Album: Netherlands
Flatboat in the Harbor of Harlingen
Flat-bottomed ships (NL: ‘Platbodem‘) are sailing vessels specially designed for use in the Wadden Sea. A flat-bottomed vessel, as the name suggests, has a flat bottom and no keel. Instead, a flat-bottomed vessel has drop-down pulleys on the left and right sides of the boat’s exterior. Because of the shallow draft, flat-bottomed vessels can also operate in the shallow waters of the Wadden Sea and can easily dry out at low tide.
In the harbor of Harlingen you can admire a whole series of such partly historic flat-bottomed ships, which you can also rent or charter for small or larger excursions and sailing trips.
Cannon in Harlingen Harbor
A small historical cannon near the outer harbor wall in the harbor of Harlingen
The Lighthouse of Harlingen, Waterfront
In the center of the picture, the railroad line and the small train station, which actually only consists of a platform and a ticket machine. On the left in the picture you can see the waterfront, where a historic sailing ship is located, which can also be visited. On the right you can see the lighthouse of Harlingen. The lighthouse was in operation until 1998 – today you can spend the night here. However, staying overnight in the lighthouse seems to be so popular, that the lighthouse is booked out many months in advance. The view of the open must be magnificent – the price for staying at the lighthouse are too.
The picture is taken from the pedestrian bridge that connects the waterfront with the city center. Near the pedestrian bridge is a parking lot where payment/timekeeping is completely automatic: There are no parking tickets. Instead, the license plate number is recorded when you enter – and when you leave, you pay the amount due directly at the barrier.
Vermeer Exhibition Guide Lines
On our way to the Vermeer Exhibition …
Herengracht
A fairly typical Amsterdam view of a row of houses in the Herengracht. In the tallest house is the Happy Bookieman bookshop – to the right is the Hotel Hegra. On the right you see the ‘entrance’ to the small alley Romeinsarmsteeg.
Amsterdam Central Station Tunnel
“Light at the end of the Tunnel”
Homomonument Amsterdam
A part of the Homomonument by Karin Daan, 1987, at the Kiezersgracht near the Westerkerk at the Westermarkt, Amsterdam.
The Homomonument is a public walk-in or walk-on sculpture commemorating people who were and are persecuted or discriminated for their homosexuality.
See also:
Reguliersgracht
View of the Reguliersgracht at sunset, seen from the Lijnbaansgracht.
Den Haag Skyline
The skyline of The Hague seen from the intersection Koningskade (S 100) and Zuid-Hollandlaan (S 101).
On the far left you can see the high-rise Hoftoren. Due to its shape, it is also nicknamed “de Vulpen”, which means “the filler” in English. With a height of 142 meters, the building is currently the third tallest building in The Hague (as of 2023). Originally, the skyscraper was supposed to be 270 meters high – but an additional mast, which would have reached this height, was not realized. It was designed by the US architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox and completed in 2003. Currently, it houses the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
The red skyscraper to the right of the courtyard gates houses the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security (Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid). With a height of 147 meters, it is, together with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties) placed behind it on the right, number 1 in the list of the tallest buildings in The Hague. It is no coincidence that the two skyscrapers are reminiscent of Potsdamer Platz in Berlin – the towers were both designed by the Kollhoff architectural firm, as was the Kollhoff Tower in Berlin.
In front of the group of buildings is the Castalia skyscraper, which actually consists of two buildings and with its distinctive brick double spire is reminiscent of traditional Dutch architecture. At just under 104 meters, the building is currently the eighth tallest in The Hague.
Cheese Window, Delft Skyline
A shop window at the market square near the Nieuwe Kerk – packed with big round yellow cheese wheels. Just as you might imagine when you think of a typical Dutch cheese store window.