Netherlands-I

I took this picture in 1982 whilst on a school trip. There are some nice cars in the picture as well.

This was the post box of the Netherlands when the Post Office was a state company. It is a common misconception in the Netherlands that post office boxes were always red, but they were grey as well. The Post Office has been privatised for a long time. It is called TNT now. The boxes are orange.

This was the standard telephone in the Netherlands during the time that the telephone company was a state company. The phone was made by Krone, Ericsson and other companies. Made from 1965 until the late 1980s. The T is for table (there was also a W65, the W is for Wall) and 65 is the year of introduction. In those days telephoning was serious business. You were only supposed to use the telephone when Germans were invading the country or the dykes were about to break. There were a few other telephones available, mainly this one in different colours. From the 1970s onwards, push button phones were available. The main disadvantage of this phone was that if you picked up the receiver, the phone came with it, because it was so light. That didn't happen with those old bakelite phones. Everything you want to know about the T65 can be found here: www.telefoonmuseum.com/kunststof/t65/t65.html

"De Bey van Tunis kreeg een koliek als hij het wapperen hoorde van de Nederlandse vlag." Multatuli, Max Havelaar ADELAAR. Hull: Built 1925 by N.V. werf Hubertina v.h W.H. Jacobsachinefabriek, Haarlem Holland. Gross tonnage 20 ton. Length 20.10 m. Beam 5.10 m. Draft with 15t. coal 2.00 m. Steam Engine: Triple expansion with Stephenson reversing gear, surface condenser built by Hubertina v.h. W.H. Jacobs, Haarlem Holland. High pressure cylinder 200 mm. Intermediate pressure cylinder 320 mm. Low pressure cylinder 530 mm. Stroke 300 mm. Revolutions per minute 200 rev/min. Generated horsepower 150 i.h.p. Boiler: 1 furnace Scotch coal-fired, built by I.A. Kreber, Vlaardingen Holland. Operating pressure 12 kgm (atu) Length 3 m. Diameter 2.60 m. Heating surface 74 m² Home Port: Beverwijk Holland. source: www.stoomvaart.nl

No tripod, long shutter speed, only a car to hold the camera steady.

Built in 1697 on the medieval foundations of a castle. architects: Steven Vennecool and Jacob Roman

translation: STOP We are totally different from the other Greek restaurants in the Netherlands. That is because of our experience over many years with the entire family and our unique menu.

Die Winterreise by Schubert. Performed by Ian Bostridge, the floppy-haired Englishman with the golden voice in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. I wanted to thank him for singing, but he was so busy in conversation with Mitsuko Uchida, that I didn't dear. And my knowledge of the English language disappeared.

During the interval of Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (HWV 72) by Handel. Performed by the Gabrieli Consort and Players, directed by Paul McCreesh

Holland was covered in snow and fog this morning (March 3, 2006)