The Maria Laach Abbey, Germany

When we visited the Basilica of St. Castor in Koblenz, Germany, that weekend following America's Thanksgiving (last post), I didn't think it could get any better...until the next day when we drove 32 km NW to see the Maria Laach Benedictine Abbey, situated on the shore of the Laacher See near Andernach.

As I said on Facebook, this is when I know for sure I was an architect in a past life...or maybe a monk???

I'll tell you from the outset that the outside is what is most impressive about this abbey.

Construction began in 1093 until 1220 when it became the home of the Benedictines.

Our DK travel book said the outside columns had interesting capitals,

so we started there, before entering the abbey.

The book also mentioned the lion fountain in the atrium, made in 1928,

and visible near the abbey entrance.

You could say we saw a lot before even entering!

 Once inside, we saw how "basic" this holy place is...

like a perfect place for monks?

The canopy above the high altar, from 1220-50, is probably the most impressive "work" of it all.

Mosaics.  Statues.  Icons.

All a reminder that this is a Roman Catholic monastic community.

 The one tomb visible to all is that of Heinrich II, who ordered the abbey to be built in 1093

and who died in 1095, just 2 years later, and is buried there.
He never saw the completed masterpiece.

It was the crypt beneath that felt like the holy of holies to us both.

I could worship there.

We had hoped to hear Gregorian chants, as the book mentioned we might,

but not that day or at that time.  Only in our hearts.

Once back outside, in the abbey's courtyard, we had closer views of this incredible structure.

One has the feeling a lot of supplication is raised to the heavens around that place.

And then we walked across the road to the wee cemetery.

We were there at the right time, when this monk unlocked the gate for the day.

We watched him give his blessing on who-knows-whom...his BFF?

I came up with my own stories that day.

I repeat...I know for sure I was an architect in a past life...or maybe a monk???

And that was just the first part of the day!

From there we drove back to Koblenz to see the Stolzenfels Castle.

But that's another post...not to be mixed in with this holy place.

DORDRECHT, NL: Open Monument Day 2015

In case you happen to remember, every year there is a weekend in September that is Open Monument Day, when over 4,000 "monuments" nationwide, not normally open to the public, are available to visit for free.

We already know where we're going next year (ha!) but this year, we decided to go to nearby Dordrecht, since King Alexander and Queen Maxima had chosen it for their King's Day visit in April.  It's only 25 km from where we live here in Gorinchem...and, yes, we have been there before, in 2010, for Dordt in Stoom.

It used to be that Open Monument Day was only on Saturday, but starting last year, it's now also on Sunday...the day we chose to go to Dordrecht.

First of all, Dordrecht is a harbor city that is an island, bordered by 4 rivers,

and is the oldest of the North and South Holland provinces, granted city rights in 1220.

Pay attention to that Grote Kerk = Big/Great Church.  (Wiki image)

Did you pay attention to the Grote Kerk in the aerial view?

We parked on the other side of a canal from it...but did not visit it that day,

having already seen it previously.

Notice the absence of a spire...because they ran out of funds in the day!

The main portal into the city from the Oude Maas river is near the Grote Kerk.

From there, as you'd guess, there are canals everywhere throughout the city.

We actually were on a mission that day, to see two of the "monuments" that caught our eye in our research but ended up catching 4 altogether:

1:  The Augustijnenkerk (The Augustine Church)

This was one of the unexpected  "accidents" of the day.

It used to be an Augustinian monastery from 1293, becoming a reformed church in 1572.

I fell in love with the bluish-green and red colors against the white walls and pillars.

2:  Atelier Gerhard Lentink

You could safely say this was our biggest "accident" of the day, 

the workshop of this wood sculptor in what used to be a Catholic boy's school from 1906.

I think our jaws were on the floor the entire time we were there.

These wood sculptures are beyond incredible.

Gerhard Lentink himself was present.

I bowed my "namaste" to him with tears in my eyes.

If you want to see more, check out this video that Astrid found.

3:  De Luthiers

Astrid really wanted to see this house of violin and guitar builders.

It was where the King and Queen had a violin made for one of their daughters.

Talk about a photo op.  Totally worth the stop.

4:  Rutte and Son Distillery

Believe it or not, this was our main mission of the day.

Friends of ours told us that Rutte & Zn had achieved an incredible honor worldwide:

two of their gins, a vodka and a jenever were voted the best in the USA.

 While Astrid and I aren't connoisseurs of such liquors, we wanted to take the tour.

There's always so much to see!

And, yes, we also got to taste, just to say we did it!

It was a fun way to end the day.

Of course, we were short of eyes in between our "monuments."

After all these years, Dutch architecture still amazes me.

As do the gable stones!

I never tire of them.

Or of the weathervanes.

You could say that "things" impress me, everywhere I look.

It's as it should be...because I love where I live!


As we returned to our car, this said it all!

And since I put it out there, we plan to visit the war prison in Breda next year, closed since 2014.

God willing and the creek don't rise, of course....

England 2015: Day 6--Salisbury and Its Cathedral

This was our day to see churches much grander than the parish churches we had seen up to this point, specifically...the Salisbury Cathedral.  Sometimes you have to see both in order to appreciate either!

So, we headed out to Bradford on Avon to catch the train to Salisbury, not quite an hour's ride away.

Chris joined us for the ride and once we arrived in Salisbury...ALAN joined us (bottom right).

What a great surprise.  Another Shutterchancer to make our day!

And as we walked through the city to the cathedral, we started spotting the Barons,

celebrating 800 years of the Magna Carta (more on that later).

 Since our goal for the day was the Salisbury Cathedral, we wasted no time getting there.

Its main body was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258.

 It's spire is the UK's tallest at 123m/404 ft.

You could spend an entire day studying the outside only.  Seriously.

How can you resist these fellas?  But who are they trying to scare?

 True to English form, we first went to the cathedral's café for coffee break.

It's so Dutch, too.  So European, I guess?

Then Astrid and I were off to the Cloisters, 

following the signs to the Magna Carta in the Chapter House.

What is it about cloisters?

And there it was: The original copy of the Magna Carta from 1215, 800 years ago.

If you don't know the history, this is where the Barons come in!

You betcha that we both signed the book saying we saw it.

But even apart from the main attraction, the Chapter House is its own delight.
Notice how the NICHOLAS cushion grabbed my attention.

 Now we were ready to enter the cathedral proper, at the west front.

Those first moments always take my breath away.

Almost immediately you see all the fuss at the new baptismal font from 2008,

celebrating the cathedral's 750th anniversary.

Talk about a work of art!

Along the long nave towards the altar, it was easy to get distracted

by transepts, vestries and chapels...

 ...and statues and tombs,

and more tombs.

But by the time we reached the quire/choir, we knew we were close.

Actually, for me the quire is often the most soulful place in a grand cathedral of this size.

Was that because I sang in church choirs all those years ago?

Here you see the long stretch from the entrance to the altar,

through the quire (top and middle left).

All the way back to the entrance we found the world's oldest working clock, from 1386.

It has no face and no hands but strikes a bell at precise times.

And guess who made it?  3 clock makers from Delft, NL!

You know I found cushions, of course.

And plenty else...

...as well as people watching.

How's that for an overview!

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 Then it was time for lunch near the Poultry Cross (market cross).

"Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!"

And we did.

How fun, then, to see another church but on a much smaller scale.

This is the St. Thomas Becket church from the mid-15th century,

most known for its Last Judgment or "Doom" mural filling the chancel arch.

And of course, the old wood.  The chairs.  The hymnals.  The cushions.

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 Walking through town was a smattering of impressions, as always.

You know me and architecture, especially the half-timbered/Tudor buildings.

And the weathervanes, of course.

Eyes wide open.  Short of eyes.

 It was a day from beginning to end, shared with fellow friends who are important to us.

Who knew this would happen when I first joined Shutterchance in 2006!

It's become quite a community of friends, sharing our love of photography.

THANKS TO FRIENDSHIP:  Lisl, Chris, Alan...and Astrid, who became my wife because of SC!

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I put this up on Facebook yesterday:

"15 years ago today he came into my life and world and changed me forever. 

And on Friday he comes from Atlanta to visit us here in the Netherlands. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Nicholas J. Grannan. You're the man!"

There's only Day 7 left to get done before he comes.

I'm off-n-running.....