners Program 10.750 sqm including 144 apartments/studios, 490 sqm retail, 48 underground parking places, bike storage Time 2015 – 2020

Photographs © Ossip van Duivenbode

The Gustav, Amsterdam images / information received 140121

Location: Zuidas, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, western Europe

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[schmidtchristmasmarket]

Christmastime is a great time to travel abroad and Amsterdam makes a terrific holiday destination.

Amsterdam’s Dutch architecture gives the city a quaint vibe that looks stunning when dressed up in lights and decorations. And there are plenty of seasonal activities going on that makes this time of year ideal for visiting.

If you are thinking of spending your holiday vacation in this bustling Netherlands city, here are some activities you won’t want to miss out on.

What’s the Weather Like in Amsterdam at Christmastime?

Before delving into Amsterdam Christmas activities, let’s take a look at the city’s weather. This will give you a good idea of what you can and can not do, and it will also let you know what you should be packing.

Amsterdam can get quite cold during the winter but temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees. It is also likely to rain or snow with a 30% chance of participation on any given day. Therefore, you may just be in the city in time for a white Christmas.

Things to Do In Amsterdam at Christmastime

Now let’s find out what fun things you can do during your trip.

Take a Tour of the City

Amsterdam is known for its stunning architecture and spanning canals. The scenery is beautiful any time of year, but it is especially lovely when it is decorated for Christmas. Therefore, a tour of the city is in order.

Bicycling is one of the most popular forms of transportation in Amsterdam. You can see the city like a native by hopping on a bike and riding around. Bike paths can take you through the heart of Amsterdam, to Central Station and Dam Square.

However, if temperatures are too cold, you can also get around on the city’s many buses, trams, trains, buses or ferries.

The Amsterdam Light Festival

An annual tradition in Amsterdam, the Light Festival transforms the city into a winter wonderland. It runs from November to January and every year brings an innovative technique that lights up the city in a whole new way. The festival attracts thousands of tourists each year and brings a modern flair to an otherwise traditional landscape.

Experience Dutch Cuisine

Dutch cuisine is simple and straightforward, but they have many pastries that are ideal for getting you in the Christmas mood. Be sure to check out markets that sell traditional treats like olieballen and appelbeignets. These are both deep fried snacks that are especially popular during the holiday season.

Ice Skating

Amsterdam may not offer snowy mountainsides for ski activities, but they make up for it by setting up two ice skating rinks during the winter season. The first one, Leidseplein, is surrounded by Christmas stands that put you in the middle of the holiday fun. The second, Museumplein, is located in close proximity to Dutch museums, Rijksmuseum and Stedelijik museum. You can make a whole day of your outing by visiting these museums after you skate.

Visit a Museum

And while we’re on the topic of museums, Amsterdam is a culturally rich city that is full of museums you will want to visit while you are in town. Here are a few that are worth checking out.

·        Rikksmuseum: This museum has every type of art you can think of

·        Anne Frank Museum: Find out more about the life of this brave little girl

·        The Van Gogh Museum: If you love Van Gogh’s art, this museum is a must visit destination

·        Youseum: This museum provides a unique look at our social media centric world

·        Dutch Costume Museum and Dutch Costume Photo Studio: This is a great stop for anyone fascinated by Dutch dress and customs

Canal Cruise

A canal cruise is another great way to take in Amsterdam’s sights and sounds. You can sit back and enjoy cruising through the city’s many attractions including seeing the Light Festival from a different angle. Many cruises offer a warm cup of coffee or a cold glass of beer to their patrons.

Take in a Show

Amsterdam is a great city for performing arts. It is packed with theaters and venues.

The RAI Theater is known for hosting the biggest Swan Lake Ballet bringing in 48 swans as opposed to the usual 16.

While performances may vary each season, there are plenty of options for seeing live shows during the holiday season. Popular venues in Amsterdam include the following:

·        Kononklijk Theater Carre

·        DeLaMar Theater

·        Easylaughs

·        Theater Amsterdam

·        Theater Bellevue

·        CC Amstel

·        De Toverknol

Check out what these theaters have going on prior to scheduling your trip. That way you can plan accordingly.

Christmas Markets

Amsterdam is a great shopping destination. At Christmastime special markets open up all over the city. The most famous of these are located in Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein but there are locations in Haarlem, Lieden and all over Amsterdam.

The markets are decorated for the Christmas season infusing guests with the intoxicating spirit of giving. They are great places for picking up cultural items and handmade knickknacks that your loved ones are sure to enjoy.

Christmas Shopping

In addition to the great Christmas markets, Amsterdam also has a variety of shops that are worth checking out. Nine Streets (D Neigen Straatjes) and Kalverstraat are both great destinations for shopping centers and walk through boutiques.

Church Services

For many people, it’s just not Christmas without midnight mass, or at least some sort of church experience. Amsterdam has a wealth of beautiful churches that encourage people to come by for services and to sing carols. Saint Nicolaaskerk and Vondelkerk are among those known for offering unique experiences and amazing architecture.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display

If you plan on visiting Amsterdam for the holidays, be sure to stick around for New Year’s Eve for their annual fireworks display that takes place at Dam Square. In addition to fireworks, you can also expect live performances and dancing until the wee hours. The spectacle lights up the entire Amsterdam sky so you can see it from just about anywhere if you prefer to avoid large crowds.

If you are thinking of taking a Christmas vacation, Amsterdam is the place to be. With so much to see and do, you are sure to have a great holiday season. Which of these activities will you be adding to your list?

Read more of A Christmas Blog or Shop Now at Schmidt Christmas Market

[dashalbrundezimmer]

warenhuis // haarlem

architect: jan kuijt 

completion: 1934

originally built for vroom & dreesmann in the style of the amsterdam school, this listed building is now home to hema.

das warenhaus wurde ursprünglich für vroom & dreesmann im stil der amsterdamer schule erbaut. inzwischen steht es unter denkmalschutz und beherbergt heute hema.

[artsenscene]

7 Must-Visit Cities in the Netherlands with Your Rental Car!

From the dynamic contemporary cities to the tranquil and peaceful countryside, Netherlands provides whatever that traveler look for from their getaway. Driving by automobile is one of the most excellent methods to check out the total length and breadth of this stunning nation; which is why you ought to employ a vehicle rental Netherlands.

 Even though numerous cities in the Netherlands are popular amongst travelers, there are three that are the most impressive which you should check out. Get your vehicle hire in the Netherlands all set and begin on an experience that takes you through the listed below three beautiful Netherlands cities.

 Amsterdam

 Amsterdam is maybe the most popular city in the Netherlands, and likewise one of the most well-known cities in Europe. Starting your trip through the city with your cars and truck rental Amsterdam airport, there are instead a couple of locations that ought to be on your must-visit list. Long Term  Car Hire

 Rotterdam

 The second biggest city in the nation and likewise a spectacular location, Rotterdam will entryway you with its superb architecture, abundant maritime heritage, and shimmering nightlife. You need to certainly visit this city utilizing your cars and truck rental Netherlands. The advanced style of the structures in the town will enthrall you, while the horizon of the city enhanced by the spectacular high-rise buildings will catch your look for a long time.

 Utrecht

 The Netherlands' 4th most significant city, Utrecht is exceptionally ancient; in truth, it was established as a Roman fortress nearly 2000 years back! Today it is famous for its universities and its fantastic range of cultural offerings (2nd just to Amsterdam). It has actually likewise long been called the spiritual heart of The Netherlands.

 Utrecht's stunning Old Town (many of which should be checked out on foot) exhibits appeal. And architecture fans (especially those interested in the Modern Motion) will definitely desire to check out the renowned Rietveld Schröder Home.

 Haarlem

 In addition in its own right, this smaller sized city is gorgeous and provides visitors a thrilling, less-crowded and less-touristy experience. To prepare your stay in Haarlem, you'll desire some time to visit this city's own intriguing, regional destinations.

 Leiden

 Heading south only 26 miles, flower enthusiasts can likewise think about the city of Leiden as a base to go to Aalsmeer or Keukenhof. Stick around for a little while later on, since there is still much to see in this historical location, which the Dutch typically refer to as "Museum City" since of its numerous museums; one that you ought to make time for is the excellent National Museum of Antiquities.

 Leiden's city's historical center provides visitors a pleasant and intriguing view of a quintessentially-Dutch town. Another fascinating reality about this city is that it as soon as housed some of the really first English inhabitants in America: the Pilgrims.

 The Hague

 Lining the coasts of the North Sea, The Hague is The Netherland's 3rd most significant city. It is the main seat of the Dutch federal government and the primary home of the Dutch emperors. Little in size, you'll see a cosmopolitan taste in this stylish, cultural city as numerous worldwide companies and foreign embassies (like the United Nations and the International Court of Justice) call The Hague house. That being stated, The Hague can function as a definitely beautiful, unwinding sightseeing base for your journeys in the Netherlands.

 Throughout your remain in The Hague, attempt taking among the assisted trips of the lovely political structures situated inside the Binnenhof complex (Inner Court); practically all trips will take you to the 13th-century, amazingly gorgeous Ridderzaal (Hall of the Knights).

 Delft

Lots of visitors concern Delft to go to the Delftware factories and after that quickly leap back in the cars and truck. Do not stick and make this error around a bit more to explore this serene, ageless and tranquil town. It's the ideal location to roam, take pictures, or to delight in a good cup of coffee at a community coffeehouse.

[exotericenvironmentalism]

London to the Lowlands- a winter cycle touring trip: the art and culture

Following 2 initial posts, describing the planning/cycling and the places I visited, this third blog post on my series of my winter cycle in the Netherlands/Belgium takes a slightly different angle- and focuses on the art and culture I managed to experience on my travels. I think it is important to understand that cyclists often have interests out with cycling, and that there are often great opportunities for using a bike as a way of accessing and partaking in such wider interests. I have had an interest in art and culture for a long time, but it is in recent years as I have got more involved in cycling that I have actually been able to reach a wider range of exhibitions, galleries and locations- both in and around my home city of Glasgow, but furthermore more widely in Scotland and in other countries that I visit. 

During my January cycle trip I passed through the major European cities, and the home of major art collections, of London and Brussels- while furthermore manged to incorporate visits to other significant cultural heritage sites that I had been aware of, such as the cathedral in Aachen and the UNESCO heritage site of Leuven’s old town. (A previous cycle trip to the region allowed me to incorporate visits to the galleries and museums of Amsterdam and The Hague, the beautiful and historic old towns of Brugge and Haarlem, and furthermore initially unplanned visits to the memorable Kröller-Müller Museum and the emotional Westerbrook World War 2 refugee transit camp.)

It is perhaps these unexpected cultural visits and experiences that you have when cycle touring that demonstrate the value and opportunity of combining cycle touring with accessing art and culture. Two examples are evident from my January cycle. The impromptu stop I made at Brussels’s Cinquantenaire Museum/ Royal Museums of Art and History to see its Ukiyo-e exhibition of Japanese art- including the famous ‘Great Wave’ by Hokusai (an exhibition I only became aware of because the cycle path I was following took me through the Parc de Cinquantenaire). The overnight stay I had in the tiny village of Stevensweert in the middle of the Maas River- historically important due to the fact the Spanish had built a fortress there during the Dutch War of Independence in the 16/17th century, and still retaining the hexagonal street layout from that period (again a place I would unlikely to have reached by other forms of transport).

The images here are of a few of the fantastic art, cultural and historic attractions I managed to see on my journey- while some of the specific art/cultural things I got up to included:

-          London: Using my Art Fund pass, and travelling between numerous galleries by bike, allowed me to affordably access numerous exhibitions and locations across city during the few days I was there- from a Paul Nash exhibition at the Tate Britain, a number or shows at the Nordic Matters festival at the Southbank Centre, a Caravaggio exhibition at the National Gallery, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum, and Maps of the 20th century at the British Library. I also managed to visit the new Design Museum at Holland Park and climb the Switch House tower at the Tate Modern, affording some new spectacular views over the London skyline.

-          Brussels: As well as the Ukiyo-e exhibition featuring work by Japanese artist Hokusai and a number of his contemporaries, I furthermore visited the Royal Museum of Fine arts to see a exhibition containing a number of Peter Bruegel ‘s most famous pieces (including ‘Fall of Icarus’) as well as seeing several other significant European works (the likes of ‘The Death of Marat’ by Jacques-Louis David and ‘The Temptation of St. Anthony by Salvador Dali). I also visited the Rene Magritte museum to see works by Belgium’s Surrealist master.

-          Aachen: In a day trip from Maastricht, I cycled to the German city of Aachen to see its quite majestic cathedral- the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe, dating from the 8th century, and which has been developed over its 1000+ year lifetime into an architectural wonder of numerous artistic styles in addition to its religious and historic significance.

-          Hull: Not normally referred to in the same breath as these other locations for its art and cultural heritage- but Hull, the port on the east coast of England where my ferry from Rotterdam docked, is the UK’s City of Culture for 2017. Numerous events throughout the year make the city a place to really consider visiting for art lovers in 2017- and I saw the fantastic ‘Lines of Thought’ exhibition on the last day of my trip, with sketches by many of the greatest European artists in history- Rembrandt to Durer to Cezanne.

[micaramel]

Artist: Josh Smith

Venue: David Zwirner, offsite at Josh Smith studio, Brooklyn

Exhibition Title: High As Fuck

Date: May 21 – June 21, 2020

Click here to view slideshow

Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump. Images:

Images courtesy of David Zwirner, New York

Press Release:

David Zwirner is pleased to present​ High As Fuck​, an exhibition of new work by the American artist Josh Smith made in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic and New York City’s mandatory quarantine. This Offsite exhibition, which will be presented on David Zwirner’s website, is the first of its kind.

  As Smith states, ”This is a gallery show for a gallery that’s not physically accessible because of our collective isolation.”

  Staged by the artist on the rooftop of his studio in Brooklyn, ​High As Fuck​ is an open-air exhibition that is, by default, only accessible online by a homebound audience. The show features a new series of paintings of empty streetscapes. Depicted is Smith’s neighborhood environs as he has experienced them during early morning and nighttime walks around a locked down city. The airplane-less, pollution-free clarity of the open sky, the lack of cars, noise, and people, revealed the nuances of absolutely everything. A whole new world of varied and unique local architecture was instantly revealed to the artist. To Smith, everything suddenly appeared clean and fresh.

  The loosely rendered, expressionistic, paintings display an accidental history of both industrial and residential building styles. Smith rendered all this as it felt to him. The city’s clearness revealed unusual angles, which are depicted in lush, deeply layered, atmospheric areas and ribbons of color. The resultant canvases speak to the eerie beauty and serenity of the closed and wounded city.

  Smith notes, “These are memory paintings but the memory I am painting is now.”

  The self-contained nature of life under quarantine lends itself to Smith’s exploration of infinite variation within a determined formal structure. The sense of openness and possibility conveyed in these canvases represents an artistic response to the constraints of the present moment that is at once immediate and hopeful.

  Along the front edge of the roof, Smith has installed a sequence of ceramic sculptures. These sculptures depict single figures confined within small, barred prisons. Set roughly six feet between one another, the sculptures playfully reference the mandated distancing allowed between people when out in public. Ceramics have been a part of the artist’s practice throughout his career. For Smith, clay allows for a closer, more tactile engagement, which serves as a counterpart to the projected dimensionality of painting. The caged enclosures, while made in 2013–2014, take on new meaning in the context of the present moment. The ceramic works also stand in as a foil to the expansiveness suggested by the painted streetscapes, and further engage with the dualities of interior and exterior, constraint and possibility, at play in the overall exhibition.

  “It seems now is a good time to share the ceramic prisons,” Smith notes. ”These sculptures allude to the sadness in the air, while the paintings, at least for myself, present a contemplative depiction of New York as it currently exists. This time won’t last forever. Abandoned, the feel of this place is strangely hopeful. It is inspiring.”

  The exhibition follows in a lineage of artist-initiated projects while displaying a unique and deeply personal approach—a kind of creative gesture that embraces the spirit of the present moment. Precursors of artists experimenting with alternative ways to show their work include Lucio Fontana’s spatialist paintings presented on and around a tree trunk in the garden outside his Milan studio (1955); Manfred Kuttner, Konrad Lueg (later Fisher), Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter’s self-staged ​Vorgartenaustellung​, which they presented on the grounds of Galerie Parnass, Villa Jährling, Wuppertal (1964); and Trisha Brown’s ​Roof Piece​ (1971), among other examples.

  Josh Smith​ was born in 1976 in Okinawa, Japan. Smith’s father was in the US Army, and his family moved frequently, eventually settling in East Tennessee, where the artist mostly grew up. His work has been presented in numerous solo exhibitions at museums and arts institutions in the United States and abroad, including the Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany (2016); Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma, Rome (2015); Zabludowicz Collection, London (2013); The Brant Foundation Art Study Center, Greenwich, Connecticut (2011); Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Geneva (2009); De Hallen Haarlem, The Netherlands (2009–2010); Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (mumok), Vienna (2008); and SculptureCenter, Long Island City, New York (2004).

  Smith’s work has also been included in important group exhibitions, such as F​orever Young –10 Years Museum Brandhorst, ​Museum Brandhorst , Munich (2019 – 2020) ; Trouble in Paradise: Collection Rattan Chadha,​ Kunsthal Rotterdam (2019); A​rtistic Toolbox: 1989–2017​, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (2017); ​Painting 2.0: Expression in the Information Age​, which opened at the Museum Brandhorst, Munich, and subsequently traveled to the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (mumok), Vienna (2015–2016); ​The Forever Now: Contemporary Painting in an Atemporal World, ​The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2014 – 2015) ; The Painting Factory: Abstraction after Warhol,​ The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2012); ILLUMInations, ​the central exhibition at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011); and The Generational Triennial: Younger Than Jesus,​ New Museum, New York (2009).

  Smith’s work is held in numerous international public collections including The Broad, Los Angeles; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (mumok), Vienna; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Smith has lived and worked in New York since 1998. The artist has been represented by David Zwirner since 2017, and his first exhibition, ​Emo Jungle​, took place at the gallery’s 519, 525, and 533 West 19th Street locations in New York in 2019. High As Fuck i​s the artist’s second solo show with David Zwirner.

  Link: Josh Smith at David Zwirner

from Contemporary Art Daily https://bit.ly/3epKA2y

[eat-travel-live-repeat]

7  Day Netherlands Travel Itinerary and Guide

The Netherlands is a beautiful country filled with towns, cities, and villages that are all very unique and diverse, and also one of the best destinations to travel to for Solo Travellers. It is a small country and therefore, spending one week in the Netherlands is just enough time to get a taste of some of the top places within the country. Of course, more time is always better, but this 7 Day Netherlands Travel Itinerary will give you the best Holland experience in the limited time that you have.

  What’s great about travelling around the Netherlands is that, as previously mentioned, it is a very small country and that means getting around and travelling around seeing a lot of cities is very easy. Journeys between destinations are scenic and quick and offer tons to see along the way. With only seven days in the Netherlands you have to be picky on the places you choose to go to. In an ideal world you would go everywhere but, in this case, you have to pick the best of the best.

  This Netherlands travel itinerary covers cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Utrecht, Gouda, that will give you the best Holland experience. Feel free to moderate this one week Netherlands itinerary to fit your needs if you prefer to travel slowly and spend a little more time in cities you could cut one or two of the places out of this itinerary in order to make it fit your travel style.

  Pin Me

  [toc]

  Day 1 – 2 | Amsterdam 

The first stop on your Trip to Netherlands is the very famous capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. This is by far the most popular city in the Netherlands that attracts millions of tourists a year all eager to explore the stunning canals, quirky houses, and famous landmarks. But to do and see everything you should in Amsterdam, it is suggested you spend at least two days here. The best two days during the week to spend in Amsterdam are the weekend, as Amsterdam during the weekend is when you will find most events and special surprises.

    During the two days in Amsterdam be sure to go to The Anne Frank House, visit the Jordaan, eat Dutch cheese, and admire the architecture. There’s so much to see and do and you will surely be lost in the streets and wishing you had a few more days. 

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  Day 3 | Utrecht & Gouda 

After visiting Amsterdam, take a short 20-minute train ride to Utrecht. Here you will find mediaeval buildings, old canals, lively streets and a ton to see. Spending the day here will show you another beautiful city in the Netherlands that is much less busy and touristy than Amsterdam. Utrecht is also very close to Gouda which is another city in the Netherlands famous for its Gouda cheese. Therefore, after spending one day in Utrecht it is suggested to leave early the next morning and make a quick top in Gouda before visiting the next city.

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  Day 4 | Rotterdam

A quick morning stop in Gouda is perfect before visiting Rotterdam. Gouda is an authentic Dutch town whereas Rotterdam could not be any more different. Rotterdam is a city that was completely destroyed during World War II and therefore it looks very different from the other cities in the Netherlands because it was rebuilt in a more modern style than the classic style. It is such an interesting place to explore and see a more modern futuristic side to the Netherlands.

    Day 5 | Den Haag  

The Hague | Flickr | R Boed

  The Hague is an interesting city that is known as the political capital of the Netherlands. Find various embassies, political buildings, and palaces in the Hague which are stunning and great to photograph. The most interesting and enticing aspect of the Hague is the beach called Scheveningen beach. This is a large sandy stretch of beach that becomes filled with people in the summer!

    Day 6 – 7 | Haarlem 

Spend the last two days of this One Week Netherlands Travel Itinerary, in Haarlem. Haarlem is also regarded as a mini Amsterdam because it looks quite similar but with much fewer tourists. This is a great place to explore by foot or by boat, plus it is close to the famous Zaanse Schans which is an area full of authentic Dutch windmills!

    Spend two days in Harlem and you will be able to explore the city plus venture outside and go to Zaanse Schans. What’s also great is that Harlem is very close to Amsterdam (only 20 minutes by train) so if you are flying out from Amsterdam you are close and don’t need to travel far to get to the airport.

  Zaanse Schans, Netherlands | Unsplash | Tommy Ferraz

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The 7 Day Netherlands Itinerary – Summarised

Day 1 – 2 | Amsterdam 

Day 3 | Utrecht & Gouda

Day 4 | Rotterdam 

Day 5 | Den Haag  

Day 6 – 7 | Haarlem 

  Tips and Recommendations for your Trip to Netherlands

How to get around The Netherlands

The Netherlands is very easy to travel around. The easiest way is by train and luckily the train transportation system in the Netherlands is one of the best in Europe. The trains are running constantly throughout the day and are a very fast way to get from city to city all around the country. However, if you are taking the train very often you might see the price catch up with you. The trains in the Netherlands are on the more expensive side and if you find yourself on a train every day it can get quite pricey.

  If you are looking to save some money on transportation you can also rent a car. Driving in the Netherlands is quite easy as there are not many major highways. Plus if you have your own car you can stop along the way and check out any additional places that are along the route.

  Weather in The Netherlands

The one thing that is not so great about the Netherlands is the weather. The Netherlands is notorious for raining very often and seemingly out of nowhere. You’ll most likely get used to these types of weather conditions and you just have to make the best of exploring in a little bit of rain. However, what’s great about the weather is that the Netherlands is a pretty mild country meaning in the winter it is cold but not very often in the negatives and during the other seasons you can expect mild and not extreme temperatures.

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One Week in Netherlands | Travel Itinerary and Guide 7  Day Netherlands Travel Itinerary and Guide The Netherlands is a beautiful country filled with towns, cities, and villages that are all very unique and diverse, and also…

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With its ancient buildings, cobbled streets and winding waterways, the medieval city of Haarlem are one of the most photogenic destinations in the Netherlands.

Easily accessible by train (only fifteen minutes from Amsterdam Central Station) Haarlem is often called the miniature version of the more famous neighbor. But think of it as a disagreement with a city that has a vibrant pulse and is filled with a rich history, long architecture and a thriving cultural scene.

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1. Get to the heart of things at the Grote Markt

At the heart of Haarlem's history, this vast square is beneath the imposing Grote Kerk and is the image of the city that many will recognize. Hosting frequent festivals, concerts, and markets, Grote Markt is the center of everyday life in Haarlem and by chance is one of the most beautiful city squares in the country.

Go there on a Saturday when the Netherlands’ finest street market rolls out its wares.

2. Marvel at the historic Grote Kerk

Don’t leave the Grote Markt without taking a look inside Haarlem’s magnificent cathedral, which dates back to the 14th century. The turbulent history of the building has seen it pass between various sects of Christianity, damaged by fire and struck by lightning, however, beautiful giant towers lie on the roof.

Haarlem dominates its horizon as it did for centuries. Inside, the gothic interior is nothing spectacular and the final resting place of some famous Haarlemmer including Frans Hals and Willem Bilderdijk. Grote Kerk, Grote Markt 22.

3. Climb a landmark windmill in the Netherlands

There are some quintessential attractions than the Netherlands compared to a windmill that appears on the river and Molen (windmill) de Adriaan is one of the best examples in the region.

The imposing wooden tower has been a definitive feature on Haarlem’s skyline since the 18th century, although the existing windmill is actually a reconstruction (the original sadly burnt down in 1932). The plant is open to guided tours that include spectacular views on the roofs of Haarlem, from its riverside platform. Molen de Adriaan, Papentorenvest 1A.

4. Look into the eyes of Haarlem’s former residents at the Frans Hals Museum

Golden Age portrait painter Frans Hals is one of Haarlem’s most famous sons, and his legacy can be seen all over the city.

Nowhere else is the Frans Hals Museum, a large gallery dedicated to the Golden Age art and Hals portraits, and home to the world's largest collection of Frans Hals portraits. It's just one more reason why Haarlem is one of the most attractive cities near Amsterdam. Frans Hals Museum, Groot Heiligland 62.

5. Hit the shops

Haarlem has been voted the best shopping destination of the Netherlands on many occasions, and a brisk walk around the streets with shops will reveal exactly why.

With everything from great idea stores to traditional markets and major brands to independent brands, as well as antique shops and glamorous curiosities in every corner, no No wonder Haarlemmer called their shopping district de Gouden Straatjes (golden street).

Perhaps the most famous roads in Haarlem are Grote Houtstraat, Barteljorisstraat, and Zijlstraat.

6. Discover Haarlem’s hidden courtyards

Haarlem is a city known for Hofjes (courtyards in the courtyard) and has beautiful green spaces tucked away on a deserted street - mostly from the middle ages. The gardens are surrounded by charitable almshouses and were used to house poor, unmarried or widowed women.

There are 21 main public hofjes in Haarlem, spanning from the ancient (the oldest was founded in 1395) to the very modern. But with access to many hofjes hidden behind humble doorways or seemingly simple alleys, these city oases are not always easy to find.

7. View Haarlem from the water

Amsterdam is the only city famous for its yachts on the canal. It’s a beautifully relaxed way to explore the city and a great way to get your bearings before setting off to explore the sights in more detail. Discover more about the River Spaarne.

8. Go beer tasting in a former church

All sightseeing and shopping is thirsty work, so be sure to visit this old church to worship at the beer altar. Now transformed into a brewery, a large cafe, and a tasting room, the beautiful church building is Haarlem's famous Jopen brewing site, created using local recipes. medieval. De Jopenkerk, Gedempte Voldersgracht 2.

9. Visit the Netherlands' oldest museum

The oldest museum in the country, the Teylers Museum invites visitors to dive into the wonderful world of art and science.

Since 1784, the museum in Haarlem has welcomed the public to view its extensive collection of paintings (many of which from the Hague School and the Dutch Romantics), drawings – including beautiful specimens by Michelangelo and Raphael), fossils, minerals, instruments, and books.

10. Cycle to the beach near Amsterdam

With the beaches of Noordzee, Bloemendaal and the coastal town of Zandvoort accessible by bike, the coast is just a short trip outside Haarlem and does an interesting cycle through miles of wild sand dunes.

You might even spot some upland cattle as you meander through winding roads. During the summer months, Zandvoort and Bloemendaal's beach clubs are bustling with activity, while the winter months offer a serene escape and lovely hiking routes.

More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Koh Tao

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-haarlem-705614.html

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Days 184-185: Haarlem and the Hague

After our heavy-hitting history tour the day before, it was high time for us to take a couple of fun, low-key day trips. The first was to the beautiful city of Haarlem just west of Amsterdam, and the second was to The Hague, known for being the capital of the Netherlands, the seat of the International Court of Justice, and for having the word "The" in its name.

After enjoying some stroopwafels in the traditional manner, we headed out for our day trip to Haarlem. Since we were staying in the suburbs north of Amsterdam, we had to catch a commuter train into the city and transfer to a regional train from Sloterdijk Station on the city's western edge. Even so, it was a very easy trip. The ride from Sloterdijk to Haarlem is only a bit longer than the ride into the city from our Airbnb, and the whole affair took around 45 minutes. If you're staying in Amsterdam itself, you could easily make a side trip to Haarlem even if you only had a few hours to spare.

We knew we would love Haarlem from the very first minutes we arrived. A bit like Bruges, it's the type of Goldilocks town that was large and wealthy enough to create some beautifully picturesque architecture in its heyday, which was recent enough for the city to still feel fresh and alive but not so recent for it to have been paved over and filled with modern skyscrapers. As Rick Steves puts it, Haarlem is the quintessential Dutch Golden Age market town.

As we wound our way through the gently winding brick roads leading to the city's church-dominated main square, Jessica and I were reminded of our time in Seville, all the way back in the first weeks of the trip.

Haarlem's main square is lined with beautiful Golden Age buildings, including the city hall, a former guild hall, and the towering Church of St. Bavo (also known simply as "the big church"). Near the church stands a statue of local hero Laurens Coster, whom Haarlemers claim invented the printing press a few years before Gutenberg. His statue is holding up a carved letter "A" with the serene solemnity of a saint holding their respective emblem.

The Church of St. Bavo is suitably grand for having served such a wealthy merchant city. Of all the churches and cathedrals we've visited on the trip, it reminded Jessica and me most of Bayeux Cathedral---big and airy, with a lot of white light streaming in from barely tinted windows.

As with many other grand old churches, we had to enter through a gift shop on the side. Interestingly, though, the designers chose to emphasize the fact that it is not an original entrance by leaving the edges of the entrance partially unfinished and making it clear that the gift shop is not actually part of the same building.

Like so many old ex-Catholic churches, the walls have been plastered over to create a smooth, light ambience. But there are a few spots where the plaster has been removed to show the original carved embellishments beneath.

The church's biggest claim to fame is its 18th-century pipe organ. It was the biggest in the world when it was finished, and it's still considered one of the world's best. It was played by Mozart at the age of 10, three years into the musical prodigy's debut tour across Europe.

Nearby, a cannonball protrudes out of the wall with no explanation apart from the date 1573 scrawled below it. Apparently, it was fired by the Spanish and lodged itself into the wall while the city was under siege during the 80 Years’ War of Dutch independence.

Another curiosity is the church's medieval brass lectern. It is supposed to represent a pelican, but the artisan who made it had clearly never seen an actual pelican in his life. As we'd learned in Oxford, the pelican became a popular symbol of Christ due to a basic misunderstanding of its biology. I can imagine someone in medieval Haarlem hearing about this new fad and rushing to create an image of what he must have imagined to be a fierce and noble creature.

A more down-to-earth exhibit stands in the so-called Brewer's Chapel in the south transept. It commemorates the lives of Daniel Cajanus and Simon Paap, Haarlem's tallest and shortest citizens, respectively. Though they did not live at quite the same time, they both lived during the period of early Modern Europe when people like them could have a lucrative---albeit horribly demeaning---career as a traveling oddity, getting paid to be put on display in royal palaces across the continent.

While it probably wouldn't make our top ten list of European churches, St. Bavo is more than worth a visit on any day trip to Haarlem.

After wandering around the square a bit more, it was time for our big appointment of the day. I know I said this was going to be a low-key, but it did have a sobering capstone all the same.

The most famous Dutch holocaust story is obviously that of Anne Frank, but another of the most well-known stories---at least among people who grew up in the church---is that of Corrie ten Boom, recounted in her memoir The Hiding Place. All three of us had read it in school, but that was a long time ago and the details had gotten pretty hazy.

The story starts with Corrie's grandfather, who moved into this home and set up shop as a watchmaker. (As we'd seen, there is still a ten Boom jeweler's operating the old storefront, but apparently it's not affiliated with the museum or the ten Boom estate.) Corrie's grandfather also established a family legacy of looking out for the local Jewish population, whom he respected as God’s chosen people and pitied for their lack of a homeland.

Corrie's father was a watchmaker, too, and Corrie carried on the family business and became the Netherlands' first female licensed watchmaker. Neither Corrie nor her sister Betsie ever married, and they both stayed at home to take care of the family and the business.

When the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis in 1940, Corrie was already 48 years old. From the very beginning, the ten Booms were dedicated to helping the Resistance however they could. They offered their home as a safe house for wanted Resistance members and ordinary Dutch citizens running from the Nazi labor drafts.

Later, as the Holocaust intensified, they opened their home to Jews fleeing capture by the Nazis---a selfless decision that would have grave consequences.

After gathering with the rest of our small tour group in the downstairs dining room, we headed up to the living room, just above the watchmaking shop. Here in this room, three generations of ten Booms told stories, played music, and enjoyed the wholesome pleasures of family life. We’ve seen plenty of Holocaust-related sights that still reverberated with evil, but this place was the opposite. It felt like the warmth of love still emanated from every wall and surface.

Corrie's sister Betsie chose not to marry because she had always been sickly and was afraid of dying in childbirth. Corrie had deeply wanted a family of her own, but it never worked out that way. She fell in love with a man once, but he ended up marrying a wealthier girl at his family's insistence. Crushed, Corrie took some advice from her father and dedicated herself to sharing her love with the entire world, not just one family.

During the war, their plan to help smuggle Jews out of Nazi reach worked for years. They had some Resistance members rig up a false wall in one of the bedrooms, with a small hiding place behind it. But in early 1944, things finally went wrong. An informant tipped off the secret police, who raided the house. That was okay; the six Jews they were currently protecting made it safely to the hiding place, and the Germans weren't able to find it.

The problem was that the secret "all safe" signal--a triangular clock sign---was still up in the dining room window. At any moment, a Resistance member might walk in and spoil the ruse.

Corrie tried to take down the sign as inconspicuously as possible, but a clever German officer noticed her and instantly suspected what she had done. He had her put the sign back where it was, then they sat down and waited. By the end of the day, they had captured dozens of Jews and Resistance members who had entered the house thinking it was still safe. Corrie, Betsie, and their now-elderly father were all arrested and sent east to the concentration camps.

Still, there was a silver lining to the storm cloud: the Nazis never found the hiding place. They knew there were Jews hiding somewhere in the house, so they decided to starve them out. They had the Haarlem police assign officers to occupy the house and wait for the Jews to come out.  After two days, however, a pair of Resistance-sympathetic police officers were assigned to the house, and they let the six escape.

Upstairs, we got to see the hiding place itself. A hole had been opened in the wall to show just how cramped the space really was---for anyone, let alone six people at once. The actual entrance was cleverly hidden behind the bottom shelf of a cupboard.

Corrie’s father died within days of arrest. Corrie and Betsie were separated, but they both ended up at Ravensbruck, an all-women concentration camp outside of Berlin. Inside the camp, they lead illicit church services with a smuggled bible, and they never lost faith. Sickly as she was, Betsie eventually died in the camp, but not before she had shared a dream with Corrie. She'd dreamed of a huge mansion where they could minister and care for all the people who had been harmed by the Holocaust. 15 days after Betsie died, Corrie was released---probably because of a clerical error. A week after that, everyone left in the camp was sent their death in the gas chambers.

After the war, Corrie found Betsie's dream house. Its wealthy owner had had a dream of her own. Her six sons had all been captured by the Nazis. If they all made it home safely after the war, she promised God that she would donate her house to his service. For the next five years, Corrie ran the house as a refuge for Holocaust survivors. And in an act of extraordinary grace, she also opened the home to Dutch collaborators who couldn't find work or housing anywhere else in the post-Nazi world.

The rest of Corrie's life was spent traveling the world and telling her story of faith, perseverance, and forgiveness.

For a story that involved so much suffering and death, visiting the ten Boom house proved to be a remarkably heartwarming experience. I didn't have any specific expectations going into it, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

After leaving the ten Boom house, we walked around the town center some more, seeing some beautiful back alleys and some odd retail stores. Apparently, there's a Dutch clothing chain called Sandwich, which had proved an unexpected twist in our smartphone search for possible lunch stops earlier in the day.

There was plenty more we could have seen in Haarlem, including some very famous museums, but we wanted to keep the day as light as possible. So we eventually headed home to do some grocery shopping and enjoy an early evening…with perhaps a bit too much wine.

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The next day, we set out for a visit to The Hague---the Netherlands' unofficial capital. Amsterdam is technically the capital because the Dutch constitution says so, but all of the nation's most important government institutions, including its parliament, are in The Hague. It is also home to a fantastic little art museum.

The Hague is in South Holland, a little over an hour's ride down from our Airbnb. It's actually the same train route that we took to get to Haarlem; we just rode it for an extra half hour or so this time. It was overcast and drizzly, but the sight of the flower farms passing by was still spectacular.

The Hague isn't a major tourist destination like Amsterdam or Haarlem. There are still plenty of tourists wandering about, but like Madrid or even Edinburgh, you get the sense that the city still belongs to itself, not the visitors. Some people may see this as a downside, including Rick Steves, but I find it refreshing.

The city feels clean and restrained, with a tasteful balance of modern and Golden Age architecture. Even some of the major government buildings are surprisingly restrained. A nice-looking row house on one of the main streets turned out to actually be the Dutch Ministry of Defense headquarters.

The centerpiece of The Hague is the Binnenhof---a palatial medieval castle that has been the seat of the Dutch government since 1584. It houses the parliament, the prime minister's offices, and the Ministry of General Affairs. In US terms, that's like having the Capitol, White House, and all the cabinet departments together in one giant building.

In the center of the Binnenhof's main courtyard is a golden fountain dedicated to Beatrix, the previous Queen of the Netherlands. She’s still alive---and going by the title Princess Beatrix---but she followed in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother by stepping down once her son Willem-Alexander was experienced enough to be an effective king. It's a nice tradition that allows each Dutch monarch to enjoy a reasonably long reign at the peak of their prowess, followed by a nice retirement.

We wondered what Prince Charles in the UK thinks of it.

A few blocks away, we saw the Noordeinde Palace, one of the Netherlands' three royal palaces (the main palace being in Amsterdam on Dam Square). Like everything else in The Hague, Noordeinde is refreshingly restrained---like a miniature Versailles.

Just in front of the palace is an equestrian statue of Prince William I of Orange. William founded the House of Orange-Nassau and was one of the main leaders of the Dutch war of independence from Spain in the 16th century. He's like the Netherlands' George Washington, if Washington's descendants had gone on to rule the US after him. Around the base of the statue are plaques dedicated to the various regions of the Netherlands, and facing the palace is the royal motto Je Maintiendrai ("I Shall Defend").

But unlike Versailles, where the statue of Louis XIV faces out toward the world, Prince William is facing inward toward the palace---as if to remind the monarchy that it's their job to take care of the people, not the other way around.

Continuing on in a rough loop around the Binnenhof, we stumbled upon the embassy of Morocco, then found ourselves on the Lange Voorhout---a broad tree-lined avenue that's home to a medieval church, the Dutch Supreme Court, and the embassies of the UK, Spain, and Switzerland. As we walked along the impressive street, a royal-looking carriage procession passed us by.

We got a great view of the Binnenhof from across the Hofvijver pond, then completed our circuit as we came to the Mauritshuis royal art gallery, just outside the gates through which we'd first entered the Binnenhof that morning.

We'd penciled in the Mauritshuis as an "if we felt up to it" part of our itinerary, but it turned out to be the highlight of the day. Described by Rick Steves as a bite-sized version of the Rijksmusem in Amsterdam, it was a perfect one-hour journey through some highlights of Dutch Golden Age art.

(Peter Paul Rubens, Old Woman and Boy with Candles, c. 1616 - 1617)

(Rembrandt van Rijn, The Laughing Man, c. 1629 - 1630)

(Jacob van Ruisdael, View of Bentheim Castle, c. 1652 - 1654)

(Cornelis Vroom, River Landscape seen through the Trees, c. 1638)

(Jan van de Cappelle, Seascape with Ships, c. 1660)

(Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Vase of Flowers in a Window, c. 1618)

(Willem van Haecht, Apelles Painting Campaspe, c. 1630)

(Paulus Potter, The Bull, 1647)

The museum has a fantastic collection including a ton of Rembrandts, but its biggest draw is its collection of Vermeers, including the iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Johannes Vermeer is possibly the most revered Dutch Golden Age painter after Rembrandt, but he only made a handful of paintings and was relatively unknown in his lifetime. The Mauritshuis has three paintings by Vermeer, which actually makes it the second-biggest collection in the world. (The biggest is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which has four.)

Vermeer was a master at playing with light and color. His paintings look incredibly lifelike at a distance, but up close you can see that they are actually very simple, with most of the details implied rather than drawn. In that way, they remind me a bit of the Impressionists who would come two centuries later.

As we left, we saw some panels explaining the history of the museum. The art was once the personal collection of the Princes of Orange, who became the Dutch Royal family. The name Mauritshuis comes from the building’s original owner, Johan Maurits. Long before it was an art gallery, it was Maurits’s house. Maurits was the nephew of Prince William I (the Dutch George Washington whose statue we’d just seen outside the royal palace), and he also served as the governor of Brazil for 24 years.

How did a Dutchman become the governor of Brazil, a country that is famously Portuguese and not Dutch? Like the rest of Dutch history around this era, the story involves the Habsburgs, and like any story involving the Habsburgs, it is mind-numbingly complicated. But it ultimately boils down to three main facts: 1) Brazil had some very valuable sugar plantations, 2) the Netherlands wanted those sugar plantations, and 3) Portugal and the Portuguese Brazilians couldn’t stop the Dutch from taking them.

All in all, Maurits was an extraordinarily wealthy and well-connected man, so it was only natural for him to build a mansion in a place of honor, right next door to the capitol.

The Mauritshuis is far from the largest art museum we saw on the trip---the Prado probably has more paintings in some of its rooms than the Mauritshuis has in its entire collection---and it only has a handful of true masterpieces. But it was still one of our favorite museum experiences.

Visiting a giant art museum like the Prado, Louvre, or Rijksmuseum is an overwhelming experience. You either plan your visit out in advance, stringing together a shortlist of masterpieces separated by rooms full of impressive paintings you'll barely glance at, or you wing it and end up spending an hour in the first room you happen to enter, missing the greatest masterpieces altogether.

The Mauritshuis, on the other hand, is a perfectly tailored experience. Every painting is worth looking at, and it only takes an hour or so to look at them all. There's no pressure to pick and choose which paintings to see, so you can indulge in taking the time to truly appreciate the details of a still life without worrying that you're going to lose out on seeing something better down the line.

I said that the Mauritshuis was the highlight of our visit to The Hague, and that's true. But I also had a second highlight. After a quick lunch and an escape from the rain at a nearby café, I struck out ahead of Nic and Jessica to hunt down a store that I'd dreamed of visiting since before we even thought of this trip.

We'd visited the P.W. Akkerman stationery store in Amsterdam a few days earlier, but the one in The Hague is the one I really wanted to see. Why? Well, it's kind of a niche thing, even among pen enthusiasts.

Akkerman has a great collection of mid-range to ultra-high-end pens, but nothing you can't find elsewhere. What they do have that’s utterly unique is a range of their own-brand bottled fountain pen inks that they started selling in 2010. The inks themselves are great, though most of them are believed to be rebranded versions of other inks you can get anywhere else, too. But what you can't get anywhere else are the bottles, which have an amazing design like a cross between an hourglass and a genie bottle. The design is also very convenient, for reasons that are of no interest to someone who isn't into fountain pens (and probably most who are).

There are a couple online pen stores in the US where you can sometimes buy Akkerman inks now, but for a long time you could only get them by special ordering them from The Hague. People on online pen forums would organize massive group buys to cut down on shipping. Between the desirableness of the inks and the difficulty in getting them, they became something of a cult obsession.

Now that the inks have been out longer and are easier to get, I think the Akkerman madness has mostly died down, but I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to buy some in person.

After drooling over their pen collection for the better part of an hour, decided to settle for buying two bottles of ink. As I checked out, the woman at the counter showed me a brand new ink color they had just released, inspired by the color of Delft Blue ceramics.

Nic and Jessica, meanwhile, had caught up with me and were amusing themselves outside.

As I paid for the inks, I mentioned to the lady behind the counter that I worked for a pen store in the US that specializes in Japanese pens. She asked if I'd seen their collection of Nakaya pens, which of course I had. (Nakayas are $500-1000+ fountain pens that are handmade in Japan and famously exquisite.) I said that we didn’t carry anything quite that nice where I work, and that this was the first time I’d ever actually seen one in person.

She asked if I wanted to try one. Not to buy, she assured me, just to experience it. Because, "why not?"

Nic and Jessica had joined me by this point, and after seeing my reaction, they had both pulled out their phones before I even finished enthusiastically agreeing.

It was fantastic. With virtually all fountain pens, you have to balance smoothness with fineness. The thinner a line the pen writes, the scratchier it tends to be. But the Nakaya was incredibly fine and incredibly smoothly at the same time.

Anyway, I picked up my inks and checked off several items from my mental bucket list, and we headed back to Amsterdam.

There was still some time left before the afternoon was over, so we decided to head into the city center to take care of some small things we wanted to do.

Our first stop back in Amsterdam was the Copa Amsterdam soccer store. Nic had discovered it while he was waiting for Jessica and me to arrive from Bruges, and he'd been excited to take Jessica ever since. They sold shirts and jerseys for teams from across Europe, including some vintage and special edition designs. I can’t say Nic and Jessica were quite as much in heaven as I had been at Akkerman, but it seemed pretty close.

We also stopped to pick up some fries at a nearby stall---something we'd been excited to share with Nic since our experience in Bruges. Jessica and I got Andalouse sauce like we had before, and it was just as good. Nic asked for the vendor’s favorite, which was tasty sauce with a sweet onion flavor.

We also went back to Dam Square. We’d passed through it a couple times before, but this time we stopped to linger and appreciate it. Besides the magnificent royal palace (which we somehow neglected to take any pictures of), the biggest site on the square is a towering  monument to the Dutch soldiers and resistance fighters who died in WWII. The crests of the various regions of the Netherlands are carved across the back of the monument. Interred behind each of these crest is an urn filled with dirt from that region, taken from a spot where a Dutch soldier was killed in action.

Finally, we took a stroll over to the Jordaan, a picturesque residential neighborhood on the western edge of the city center. From what we gathered, it's a bit like the Brooklyn of Amsterdam---a once-working-class neighborhood that now caters primarily to wealthy hipsters. We didn't actually go into the Jordaan to see for ourselves, however, since our destination was on the near side of the dividing canal.

This is the Anne Frank House. If you want to visit inside, you either need to book a timed-entry ticket two months in advance or queue up for hours in the hope that you might be able to get a same-day ticket. We didn't want to do either of those things, but thought we should at least see it from the outside.

Sitting by the canal, we took it all in for a few minutes: the architecture, the slightly less-crowded ambience, and the variety of tour boats passing by every couple minutes. Amsterdam may not be at the top of my list of favorite cities of the trip, but it definitely has a fun and charming spirit to it. Sort of like Paris, I think it's easy to be overwhelmed by the thronging tourists and the rush to see as much as possible, whereas the real joy is in stepping back, going for a walk, and just letting the atmosphere of the place wash over you.

[dashalbrundezimmer]

paarlaarsteeg // haarlem

de perelaar // der birnbaum

artist: joos van lumen

1975