MyWorld Tuesday

Winter is definately here, This morning everything looked like being touched by a little baby powder.
  

 

Now it looks like this. A little early this year.

  

My World Tuesday

A fast changing world just around the corner, only a three minutes drive if there is no traffic jam. The first picture gives an impression of how the area looked about 30 years ago except for the Kentucky Fried Chicken in the front. The other pictures show how it is now. Could be anywhere I suppose! Same shops, same restaurants anywhere.
It was a misty day which shows in the photos.

MyWorld Tuesday

Last week I went to Aachen in Germany just across the border. It is a very old and historic city. The centre of the city is the Aachener Dom (cathedral) of which I will show some photos. Aachen has been severely bombed by the Allied Forces during WW2 but as a wonder the cathedral survived. It has been damaged several times but a group of brave teenagers kept guard during the war and extinguished each and every fire that they discovered.
Construction of the oldest part of the church started in 792, the octagon that is now the centre of the building. The cathedral is so huge that I could not take a picture of the complete church. We also couldn't get in because there was some work going on at the entrance. I would have liked to take pictures of the fantastic windows from the inside.





A bronze model of the front of the cathedral. The copper plate on the base is in braille.


The back with a plate with normal lettering


Last view from the parking lot

MyWorld Tuesday

Today's pictures show historic grounds. This is where I grew up. It looks quite good now but it is a former mining area. The oldest coal mining area of Europe. It was in the 11th century that the coal reached the surface at Rolduc and mining was not very difficult. When the mine was exhausted they had to dig deeper and coal mines were established. During the 1960s most mines were closed and the grounds were developed for housing and recreation.

The road in this picture used to be a railroad for coal transport only. I had to cross it every day when going to school. A high wall and a barrier prevented us from entering the mining site.


These two pictures give you an impression of how it looks today. Neat houses and a lot of green.



Unfortunately I have no photo of how it was at hand. I must have a book with old postcards on my shelves but I could not find it. I hope I did not lend it to someone I don't remember.

MyWorld Tuesday

Last week end I stayed with friends in the Ardennes in Belgium. Before driving home I took these pictures. The scenery is so beautiful it is never boring.

MyWorld Tuesday

Today we went to Spakenburg an old fishing village upon the former Zuiderzee (southern sea) which was a very rough and dangerous bay of the Northsea in the northern part of the Netherlands. In 1932 the Afsluitdijk (closing dike) was build to separate the bay from the sea. A huge lake was formed fed by the river IJssel an called IJsselmeer. You have to know the Dutch and their struggle against water and claiming their land from the sea. So they did by draining half of the IJsselmeer and our 12th province was born: Flevoland. Many people around the IJsselmeer lost their livelihood. Also in Spakenburg. The botters (wooden fishing boats) are kept and well maintained and used for pleasure boating on the remaining waters.





In Spakenburg people used to wear their typical folkloristic dress. It is disappearing but some women still wear it. We saw a few women fully dressed at work in shops. It looked beautiful. Men and children don't wear traditional costumes anymore. In the Traditional Costume and Fishery Museum I took a few photos which give you an impression. In the first picture are children up to toddlers age and the second picture show children up to about 18 years. I am not sure if it was comfortable for the younger kids. The other pictures show complete families.

My World Tuesday

While driving around to find a photogenic spot to try my new camera I passed the Hoensbroek castle again. Artists were building sand sculptures for a medieval festival on the grounds next to the castle. Visitors are not allowed to enter the site until the artists have finished the sculptures. I managed to take some pictures standing on the road nearby. Though they were at a distance of about 150 metres I zoomed in with my camera and was surprised at what I saw when I uploaded the photos. Very clear pictures. Amazing what you can do with sand and amazing what my simple camera did (again a Kodak Easy Share). A pity though that this was the only angle where I could see a little of the sculptures.

MyWorld Tuesday

Last week I showed some pictures of Rolduc. Today's pictures are taken only about 1500 meters from there. In the old days Kerkrade and Herzogenrath were one community, 's Hertogenrade. Most important buildings were Rolduc Abbey and the castle only a few hundred meters apart. During the Vienna Congress 1814-1815 new boundaries were formed in Europe. One of the results was that the town of 's Hertogenrade were split into a Dutch and a German part. Kerkrade in the Netherlands and Herzogenrath in Germany. Just like that and never mind the feelings of the people concerned. The new frontiere line was drawn right in the middle of a street, the Nieuwstraat (New Street) and was marked with barbed wire, poles, chicken wire etc.
What I remember as a kid after WW2 was that an aunt of mine lived in the German part of the street and for every visit we had to pass through customs and show passports.
A few decades ago with a united Europe to come the wire and poles were pulled down and low concrete frontiere was built. People who lived in the street got a special passport to cross the street both ways. In 1991 the concrete border was removed as well and no boundaries are left.

This is the Nieuwstraat now the righthand side is Dutch, the left is German
My aunt and her family lived in the house at the left. At the opposite side of the road schoolfriends of mine lived. When visiting my aunt I could not cross the border to play with them. I was not even allowed to go near the wire fence to talk to them.
Now it is just one open street as you can see.


The streetnames in both languages. The sign is placed in Germany and where I stood to take the picture is Netherlands.


There where the Dutch part of the street ends a new building was constructed about 10 - 15 years ago which accommodates German and Dutch offices. I think it is an ugly monstrous building and divides a street that onze was several kilometers long and straight. Don't know who's idea it was but I have not met anyone who is happy with it.
The house at the left is the last house of the Nieuwstraat on Dutch territory.


This picture is taken at the back of the hideous building. From there the street is German at both sides.

My World Tuesday

Today I went down Memory Lane. I went back to my birth place where I spent the first 23 years of my life. I had a happy childhood growing up in a coal mining town close to the German border. The mines are all closed down and there are few signs of mining past. The very first coal mine in Europe was at Rolduc in Kerkrade and goes way back in history. Rolduc was an abbey founded by the Augustians in the 12th century. It has a great history, has been Dutch, German, French, etc.

But this is about my memories. In my time it was a boys boarding school and a Roman Catholic seminary. I was at a girl's highschool and in those days we were not even allowed to look into a boys direction! But twice a year we had a concert at Rolduc by the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. There we were boys and girls together chaperoned and escorted by nuns and teachers. The conductor of the orchestra was Andre Rieu, yes the father of THE Andre Rieu.
Today I went back to see if much had changed. It was about 30 years since my last visit. It had changed a lot. Rolduc is partly a hotel and a conference centre now.

Please click on the picture to read the text


The maine building an oldest part


This used to be the farm belonging to the abbey. Main building and stables are reconstructed and converted into offices.


Driveway to the entrance


The total environment has been changed, modernised, it is still majestic but not as respectable as it was decades ago. It is much bigger than I can show here.
I found this airial view on the internet.

My World Tuesday

Last week I spent a few days in the Belgian Ardennes near Durbuy. I think it is the most beautiful part of Belgium. It has historic places and a wonderful scenery.
The first thing that strikes you in Durbuy is the imposing castle build in the 11th century on a rock overlooking the small town located at the river Ourthe. Most houses are built of Ardenese stone and have a real ancient look. Almost all of them are restaurants or hotels. Never seen so many in a small town.

My World Tuesday

Today I want to show you some photos I took in Iceland a few years ago. Actually I risked my life to take them. We went on a tour to a glacier and our guide was amazed how fast it was melting. According to him this was all covered in ice only a few years before!


Only three months before we were there the ice reached the ground. Now a cave of ice had been formed.


Can you imagine there was an entrance under the glacier we could walk into. Our guide said it was dangerous to go in and it was at our own risk. He would not go in.
Well some of us did. It was exciting but I did not have the feeling the glacier would collapse at that moment. I knew what I was doing but I wanted to experience this. I would never get the chance to take photos from under a glacier again. It was fascinating and thrilling. The further we went the darker it was. At some spots the ice was really thin and we could see some beautiful blue light shining through. It was fantastic realizing there was such a mass of ice above us. And I muss confess I was also happy to leave the glacier safely. I let the pictures speak for themselves.

My World Tuesday

Today's picture shows a historical water mill, called the Weltermolen (molen = Dutch for mill). The mill was first mentioned in the 14th century. It is not known when exactly the mill was build. I suppose the first water wheel must have been made of wood. The ownership of the mill changed many times caused by deaths or divorces. It is now privately owned. The mill is fed by the pond mentioned in my last post while the pond is fed by a stream: de Geleenbeek. The water wheel was replaced by a new iron wheel at the end of the 19th century. During WW2 the mill was taken out of action and fell into decay. Because of the historical value of the mill it has been restored around 1980. On a few milling days the mill works and is open to visitors.


This picture gives you an idea of the size. The diameter of the wheel is over 5 meters.



For more interesting My World pictures clich here.