
September. The light is changing. Sunrise is shifting. Mist and the light has a autumn vibe. I like it. Taken from my window.
A daily dose of Rotterdam since august 2019
Technically its not Rotterdam but a picture that I took when this (me) Rotterdammer stayed for a few days in the province of Limburg. There I visited the city of Maastricht. When walking I passed the Chapel of the Star of the Sea in the Basilica of Our Lady in Maastricht and inside I took this picture. I liked the light of the candles and the serene atmosphere. The place where you feel peace is always your home, Rotterdam or Maastricht…
I took this picture with a Praktica filmcamera, its a bit grainy because of the low light
Ok, another couple of days have passed before I post a image again… I’m not lazy but sometimes I have to forget what I do want and do the things I can and sometimes must do for someone else. I don’t mind and I hope you won’t either! I took this a few days back during my late shift. I like the vibe, cinema like!
Photographed at Rotterdam Central station
A few days ago (and early in the morning at sunrise) I visited the beach at Hoek van Holland and took many pictures. Is this Rotterdam? Yes! Since 2014 Hoek van Holland is a part of Rotterdam although about 25 kilometers west of the city. Hoek van Holland borders the North Sea on the west side and the Nieuwe Waterweg on the south side. Worth a visit! Moreover, a metro line has been built from the center of Rotterdam all the way to the beach, get out and you’re on the beach!
And did I take a dive? What do you think?
Photographed at Hoek van Holland beach, Rotterdam
A restaurant near the church leads the visitors the right direction…
Laurenskwartier, Rotterdam
Early walk before starting my shift this day and trying to catch the light. I’m happy with this picture with a bit of skyline and the recognisable silhouette of the Grote of Sint Laurenskerk. It is the only remnant of Rotterdam’s medieval city centre. Build in 1449-1525, bombed in may 1940, rebuild in 1952-1968 and still standing. Worth a visit!
You can find the church in the Laurenskwartier.
A new year, a new start. In june 2022 I posted my last picture on this blog. Many things happened, life happened. And now a new picture. Taken a few weeks back, autumn almost gone into winter. This tree is lighten up my day and just around the corner of where I live!
I hope to show you many more pictures in 2023, stay tuned!
Finally a update of the blog! During the morningwalk I came across this. A wall poem located in the neighbourhood Oude Noorden…
How we hang on to the pasts that only exist in dreams
How we can be craving for a time to come
Today was yesterday tomorrow
Tomorrow is yesterday today
What we know
Is called the present
All the rest
Is a question that remains
On the corner of Coolsingel – Aert van Nesstraat, the luxury hotel Atlanta is located above the shops there. The hotel was built between 1929 and 1931 to a design by the Hague architect Frans van der Togt in the Art Deco style and officially opened its doors on May 2, 1931. When it was completed in 1931, the hotel contained a double-height café-restaurant. on the ground floor where the shops are now. During the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940, Hotel Atlanta passed through almost unscathed. My grandfather lived in the streets behind the building before WWII. In the summer when the windows and doors were open because of the heat he could here the music of the orchestra in the restaurant/club. It has been a municipal monument since 1998.
Finally a new picture on the blog! One of the new streetlights on the Coolsingel. This mainstreet had a total makeover. A car lane has been removed and there is much more space for cyclists and pedestrians. In addition, these new street lamps have been installed. A bit 1930s style and of course energy efficient 🙂
Sundays walk are the best! No hurry, nice weather and everybody seems to be more friendly. So I did a nice stroll through the city to the river and walking onto the Willemsplein I noted the museum streetcars or trams. These trams, line number 15, make a tour through the center of Rotterdam with of course an explanation of all the interesting things to see along the way. Nice cars, nice people, recommended!
More info here: https://www.stichtingromeo.nl/en/
And here as promised another picture from the citygarden Trompenburg Arboretum, now in color! This tree and the lighting around it did scream King Arthur, although for me… Maybe not the woods where he did his evening stroll but just as beautiful.
More info on the garden: https://trompenburg.nl/plan-your-visit/
A few days back I visited the Trompenburg Arboretum gardens near the citycenter of Rotterdam. I took many pictures, some color, but most of them in black and white. Difficult to choose, but this one shows the ambiance, a quiet corner with a make shift seat and nature taking the ground. Maybe tomorrow another one of the visit here but in color! And when you’re in Rotterdam I recommend a visit!
More info: https://trompenburg.nl/plan-your-visit/
Cleaning up the drawers and a few boxes with camera’s resulted in a bunch of films, some almost completed, some just a few shots. Here one of the results from a Leica C1 filmcamera, taken in 2019 I think… I have to develope and scan some B&W film’s, soon to follow!
Image taken at the Binnenrotte, near the Markthal.
This one I took a while ago in april, so a somewhat old pic from a somewhat modern building. This building dates from the seventies, had a makeover but still looks a bit faded. But I liked the “Rotterdam building”. Its in black and white, thats my mood the last few months…
I passed this travel agency so many times in the last decades and now I stopped and took this picture. Its closed now, due to the restrictions on travel because of Covid but it looks anyway if time stood still for this spot!
If you want to travel and buy your tickets here, you will find this travel agency at the Kruiskade.
Fancy a walk on a Sunday? Many people visit the Lijnbaan! The Lijnbaan was the first shopping promenade in the Netherlands, and the first car-free shopping promenade in the world! Named after the rope-making factory that was located here between 1667 and 1845. Construction started in 1949. A special pedestrian zone in the middle of the city was a novelty and attracted a lot of international attention at the time of the opening on October 9, 1953. There are many shops of large and well-known brands, as well as small businesses with their own specialties. The Lijnbaan is one of the architectural icons of the reconstruction. The shops of the Lijnbaan are included on the list of national monuments. Worth a visit!
Source details: Wikipedia
And now again a photo in color, this shop in beautiful red! Black Widow was the clothing store for many young people for 39 years. A place for fans of gothic, punk, metal, wave and other underground genres. The store was located on the Nieuwe Binnenweg. Now they are closed to the chagrin of former employees and customers. The owner states that it has nothing to do with the corona crisis; “Sometimes you suddenly have to do other things.”
Pictures of former employees of the past years now hang on the doors.
It has been a while since I posted a picture on the blog. January is a good time to get back on track! A few weeks ago during a walk I passed this classic, a Dutch manufacturer, world famous, the DAF! With its stepless automatic gearbox, just as fast forward as reverse! And now yourself, cool appearance in this rally version … I spotted the DAF at the Hofdijk.