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Ah, Royalty.65

Although I bike past it several times a week, I guess I’ve not yet shown you the outside of Amsterdam’s Royal Palace, shown to the left here next to the 15th-century “Nieuwe Kerk,” so called b/c in the 1400s it was the new kid on the block after A’dam’s first 1306-built church, which as of this building’s opening became and has remained the “Oude Kerk.” The 1655 palace started life as a town hall – as noted in earlier posts about it. (And since their full time official residence is down in the Hague, this is really only where they do formal stuff that needs done in A’dam, I think.) I’ve sorta been waiting for the construction to finish before I took photos, but I liked how the setting sun lit this clouds on this evening, so here you go :-).

Posted by  |  September 17, 2025 | Categories: Netherlands, North Holland & Amsterdam | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

County Views.165

The Calfire site tells me that the Picket Fire started on August 21 and was 100% contained on the 7th of September. When my friend Howard sent me these photos of its smoke billowing near Mt Saint Helena on the 27th of August, he said residents in Santa Rosa could smell the smoke from it, but not in Sebastopol. I keep fingers crossed for a quiet rest of the fire season throughout North America, not only near my once and future home in SR ;-).

Posted by  |  September 16, 2025 | Categories: California, SF Bay Area, Sonoma & Napa, United States | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Urban Entrances.165

Another delightful discovery on an evening walk at the end of day-long meetings in Brussels last week was the gardens of the Abbaye de la Cambre, which from the late 12th Century until abolishment in 1796 (French revolution and all) was a Cistercian Abbey in the Maelbeek valley…which to most untutored visitors today looks like a hilly part of Brussels. Yes, unlike A’dam, Brussels has hills! 🙂 But then, it also has more uncleared dog poop on its sidewalks than A’dam does, just sayin’. Today the complex houses both some religious stuff and an arts institute, while the gardens are quite lovely and open to the public.

Posted by  |  September 15, 2025 | Categories: Belgium, Brussels | 1 Comment

City Views.265

Posted by  |  September 14, 2025 | Categories: Italy, Lazio, Rome | Leave a comment

Urban Canals.205

Posted by  |  September 14, 2025 | Categories: Netherlands, North Holland & Amsterdam | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Country Canals.105

So even some of my Dutch friends aren’t quite aware of how much engineering has gone into the Rhine River over the years, once it enters NL out of Germany. So far as I know, from its origins in the Swiss Alps until both of its banks enter NL, it’s pretty much one river with occasionally a side channel so that they can make a lock on which boats can safely pass. (Think, for instance, of boats going past the Rheinfall which we’ve shown you in past posts.) Since NL is built on what would be the delta of this mighty river, it makes sense that it would branch out as it nears the north sea. In order to occupy and farm on this lowland, the Dutch over the centuries have adapted the natural channels into quite reliable shipping, boating, irrigation, and flood-control basins and channels. Above, you’re looking east to the point where the Rhine first divides up, with Germany definitely visible in the frame on the south side at least. The Waal – which carries most of the Rhine’s water over to the North Sea at the port of Rotterdam, with a name change or two en route — is to the right (south), and the Nederrijn (lower Rijn) is to the left (north)…although, for this particular stretch, it’s called the Pannerden Canal. It gets back to being called the Nederrijn a few miles upstream next to Westervoort & Velp, after the Ijssel branches off and carries more its water up to the North Sea via the various flood-control systems that have made the Ijsselmeer fresh rather than sea water, as explained in yet another past post. Anyhoo: while based in Velp I biked on down to see this spot of, for me, intense nerdly water-management interest. After all, the Rhine is a river I’ve known quite a long time and is certainly the most economically important river in Europe, being a primary reason Rotterdam remains one of the world’s largest ports. Just check out the barge traffic in the videos and photos below. And pardon my nerdlyness. Yeah, there’s also a museum in the old fort which I visited.

Posted by  |  September 13, 2025 | Categories: Gelderland, Netherlands | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Art & Nature.5

Delft Technical University’s Botanic Garden had a nature-themed sculpture exhibit placed in strategic locations along the paths and beds, when I visited Delft during the first week of my lovely stay-in-NL vacation last month.

Posted by  |  September 13, 2025 | Categories: Netherlands, Zuid Holland | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Countryside.5

As noted in an earlier post, I biked through the Veluwe Zoom national park as part of my lovely and, may I say, rather adventurous-feeling bike ride from Busloo down to Velp, which was the last of three places I spent the night during my lovely low-carbon week exploring the Veluwe region at long last. Above, the paved bike path on which I entered the park as we descended a lovely long hill from the Loenermark park just north of it. Below, pics of various other things I saw en route from Busloo to Velp, including one of the rougher-path places with my own luggage strapped into the basket in front of my bike. 🙂

Posted by  |  September 12, 2025 | Categories: Gelderland, Netherlands | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Bridges.35

Posted by  |  September 11, 2025 | Categories: Malaysia | Tags: | Leave a comment

Urban Garden.235

Wat Arun, in Bangkok, is more amazing temple than garden – and we’ll show you more of its astonishing ceramic surfaces in future posts. But this time we’re concentrating on the greenery and lovely lilies and other smaller wonders to be found around the temple grounds when one has time for a leisurely exploration. Big shout-out to friend & former colleague Pamela, who recommended this.

Posted by  |  September 10, 2025 | Categories: Bangkok, Thailand | Leave a comment

Coasting.135

Posted by  |  September 9, 2025 | Categories: Norway | Tags: | Leave a comment

Signs of the City.125

Posted by  |  September 8, 2025 | Categories: Italy, Lazio, Rome | Tags: | Leave a comment

Windows.25

Above, four images looking out from various window’s in KL’s remarkable Museum of Islamic Art, which I visited 5 weeks ago & have only now shown you for the first time. There’ll be a bit more; but visitors to KL take note: this museum’s a must visit! Below: some doors which look like windows at the lovely planetarium complex in the Botanic Gardens, which we have shown you before :-).

Posted by  |  September 7, 2025 | Categories: Malaysia | Tags: | 1 Comment

Skylights.15

Early last month.

Posted by  |  September 7, 2025 | Categories: Netherlands, North Holland & Amsterdam | Leave a comment

Skylights.14

One week ago.

Posted by  |  September 6, 2025 | Categories: Netherlands, North Holland & Amsterdam | Tags: , , | Leave a comment