For how much Astrid and I both LOVE LOVE LOVE the Garderen sand-sculpture themes ever year, it's hard to believe that the last time we were there was in 2020. And then COVID hit and we haven't been since...till now!
As in 2020, this was Astrid's birthday (August 24) request, which we celebrated last Thursday, August 21. It was a no-brainer to see how they'd celebrate the 750th year of Amsterdam...with sand sculptures!
We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, both cool and sunny!
Immediately after entering the front gate, you start seeing "Amsterdam" everywhere,
often having nothing to do with the sand sculptures. They have lots of wood carvings, which I also love.
In fact, part of the charm is all the reenactments totally apart from the sand sculptures,
sprinkled throughout the walking route.
But the sand sculptures do have a distinctive start, and this was it for this year's theme.
How an Amsterdam canal looked back in the good ol' days!
And from that point on, it was a total of 97 scenes (!) of sand sculptures covering 750 years!
At the beginning and...
at the end.
As you'd guess, everything you could imagine was shown:
famous people, like Jaap Heinen and his Delft Blue, the King and Queen's wedding,
Anne Frank, Rembrandt and paintings of the Dutch Masters in the Rijksmuseum.
I especially enjoyed the larger displays, like the Beer Garden, from 1323...
The Disputes from 1346...
and the Kesbeke family-owned pickle company.
Don't you love the real props!
I also liked how, by following the route, you get the expanse of the place.
See what I mean (and the props)?!
At one point, before continuing the route outside, we stopped for our obligatory latte.
See how even there the theme was continued.
They've figured out how to protect the sand from the elements, obviously!
Remember that there are 97 scenes, with a sign explaining each.
How's this for "Bike and Windmill Friday" for my photoblog!
Speaking of bikes, they make perfect props for any Dutch theme.
This was one of my favorite sculptures of them all, because of the look on her face!
She represents #45, the Banking House Hope & Co, founded in 1762 by the Scottish family Hope.
How fun to show off the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo in this way.
It's the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and the 5th oldest zoo in the world.
I was especially interested in the Johnny Jordaan and Tante Leen sculpture,
because in my past life with Donica, we lived in an apt. near the Johnny Jordaan Square.
Okay. Enough is enough. You get the point. We were short of eyes.
But by the time you pass all 97 scenes (supposedly with more than 150 sand sculptures),
you get a real feel of the 750 years of Amsterdam!
One last thing....
Call us surprised when we passed this scene and saw a worker inside,
apparently repairing a "damaged" spot. Who knows what happened.
But it was a reminder why they often have signs to not touch!
And on that note, here's a good video to give you a sense of how they create all of this,
using professional sand sculptors from around the world:
And at 9:28 you see two of Garderen's "challenged" employees, among the
many who work there, who find joy and satisfaction in their contribution.
It all blows my mind!
And, yes, of course, we finished it off with a delightful lunch in their Rose Garden restaurant!
What a great HAPPY BIRTHDAY gift to Astrid, at her request.
We really should do this every year!
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