Oudemanhuispoort Amsterdam

The name of this doorway is a bit difficult to translate, it means "Old man house gate" and dates from 1602 when the complex for old men's and woman's hospital was built. In 1880 the buildings were taken over by the University of Amsterdam and they still are.

In this public doorway is since 1879 a daily bookmarket with second hand books.

Sunday Bridges

A pedestrian bridge called "Tobacco bridge" in Amsterdam centre. See for more Sunday Bridges here

There is a little story about the bridge to tell. The bridge was built by a tobacco broker Mr. Olie. Through this bridge he could walk from his office daily to the building Frascati, where the tobacco auctions were, with a few minutes reduction. Besides he paid for the bridge himself and also for use of the municipal land until 1907.

Weekend Reflections (#71)

Sometimes there are such strange lights in winter.This photo is not manipulated, the tower of the Zuiderkerk (Southchurch) in Amsterdam was very bright light up in the sun.
 See for other participants Weekend Reflections.

Flea market

The Waterloo-square market is the biggest and oldest flea-market in Amsterdam. Before Wold War II most market traders were Jewish because it was situated in the Jewish quarter. That changed dramatically after their deportations in 1941 and Amsterdam people say it has never been te same anymore.

See for  interesting photo's and history

Academy of Architecture

After days of drizzling weather, at last some sunshine, so up to Amsterdam to take some photo's!

 The Academy of Architecture is located in the heart of Amsterdam in the so called Oudezijds House Sitting House and the adjacent warehouses, the Arsenal. The building was designed in 1654 by Willem de Keijser (son of Hendrik de Keijser) and is now a listed building.

In the past it served as chaplain-house, as a stockholder of the artillery and as a municipal office. Since 1946, the building is leased to the Academy of Architecture.

Boris Kowadlo

In the Jewish Historical Museum  in Amsterdam is a retrospective of the works of the Dutch-Polish photographer Boris Kowadlo (1911-1959). He was 19 years old fled from Poland to Amsterdam, began his photo career just after World War II with impressive pictures of the dilapidated Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, making clear what the Holocaust has had devastating effects and the emptiness in which the survivors had to go. In the fifties he travelled twice to the young state of Israel and made many photo's of his hope for the future in this country.

Shopping

When I made this photo I didn't noticed the child. It is funny to see hem appear on the computer.

A Monday laugh

At a  grey rainy monday a laugh to start the week with.

Sunday Bridges

Keizersveerse Bridge over the Bergsche Maas from Hank

 to Geertruidenberg. (These are dutch names I can't translate) see for other participants Sunday Bridges

Weekend Reflections #70

The theater in Almere with the new buildings behind it reflecting. See for more participants at the site of  Weekend Reflections

City Mall

Almere City, the Mall. Left above you can have lunch or drinks and you have a view over the city centre.
The high building in the middle has had many troubles during the building process. Some experts thought it would collapse, but that didn't happen, so there are now people living in it.

Bad weather

This photo I made yesterday from the Public Library in Almere City where I had run into to take shelter for the heavy rains. The round building is the local hospital. Right a piece of the City Mall. Almere is a city in progress so there are always trucks with materials standing everywhere.

Market day

Every Wednesday and Saturday it is market day in Almere City with fresh fruit, vegetables, clothes and whatever you want.

New Amsterdam

New apartments in Amsterdam, Westerdoksdijk. The boats in front are house boats with people living on it.

Birthdays

Today my big sister has her 68 th birthday. She is 5 years older than me and always been very protective to me. At this picture she has just got a new bicycle and I was allowed to sit on it for the photo made by my father. Left my brother with his step, alas he doesn't live anymore.

This was in Amsterdam 1952 the street were wel lived, I must be 4 years old and wear a coat with hat! I remember it was red and when my father cut my hair I had to put the hat on and he went with the scissors through the back of my neck until no hair was seen under my hat.

The second birthdayboy today is Pim, he is a big boy of 12 years old now.

Sunday bridges

Hohenzollern bridge in Cologne last december. See for other Sunday bridges

Weekend Reflections! Almere

One of the first houses in Newtown Almere Stad from about  1982.

See Newtown Area Photo for more participants.

Almere Newtown 2

In the Citymall.

Almere Newtown

A photo of the new city centre of Almere with right a discotheque, the brown building is a hotel and the parking is under the centre.

Seduction

Everything you see you can eat, chocolate shoes, handbags of marzipan, I only must look and not enter the shop....

Old and New

From the old city you see new buildings coming. There used to be a marshalling yard for trains and some sheds behind the Central Station,  now many people live there in new apartments.

Horse

 
This horse was yesterday walking quietly to his stable. I looked right into the sun and could hardly see my object, but I like the result.

A nice Saturday in Amsterdam

V
We went to the very nice new Woody Allen movie.

Then we went to Ververs Gallery of my sister-in-law to join the opening of an exhibition of a Polish artist.

The white coat hanging in the middle is part of the art.

We had dinner in a lovely old cafe Rosereijn with this beautiful bar.

And had a walk through a dark Amsterdam.

(the photo's are made by my husband, I forgot my camera)

Frozen lake

Although temperatures are rising, the water in the "Weerwater" lake in Almere is stiil frozen.

Dirt on ice

Snow has gone but there is still ice. Some people like to test it and throw their dirt on the ice.

Amsterdam Music Theatre

This is the theatre for ballet and opera at the river Amstel. The Amsterdam people call it the "Stopera", two words together "Stadhuis-Opera", (City-hall and Opera). In fact the building has two functions, a city-hall and a theatre. The realization of the building has been very complicated and goes back from 1955 untill 1986. You can read the bizarre history here.

Begijnhof Amsterdam

This is one of the oldest and most beautiful places in Amsterdam, the Beguinage. In 1150, a group of woman came together to live in a religious community, primarily to look after the sick. These were in effect, the first Beguines, although te name was not yet used. It is not known exactly when the Beguinage was founded but it is about 1346 or 1393.

At the restoration of the Beguinage in the eighties, the courtyard was renovated and some houses enlarged. The last Beguine died in 1971 so the Beguinage is no longer a beguinage in the strict sense of the word.

You can read more about the history here 

W. Eugene Smith

In the Photographe Museum Foam Amsterdam is a beautiful retrospective of  W. Eugene Smith, (USA 1918-1978). During the fifties he published very moving photo-stories in the famous American Life, as "Nurse Midwife", "the Country Doctor". It was very impressive and some photo's I remembered seen in magazines when I was a child.

Wax museum

Every big city has a wax museum, so does Amsterdam too. This building on Dam square used to be a big department store for clothes, "Peek & Cloppenburg"  the name is still on top of it. The building has been split in two parts now, left the museum and right the left over of the clothing store. In the top is a big round window where you can see people making photo's and waving from the wax museum to the audience below.

A new year, an old sound

To start the new year with a photo of a quiet Amsterdam from the "Blauwbrug" (blue bridge).

We had lots of fireworks here in the night, so I didn't sleep very well. Had to keep my cat company sitting on the stairs, the only place he felt safe for the noise. As you could see om my post of  23 december  we live near a tunnel passage and it is great fun to do the fireworks in there, gives a great sound until 3.00 p.m. sigh....