On Top of Our World

First up (yup), is my Vision and Verb post today about School Spirit. Actually, it's more about arch rivalries. You know, like MICHIGAN against Michigan State (sorry Ruth), or against those dang inedible Buckeyes horse chestnuts you want to chew up and spit out of your mouth!

[Sadly, the recently reported sex scandal at another of America's great universities was disclosed after I had drafted my piece. It could have happened anywhere, of course. Please know I grieve with all the victims who are part of this very sad story.]

But now, today, how many times have I shown you something about our Grote Kerk just two blocks down the street from us here in Gorinchen, Netherlands! Inside or out, it's as much a part of our lives here than just about anything.

Does it surprise you, then, that it took us almost TWO years to finally climb it's majestic (and crooked) tower! It so happens that every second Saturday in September, in all of Holland, is Open Monument Day. Over 4,000 historical buildings and sites are open to the public free of charge in order to encourage interest in them. It's one of those times when you'd be stupid not to take advantage of the day, whether in your own city or elsewhere.

We had always planned to climb "our" tower, at €2 pp. It didn't matter how much it cost. But we never got a "round tuit," as we say. This was our chance to finally just do it!

Notice the short tower entrance door. Match that with the tall-tall Dutchman!


True to all the church towers I have climbed in Europe, we spiraled our way up to the first level.
It's good "management" to have those resting spots on the way up.


On that first level, our tour guide opened a floor trap so we could look down to the ground entrance. THAT was worth the entire day because of seeing the prayer vials I had seen the previous year.


Also on that first level is a rooftop-level viewing platform outside the tower.
It was fun to spot all the landmarks so recognizable to us by now:
the two windmils, Dalem Port, the water tower, Merwede River, Rehoboth Church,
sister-city Woudrichem across the river, Loevestein Castle, etc., etc.


At the second level, we found the clock and bell contraptions!
How things work has always been a total fascination for me.


Did I mention we had as many kids on the tour as adults?
And several of them had their own cameras, taking pictures just like the rest of us.
I loved how the kids were part of this education, seeing how things work!


That second and top level, just above the tower's clock, gave us another POV (point of view).
New landmarks included the Merwede Bridge, our firehouse (bottom center),
and even where I went to school last year (image above the firehouse).


Then I zoomed in on our street.
The top-right image gives a ground's-eye view of where we live at our senior-living complex.
Pay attention to the church a block away, to which I'll return in a minute.
See also the hanging paint can, one of my favorite art objects in the city (bottom right).


BTW, while we're up there, have you ever had a voyeuristic eye like mine?
The rooftops of Gorinchem and how some people live!

Once down on ground level, we were on to another open monument, but stopped first to chat with some friends passing by in the market square (where the Grote Kerk stands!):

The top friends are from where we live. I play Rummikub every Friday with the gentleman.
The bottom lady with Astrid is the mother of Astrid's best friend (my wedding witness).
It's a small world after all!


Across from where we met our friends is our favorite flower shop,
standing next to the Gasthuispoortje (Guest House Port) from 1391.
See how short they were back then! Even I duck by instinct.
It's also known as the Hugo de Groot port, where Hugo escaped from the Loevestein castle jail
in a bookcase. Long story, I guess. But that's the fun of some history.

In between the Grote Kerk and where we live two blocks away....

...is the Waterstaatkerk from 1836,
the Roman Catholic church that is now an apartment building.


Because of Open Monument Day, we were able to go inside without a key,
something we've wanted to do since living nearby.
So that's what a church looks like once renovated for apartments!
At least it's not a prison.

There you have it. Our city where we live, from the top of our world! Did I mention that I love where we live?

And now, another reminder about my School Spirit post at Vision and Verb....

Breda, NL...and I'd Rather be Fishing

A couple of weekends ago Astrid and I were out-n-about in the countryside on our way home after a delightful drive to nearby Breda. We love driving the back roads coming and going whenever possible. It's such a different look than what you get from the freeway.

Lo and behold, while minding our own business but keeping our eyes open, there she was, fishing. Astrid hears something out of me...a grunt...body language...intuition--"Ginnie would like this"--and she stops. I get out of the car and snap the pictures.

Were they sisters? Actually, there was also a boy nearby at the bank of the canal and I wondered if they all belonged to each other. All doing what they love.

It's my turn at Vision and Verb again today, where you can read about what I'd rather be doing...and where this experience took me.

But speaking of Breda, since that was the day, take a peak with me at another fun city that's almost in our backyard, 19 miles away. It's Grote Kerk (Big/great church), or Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), was the main attraction for us, as almost always. Nor were we disappointed!

This is a gothic, protestant church that dates back to the 15th century. It's tower is 97 meters high. Sadly, very few services are held there anymore...except for baptisms, weddings and funerals, concerts, exhibitions, symposiums and fashion shows. But this is what's happening these days all over Europe.

When I see churches like this, visible from all over the city, I marvel. I still haven't gotten used to them. Surely the residents who have lived there all their lives are ho-hum about them...as I'm almost becoming of the one just two blocks from our apartment. [Did I say that?]


Lucky for us, this church was open on a Saturday. Actually, the map we follow religiously has a different icon for city churches that are open to the public or not. So we know ahead of time if we'll be able to go inside.
If we can, we will!
This particular church pays tribute to to its members by hanging heraldry shields/emblems everywhere your eye can see. It even has a map where you can locate whatever shield you're looking for. This was a first for us.


But what astounded us more than anything was the pipe organ...the magnificent organ extending from almost top to bottom. This, too, was unique for us. It was worth the entire trip.

The organ of the Grote Kerk in Breda is one of the few complete mechanical 4-manual organs of the Netherlands. It has an interesting history which dates from before 1530. The organ has been restored in 1969 by Flentrop.

It so happens that this church in Breda is from Oranje-Nassaus (House of Orange-Nassau), the Dutch Royal Family, where 17 members are buried in the chapel. In this collage above, you can see some of the art work throughout the church that pays tribute to their religious and historical heritage.

By far, the above Grote Kerk is Breda's most important city landmark. But as a fortified city, it also holds strategic military/political significance, and is home to the Dutch Royal Military Academy, as seen below:

As Dutch cities go, this one is a beauty. Not too big and not too small. Just right. It has it all, as you see below...the architecture, history, canals, art, water tower and windmill.

What more could you ask for...except for maybe a RED HAIR FESTIVAL coming up in September. Can you believe it! Initiated in 2005, it attracts attendees from 30 countries. Will we go? You'll be the first to find out, trust me. I suspect not, since we're not fans of huge crowds. But just the thought of it sounds fun, doesn't it. That's Breda!

Back to the beginning of this post is the little girl fishing, who was the frosting on top of that day while out-n-about here in The Netherlands. Also, the reminder that today is my turn again at Vision & Verb. Did I ever tell you I LOVE LOVE LOVE my life here in this country!

It's About Time

Friday, 2:00 p.m.
Stadhuis Trouwzaal (City Hall Wedding Chapel)
Gorinchem, Netherlands

That's TODAY, folks. Today is the day we're getting married!

I'm cross-posting with Shutterchance today and have mentioned there that this is the sundial on the side of the Grote Kerk (Big Church) that is 2 blocks from our apartment here in Gorinchem. I took this picture on January 1 when Astrid and I took a walk around the city, cameras in hand, on a delightfully goregeous, sunshiny day. It was the start to our new year.

Do you know how to read a sundial? For how much I love sundials, especially on the sides of old European churches, you'd think I'd have Googled how to read them. This one says 2 o'clock, right? But guess what: on January 1, 2010, we had no clue we would be getting married today at 2 p.m. Don't you love the serendipity of that!

As an FYI, there will be approximately 30 of us, based on RSVPs. A friend of Astrid's family will be taking digital photos of the ceremony and reception afterwards. Another man--an 80-year-young man from our senior complex here--will be taking a DVD film of not only the ceremony but the before and after as well. He has been in filmography since 1952! The other day he asked every question he could think of to make sure he understands exactly when all the details happen, especially the "I will"s. He even planned to call the officiator who will perform the ceremony. AND he asked to ride up front in the car that will take us to the city hall, because he wants to film us going over. What a man!

As soon as possible, I'll start working on images to show you. Trust me, you'll get a smattering of the event soon.

In the meantime, please raise a glass of bubbly to us today if possible. Our reception after the ceremony is at our favorite restaurant nearby where we'll have a champagne toast, koffie and appeltaart (Dutch apple pie) with slagroom (whipcream). It's better than wedding cake any day of the week.

Yes, it's about time! God knows how long we've waited for this day...and how many hoops through which we've jumped. Rejoice with us. That will be your best gift.

Practicing on a Church

Yes, we're back in Atlanta, safe-n-sound. Thanks for all your journey mercies toward us. It was one of those rare times when we were both on the same plane, which was an added treat, even if we weren't sitting together!

Before leaving Amsterdam, I had the chance to take a short train ride to nearby Naarden to meet up with JoAnn, a new fellow blogger. She was my gracious hostess and tour guide for 4 1/2 hours. Thank you, JoAnn!

This little trip was my first time to use one of my 2 new camera lenses, so it was a trial by error of sorts. If I went back, I'd do several things differently, which I won't bore you with here. But for now, here's the St .Vitus or De Grote Kerk (the Great Church) that just happened to be open last Thursday morning.

Built between 1340-1440, this gothic church is one of the oldest surviving churches in the Netherlands. It was the only building in Naarden to survive the Spanish invasion of 1572.

Those are medieval paintings on the vault's ceiling, depicting scenes from the Bible.

Out in the church's courtyard is this statue of Comenius, a Czech teacher, writer, scientist and educator. I'm not sure why he's connected to Naarden, but he is. JoAnn can probably tell us more. But it was my first time to ever "meet" him.

Now I plan to work on my photos of Weesp (just outside Amsterdam), where JoAnn dropped me off till Donica got out of work. I walked the streets of that little town for two hours, taking photos, of course, and then rode the train back to Amsterdam with Donica.

Once back at the apartment I was able to transfer my almost 400 pics to the monitor screen. That's when I realized what I'd do differently with my camera/lens, but like I said, I won't bore you with that!