Jaap van 't Veen's photos

The road between Gustow on Rügen and Stralsund is part of the first segment - Rügen to Reinsberg - of the Deutsche Alleenstraße (German Avenue Road), which was inaugurated in the year of 1993. The scenic German Avenue Road is a 2.900 kilometres long tree-lined holiday route between the Baltic Sea and Lake Constance.

Torekov is a small village at the tip of the Bjärehalvön peninsula. Originally it was a fishing village, but nowadays a well-known holiday destination due to its ideal location at the sea with some beautiful beaches.

The Agios Minas Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox Cathedral, serving as the seat of the Archbishop of Crete. It was built over the time period of 1862-1895. The outbreak of the Cretan revolution in 1866 demanded the stopping of its construction, which continued in 1883. It is one of the most magnificent and impressive churches in Greece, with a capacity of 8.000 people. The church is of a cruciform type with a dome base, while internally there are also elements of a three aisle basilica. The inside of the church has gone through many changes with new additions. The religious painting of the church was assigned to St. Kartakis, who followed faithfully the principles and the models of the Byzantine icon painting. The The church is dedicated to Saint Minas, the patron saint of Heraklion during the Turkish period. Foundations of the imposing cathedral of Saint Minas were laid in 1862 as a token of gratitude by the citizens of Heraklion for the saint's protection of the city. Although Crete was still under Turkish rule the cathedral was inaugurated in 1895. To the left of the cathedral stands the original little church of Saint Minas (‘mikros Agios Minas’ as the locals say), which was built in 1735 and housed the Metropolis of Crete for the first time after the Turkish occupation. (see PiP 1).

Schwetzingen Palace (Schloss Schwetzingen) was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl Philipp and Karl Theodor (of the House of Wittelsbach). The main building replaces a 17th-century hunting lodge built on the foundations of an older moated castle - dating back to 1350 - of which it also retains some foundations and walling. It was built in its current form between 1700 and 1750. Construction began in the reign of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, for whom the palace was just a simple hunting lodge. He also commissioned alterations in 1697 and the addition of two wings significantly increased its size.

Örelids Stenar (or Örelids gravfält) is dating back to the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. People of the village of Örelid buried their dead in this grave field. There are 36 standing stones from the Iron Age and four mounds from the Bronze Age. One of the mounds was examined in 1930; the archeologists found a bronze dagger and double buttons. Behind the church in Tjärby, Örelids Stenar stands out against the horizon, situated on a beach embankment from the final stage of the Ice Age. In the 1830s there were more than 100 standing stones in the grave field. In 1971 many fallen stones were re-erected.

Sotiras Christos Church (Our Saviour Christ) is a Byzantine church dating back to the 10th century. The church was built with materials from an earlier basilica of the 6th century, which was located on the same site and most probably the seat of the bishop of Eleftherna. Next to the church is a small cemetery. Sotiras Christos Church has a cruciform architecture with a freely shaped cross and a cupola. On the top of the dome is a wonderful fresco of Jesus from the 12th century.

Beeckestijn is an 18th century estate and one of the few entirely intact large country houses, which was created as summer residences for wealthy Amsterdam regents on the edge of the dunes in Kennemerland. The present building was created from a 17th century manor and had several alterations and extensions. The most extensive expansion took place between 1716 and 1721, commissioned by Jan Trip jr. and Petronella van Hoorn. Among other things the 17th century façade was replaced by a Louis-XIV façade, with chequered pilasters and a richly decorated entrance. For more than two centuries Beeckestijn remained in the ownership of the Boreel family, until it was acquired by the municipality of Velsen in 1952. During WW II the house was seriously damaged. It became uninhabitable and key interior elements disappeared; the restoration was completed in 1969. The publicly accessible gardens of Beeckestijn are unique in the Netherlands, because it is the only location where one can simultaneously view two historically different styles. Just behind the manor a geometrically conceived part in the style of the French Baroque and adjacent a more natural English landscape park. The manor is now owned by ‘Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser’ - an association for the preservation of historic houses in the Netherlands - and the garden and park by ‘Natuurmonumenten’ - a society for preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands.

‘Het Hof’, locally also known as ’t Oude Hof, is dating back to the Middle Ages, when a fortified manor house stood on the same location. In 1574 the house was destroyed by the troops of Sonoy in the battle against the Spaniards. Anthonis Studler van Zurck, a wealthy merchant of Swiss descent gained possession of the ‘Heerlijkheid (manor) Bergen’ in 1641. He realized the manor in a very early country estate in a unique Dutch classicistic style. Although the main building with the central façade was never realized, the west wing (with stables and a coach house) and the residential east wing were. Whilst the west wing was pulled down ages ago, the east wing is what we nowadays know as ‘Het Hof’. J. H. van Reenen purchased Bergen in 1851 for 150.000 guilders. The heart of the ‘Heerlijkheid Bergen’ was ‘Het Hof’ with its surrounding 17th-century landscaped gardens, an extensive dune area and even a strip of beach. He restored ‘Het Hof’ to its present shape. Van Reenen took up residence there with his spouse Lady Wilhelmina Rendorp van Marquette and lived for about a century. In 1945 the house - vacated and damaged after WW II - was rented by the ‘Volkshogeschool’ (an adult education centre). With the efforts of students the house was refurbished bit by bit. In 2014 a thorough restoration of the historic mansion was completed and ‘Het Hof’ was reopened, nowadays owned/managed by a hotel company and used for conferences, receptions, lunches and dinners. The surrounding garden and park are free for visitors.

The ‘Beemster’ is the first so called polder in the Netherlands that was reclaimed from a lake by using windmills. The ‘Beemster Polder’ was created during the period 1609 - 1612. The clay of the polder turned out to be very fertile for growing tulips and nowadays it is one of the newest areas in the Netherlands where one can see vast bulb fields during springtime.

The ‘Slotkapel’ (Chapel of the Castle) is dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron of the nobility, was built in 1229 next to the castle of Egmond. In 1430 Count Jan van Egmond ordered the demolition and rebuilding of the chapel in a simple Gothic style as a one-aisled church. The chapel and castle were destroyed in 1573 and rebuilt in 1633 by the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1960 the ‘Slotkapel’ was in a very poor condition and the municipality intended the demolition of the church. Due to the efforts of a group of citizens the chapel was restored and does still exist. Nowadays it serves as a venue for weddings, exhibitions and concerts. PiP: remnants of the 'Slot op den Hoef' and the chapel in the background.

Traditional bulb fields can be found around Egmond. These - often smaller - fields are located at the foot of the dunes. Bulb growers find an ideal soil for growing their bulbs, consisting of a mixture of dune sand and clay; in Dutch called ‘geestgrond’.

If visiting nowadays De Rijp or nearby Graft it is almost impossible to imagine that herring, whale and merchant ships from these villages could sail directly to the sea. These nautical activities brought unprecedented prosperity to the villages. The magnificent city halls of the Rijp and Graft (PiP) and the homes of wealthy ship owners bear witness to the style and glory of the past steeped in a long tradition of whale and herring fishing. After draining of the surrounding lakes the herring industry disappeared and it was done with the wealth of the villages. The town hall of De Rijp was designed by architect-engineer Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater and is dating back to 1630 (the one in Graft is from 1613). The building survived a huge fire in 1654 that damaged most of the town. Nowadays is no longer used by the government, but there are still wedding and other official meetings. The ground floor was a weigh house, now housing the local tourist information centre. (On the foreground of the picture the so called Dambrug)

Surrounded by the largest bulb flower fields of the world lies the stunningly colourful ‘Tulpen Pluktuin’. This Tulip Picking Garden shows hundreds varieties of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and many others. It is possible to stroll through the garden, take pictures and pick your own tulips.

Museummolen Schermerhorn - officially named ‘Ondermolen D’ - is a windmill dating back to 1634 and was used to drain the water from the Schermerpolder. This mill is the only windmill from the Dutch Golden Century, which can be visited from bottom to the top (inside). Stroll through the rooms were the miller and his family lived and worked in the 19th and early 20th century, see the open fire/kitchen and the box-beds where up to ten people had to sleep. It is not very spacious, but at least they had a glorious view over the flat polder. When there is enough wind one can see through a glass bottom how the screw pump conveys water to a higher level. For more pics/info about the Schermer windmills: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41705132

Peat digging and floods developed the river Schermer into an inland lake with an open connection with the sea. Private investors started draining the lake between 1633 and 1635. For this huge job 52 windmills were used. The bottom of the Schermer lies more than 4 metres below sea level and windmills had to convey the water in several steps from one canal to the next. In 1850 the paddle wheel of the mill was replaced by a screw pump, which is even today still working. The mills on the reclaimed land of the Schermer (in Dutch: ‘droogmakerij’ or ‘polder’) worked so well that people switched to electrical pumping stations for controlling water levels not before 1928. There are still 11 windmills left in the Schermer, 3 of them nearby the village of Schermerhorn along the ‘Noordervaart’ Noordervaart’ are part of a triple mill drainage system . One of them - Ondermolen D - is a museum, where one can see how a poldermill worked and how people used to live in it. PiP 1: Ondermolen D (see for pics/info of this Museum Mill: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41705152) and in the background Ondermolen C. PiP 2: Bovenmolen E, seen from the Museum Mill.

After the construction of the Anna Paulownapolder an office of the water board was built in Kleine Sluis. The stately home is locally known as ‘Polderhuis’. In 1885 the ‘Poldertuin’ (Polder garden) around the house was designed by landscape architect Jan David Zocher jr., who also designed the Vondelpark in Amsterdam and the garden of Soestdijk Palace. ‘Polderhuis’ (nowadays privately owned) and ‘Poldertuin’ were sold to the municipality. The Poldertuin is still owned by the (new) municipality of Hollands Kroon. Since 2014 the garden is operated by a foundation. In autumn volunteers plant about 200.000 flowerbulbs, which are blooming between early April and mid May. The ‘Poldertuin’ with its large variety of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and special bulbs and tubers is also called ‘Little Keukenhof’. Main picture: Tulip Brownie PiP’s: Poldertuin

The huge village meadow of Oberstdorf is dotted with old barns. Being as flat as a pancake it is an ideal place for walking, biking and in winter for cross country skiing. The panorama - a stitch of three pictures - is showing the Allgäu Alps nearby Oberstdorf and in the background the ‘Lorettokapellen’ (PiP).

During our visit in Sweden we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of wild flowers all over the country. These are poppies nearby Alvastra kloster - www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/40917200 - in Östergötland County.