Tourists

Which building is that?

The City theater in Amsterdam dating from 1894.

And there is a nice terrace in front under the pillars, where you can watch people passing by!

Linking to "Our World Tuesday"

Little House

In the middle of a busy street in Amsterdam you can find this little wooden building with an interesting history. It dates from 1896 as a Police Station House with two heartheating coal stoves. During the vigilant works this Post was a pleasant interruption for the policemen.

From 1915 to 1984 the building  was used as a public toilet. And now a catering service has taken over the building with the pompous name "City Palace".

Linking to "Our World Tuesday"

Hotel

The Doelen Hotel is a five-star hotel in the center of Amsterdam. The hotel dates from 1883, built in Neo-Renaissance-style and located on the Binnen-Amstel.

A detail of the tower with two "Kloveniers" (Cleavers)

Old Amsterdam

The entrance to the "Oudemanhuispoort" (old men home gate), a building complex in Amsterdam between Spui and Waterloo square dating from 1601. It is one of the main locations of the University of Amsterdam. Originally is was used as a retirement home.

The shops in the gallery were already taken in use by dealers in gold, silver, books, galenties and other things in 1757. They were part of the retirement home for old men and women which rented out the eighteen present cabinets to these merchants.

Since 1879 it is in use as a daily book market.

Where  hubby found a photobook for only 3 euros.

A look at the canal through the gate.

Blue Sky

A blue sky with a beautiful building at the Damrak in Amsterdam. It was built in 1886 by architect Van Looy as a bookstore in Neo-Renaissance style. The busts, masks and catrouches on the facade are referring to art and culture of the Golden Age.

On top is a relievo with an owl, the symbol of wisdom surrounded with bookstore related items.

The sculpted busts are of famous writers and artists as Rembrandt and Rubens.

The bookstore has unfortunately gone as many others and you probably has noticed that the top is packed with cheeses. It is now a cheese store and tasting room.....

Linking to "Skywatch Friday"

Looking up

It is not always grey in winter, some days we have lots of  sunshine which brightens up the buildings.

On top of this building I noticed something special.

An Angel! The building dates from 1843 and houses an insurence company. The angel is put on the roof  as a "guardian angel".

Linking to "Skywatch Friday"

Paushuize

A picture of a picture.I saw this delegation of Chinese? men posing in front of the "Paushuize" (Pope home) in Utrecht. The building has been named after Adrian VI, the only Dutch pope who built the house from 1517 on. Adrian wasn't at that time a Pope. He worked at the Court of Emperor Charles V in Spain and hoped ever return to Utrecht. Adrian however was elected Pope in 1522 and died a year later in Rome. He has his home in Utrecht never inhabited.

The house is well preserved, the special architecture, the alternation of red brick with lighter "bacon layers"of natural stone and a stricking stepped gable, makes this a Renaissance house with Gothic influences. In 1830 it was renovated and the pointed arch windows were replaced by straight ones.

Nowadays Paushuize is used as a representative space for the Commisioner of the King and the provincial government. A part of it has since 1996 used at the University of Utrecht. In 1985 Pope John Paul II visited Paushuize.

Public bathing

In the old neighbourhoods of Amsterdam the houses didn't have a bathroom or shower. There was only a toilet and a tap in the kitchen and the bedroom. People washed themselves during the week at the tap and small children were washed in a zink tub. In order to improve the health of the working people at the end of the 19th century they could have a shower in a public bath building in the neighbourhood where they had to pay for. Mostly they did on saturday, to go more often was to expensive. I remember as a little child my parents,  brother and sister went to the public bath at the end of our street, only I was to young and was washed in the tub in the kitchen. Things have changed, every house has a bathroom now and the bathhouses are closed . This one in the Diamond neighborhood from 1926 was one of  the last one's closed in 1986. Some of the buildings had this typical round shape as the one in my street also had.

Magical

Sometimes you get an unexpected lucky moment, the sun and shadow gave an almost magical-realist  light at this building.

It reminded me at the painter Carel Willink, a dutch magical-realist.

Zandhoek

When we have put our car in the weekends on our secret free parking place in Amsterdam, we walk along these beautiful old houses at the "Zandhoek" ( Sand Corner). The street, in fact a quay, derives its name to the ships discharching sand here in the 17th century.

In the Zandhoek has lived a famous dutch photographer Jacob Olie (1834-1905) who made beautiful B&W photo's of the old Amsterdam.

St. Olofs-Chapel

Yesterday we said goodbye to a good friend and architect Joop van Stigt who passed away last Friday.

We remembered him in the St. Olofs Chapel situated in one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam the Zeedijk. The chapel was built in 1440 and named to a Norwegian King Olof. In 1966 the building was partly destroyed by fire and many originals parts had gone lost. From 1990-1992 the chapel has been restored by Joop van Stigt and his son and looks beautiful again. It is used as a conference room and has a underground tunnel to the Barbizon hotel nearby. Look here and here for more information about the chapel and the restoration.

(photo from internet)