Tag Archives: art

A Little Limburger?

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We didn’t think that our Dutch Experience would be complete without a journey to the southern tip of Holland. We headed out for Maastricht, a very busy little city on the River Maas in the province of Limburg.

View from room 209 at the Hotel De Pauwenhof

View from room 209 at the Hotel De Pauwenhof

One of Holland’s oldest towns it’s surrounded on three sides by Germany and Belgium. Between the French, Germans, Romans, Spanish, Goths, Gauls, Papists and miscellaneous angry hordes it has changed hands many times over the centuries. To this day it still seems a little under siege, only now it’s tourists and probably not marauding mercenaries or religious zealots. The tourist promoters refer to it as the “Sunniest Town in Holland” and that may it true.  Much like South Dakota may be a whisper more tropical than North Dakota. In fact, it’s the only time we’ve needed an umbrella. Damp but fun none the less.

We’re here primarily to see the Bonnefantenmuseum, an amazing structure designed by Italian architect Aldo Rossi.  An interesting guy, he argued that a city must be studied and valued as something constructed over time and as such it holds our “collective memory”.

Bonnefantenmuseum

Bonnefantenmuseum

Bonnefantenmuseum

Bonnefantenmuseum

On to  ‘s-Hertogenbosch

S'Hertozenbosch Market Square

S’Hertozenbosch Market Square

‘s-Hertogenbosch was the birthplace and home of one of the greatest (twisted) painters of the northern Renaissance, Hieronymus Bosch, who’s painting  The Garden of Earthly Delights will still blow your mind 530 years later. And not in a good way.

Group of unknown German art students

Group of unknown German art students

While there some friends organized a great boat trip on the Binnen-Dieze, the city’s underground inner canal system. Apparently the canal had been an open sewer for centuries until in the 1960’s the city set out on a 25 year restoration project. Today fish swim in the water.

These are part of the Armada, a housing development designed by British architect Anthony McQuirk. From the air the eleven building project resembles a fleet of Spanish Warships moving across the water.

The Wendi Files

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The Wendi Files:

I’ve been kicking around with Wendi for quite awhile now. When I was editing pictures the other day I realized that over the years, picture-by-picture, image-by-image, slowly but inevitably, I’ve turned into the chronicler of all things Wendi. While perusing the files it quickly became apparent the she has totally encompassed my entire interest and attention. I’m sort of a photographic stalker. People in Holland must be thinking, “Who’s that woman with the photographer following her around.” Shades of Gloria Swanson.

And the thing is she’s just not that gosh darned interesting. Don’t take me wrong she has her moments. That time with the bottle washer noises in the Sultan’s Palace. Or when she got drunk on that God Awful green stuff in Bruges. Sure they were great times, but to return home each day with fifty frames of the same person. I don’t think it’s natural. What do you think?

Maastricht

Maastricht

Adult Education:

She’s a sponge with Attention Deficit Disorder. Her thirst for mental input is unquenchable. Between taking pictures, sorting pictures, uploading pictures, checking on Facebook, checking email, QR Coding, “GPS”ing, Trip Advisoring and Googling everything in the world it’s nonstop.  the Iphone is her most perfect accessory. It keeps that hot wire to the brain firmly in place.

The Crazy Hour:

Just like a cat she’s got a Crazy Hour. It’s sometimes a little longer, but the symptoms are always the same. Elevated metabolism, heightened awareness, peculiar facial expressions and extremely wacky behavior complete with physical pratfalls. Like a Labrador Retriever, run, run, run, sleep, run, run, run, sleep.

Hey, Look This Way:

Sure I point out all these characteristics, but I’m the enabler. I’m the guy running around saying, “Stand over here”, “Look this way”, “Say Gouda”. Perhaps I’m the one with ADD and she just tolerates me.

Enough

Enough

Ordinary Pictures

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So my daughter sends me note and says “ The pictures are all lovely Dad, but where are the Ordinary Pictures?”

By that I assume she wants to see the everyday machinations of our European experience. A back stage pass, if you will, that enables you to pull back the curtain and get a glimpse of our glamorous doings. Lunch is always a good place to start.

Lunch with Bruce & Wendi

While exploring West Friesland we stopped into Medemblik for lunch and choose the De Vliegende Kraai. The only thing that “The Flying Crow” had to recommend it over it’s competitors was the fact that it was open.

De Vliegende Kraai

De Vliegende Kraai

As you can see the interior is clean and serviceable. A  80’s mix of café and lounge.

Interior

Interior

Today’s special is a sandwich of “goat cheese with walnuts and honey”.

Interior

Interior

We ordered the Club Sandwich simply because we recognized the name “Club Sandwich”. When you can’t identify anything on the menu, in a country that eats body parts you weren’t even aware of, we have found that it’s best to latch onto a recognizable item as if it were a life preserver in a raging sea. You will also notice that I only have half a sandwich. That is because, especially at lunchtime, we try to split everything. (Well, not the coffee.) I think that we’re particularly well suited for this.  Wendi eats like a parakeet and I’m cheap and a little chubby. It’s perfect for me. I get to exercise my cheapness while telling myself I’m curing my chubbiness. The only problem is that Wendi never seems to order what she wants but instead always defers to what she thinks I might want. Cool huh?

Club Sandwich

Club Sandwich

Koffee

Koffee

This is the lovely gal that cooked, served and cashiered. She said that it’s quiet this time of year but with the huge amount of boaters in the summer this place will be packed with bloodthirsty mosquitoes and pesky Germans, or was that…

Waitress - Medemblik

Waitress – Medemblik

More Ordinary Pictures

The Russians Come To Assen

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We are here to see the exhibit “The Soviet Myth” at the Drents Museum.

The Drents Museum

The Drents Museum

This show has been put together on a scale that could rival a Hollywood production. Barnum & Bailey would be proud. It starts with the gigantic, spotlighted Lenin statue, erected at the apex of the major roads and canal adjacent to downtown. Because of the scale, its presence is slightly surreal, like being transported to a different time and place.

Super Lenin

Super Lenin

Welcome

Welcome

The paintings themselves are as massive as they are fanciful. Bright carnival colors, huge images of dedicated, industrious, self-assured, healthy and purposeful young men and woman. Ever striving.

The Joy Of Communal Work

The Joy of Communal Work

Death Defying Feats

Death Defying Deeds

Completely engaged super solders forcing back a faceless evil.

Pushing Back Evil

Benevolent leaders like fathers and super heroes all in one.

Massive. About 40' wide.

Massive, over 40′ wide.

My Trusty Partner Steps In For Scale.

My trusty partner steps In for scale.

And that Red! Always that Red!

Always Red

Facility

At first glance these images seem designed to simply motivate, inspire and create an overwhelming sense of pride and confidence in the people they are supposed to represent. But then, in the west, we were taught to distrust these images, as I’m certain they were taught to distrust images of us. Perhaps, with all that behind us now, these iconic paintings have simply moved into the realm of a classic, incredibly well done and very enjoyable advertising campaign.

Bye Now.

Big Lenin - Little Wendi

Big Lenin – Little Wendi