Netherlands-I

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

The front side was taped too.

In the Netherlands Saint Nicolas is celebrated by giving gifts to each other. In the weeks before Saint Nicolas night the people who celebrate it together draw each other's name. Then you buy a gift and hide in a self-made object, called a surprise . You can make just about anything. There is an alternative way of celebrating for the small kids. Gifts are just put in a large sack (Sint Nicolas's sack) or mail bag and are handed out. Sometimes a obliging neighbour puts the sack in front of the door and knocks hard, as if it was Saint Nicolas himself. This surprise served its purpose during the weekend, because many families celebrated it this weekend (instead of on December 5, like it should be). I found it in the hall of my apartment building. Spanje is Spain in Dutch, the country where Saint Nicolas supposedly lives and he travels by steamboat to Holland.

Rich people built these kind of houses from the 17th century onwards. This house dates from 1652, although there have been some rebuilding over the centuries. For more information (in Dutch): www.kasteleninnoordholland.nl/Kasteelbeschrijvingen/Ipenr...

The Ipenrode estate dates from before 1608. In the 18th century lands were added to it. For more information (in Dutch): www.kasteleninnoordholland.nl/Kasteelbeschrijvingen/Ipenr...

Dames & Werkhoven is a flower-bulb company. This is their original building. For more information about Nicolas Dames (in Dutch): www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/BWN/lemmata/bwn2/dames

Knorrestein is a tank stop on the road from Utrecht to The Hague.

The P.C. Hooft Price is the most-prestigious literary award in the Netherlands. These are some of the books in my collection of Biesheuvel.

She told us that we cannot go around insulting each other and the religious should start respecting the non-believers. I do hope it works. This is her palace by the way.

It is located in a former drinking-water pumping station. It was in use until 1996. More info: www.cradam.nl/restuk.htm

This building was built in 1826.

Routed the English at Chatham. More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiel_de_Ruyter en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_the_Medway

Unused

The naval museum at Den Helder