Its saturday and it was a workday for me! On my way home I liked this sunset over our city center and the building that started it all… Have a nice saturday evening, I’ll see you over the rainbow tomorrow, themeday again!
Skyscraper sunrise
Month: November 2019
A yellow canary or just beer?
Its friday and most of us are looking forward to a few days off! So I thought it was appropriate to have a photo of this cafe, The Yellow Canary (in Dutch – de Gele Kanarie). With its own brewery beer or as mentioned in Rotterdam, a yellow canary! You can find this cafe at the Goudsesingel. Have a nice weekend!
Fresh and healthy
Ok, you’re in a hurry and not in the mood for cooking and preparing etc. Then there is a rescue! Here in the city are many supermarkets, some big, some small and some are especially for the convenience of the people in a hurry or with a appetite. Selling one-persons meals, all in or with easy packaging and their promise its fresh and healthy! I took this photo near one of this smaller supermarkets, at the Schouwburgplein, its their side wall with a lonely image of tomatoes, do you feel like buying something fresh? 🙂
P.S. Again a “real” filmphoto!
And now a message of general interest
This is not someone who wishes everybody love for Rotterdam but a shopsign on the central station of Rotterdam! This shop sells all kind of stuff connected to or with Rotterdam, hats, calendars etc. you name it! No advertising just a tip for visitors! And the most valuable of Rotterdam is unfortunately not for sale, myself! 🙂
A safe harbour for the holidays
This is just a beautifull view! I passed the Oude Haven (old harbour) near the cube houses and just had to click for you! This is old Rotterdam and new Rotterdam in one view. Top left, the red bridge is the Willemsbrug, opened in 1981. This new bridge replaced a older bridge from 1878. And the bright building at the right is our White House (yes really, in Dutch called “het Witte Huis”) build in art nouveau style en opened in 1898 and was then the highest office building in Europe! The harbour in front is the “Oude Haven” and dates back to about 1350! Nowadays the harbour is used for historic ships. During the holidays the historic ships are paved with lights…
Holy window shopping
Walking by the Bijenkorf, a luxury department store located at the Coolsingel, I noticed the shop windows with the theme of the upcoming festivities. The picture above shows just a part of it, many items were animated and there was music in the background. Luckily enough the store was already closed and I was not tempted to buy anything!
A unique landscape for small wheels
In the section between two roads there’s a unique landscape for skaters. New opened in 2015, located at the Westblaak and 1.200 m2 big, designed by Finnish skate park and landscape architect Janne Saario, who used to be a professional skater himself. Concrete structures, special polished asphalt and many trees, fresh grass etc. make this skate park interesting for street skaters but also for non-skaters. This part is also a nice place to walk or just sit down!
P.S. This picture and the yesterday’s one are made with a filmcamera, a old Minolta Dynax 5.
Drop me a line
Every country has their own kind of mailbox (brievenbus) and this is ours. A redish/orange colored one. There are two drop-in openings, one for local mail and one for the rest of the country or abroad. There are about 25.000 left in the Netherlands and about 339 are located in Rotterdam. And you can find the photographed one at the Meent, beside the former postoffice. I still use the postal mailservice regularly to send but receive almost nothing besides bills per postal services 🙂
45 Degrees of living
And finally a touristy picture, maybe you already recognized them, the Cube houses (in Dutch; Kubus woningen). Designed by architect Piet Blom and based on the concept of “living as an urban roof”. Build between 1982 – 1984. Blom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon-shaped pylon. Located on Overblaak Street, right above the Blaak metro station. There are 38 small cubes and two so called ‘super-cubes’, all attached to each other. There is a “show cube” open for visitors so you can experience the feel of living in a cube. Worth a visit! Its friday and a have a few days off ahead, I wish you a great weekend too!
Spirits in the forest
This evening I went to the movies, to this cinema, Pathe Schouwburgplein. One of the many cinemas here in Rotterdam. You’ve got the big cinemas like Pathe and the smaller ones for socalled art movies. But also in between, older but cosy. For anyone’s taste there’s one! Why the title of this post? Its the title of the movie I’ve seen, a concertfilm of the band Depeche Mode, for what it is worth, I recommend this movie! Action!
Visit the history of the city now!
Every city should have a museum about the city, here in Rotterdam we have a museum about the city, the Museum Rotterdam! Its right in the center of the city with everything about the history of the city and they have temporary exhibitions such as “ALL ROTTERDAMMERS, Migrant workers through the lens of photographer Robert de Hartogh” etc. You can find the museum at the Meent, and their website here (in english).
A cheese shop and their cow
This cow seems to be surprised by my camera and her picture taken! She belongs to the cheese shop in the background. Located just down the street at the Oude Binnenweg for over 25 years they moved to this location that had a rebirth after a thorough renovation. If you ever visit Rotterdam, the Oude Binnenweg is more than worth a visit!
P.S. Its a film photograph again, technical notes: camera: Praktica CX-1. Film: Kodak Portra 400, developed and scanned by the local lab.
A happy mole makes a happy monday!
Everybody can use some happiness on the mondays and what is making your day brightest dan ever? Yes, you guessed it, a happy mole! This one (his home is at the Sint Jacobstraat) is harmless to your garden but ruins the monday blues!
Update: Made by artist Mausz Tune
Saturday market, groceries for the sunday
Every weekend on saturday there’s the Rotterdam Center Market at the Binnenrotte. The place used to be part of the river Rotte, but drained in 1871 for the construction of the railway viaduct on the Rotterdam-Dordrecht line. The viaduct was demolished after the construction of the Willemsspoor tunnel in 1993. Since then, the Binnenrotte has been a large open space, the Binnenrotteplein, that is used on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and during part of the year also on Sundays, by the Rotterdam Center Market, a general commodity market with more than 450 stalls. But now all groceries have been eaten again and we are heading towards Monday and again, until then!
P.S. Its a film photograph again, technical notes: camera: Praktica CX-1. Film: Kodak Portra 400, developed and scanned by the local lab.
A fall sky fell into place
While waiting for the tram I looked around and saw the light, the buildings, traffic and everything fell into place. I quickly took my film camera and took this picture! Yes, film camera! Developed and scanned today and for the world to see! Location: the intersection Blaak – Andre van der Louwbrug, direction of the river Nieuwe Maas…
Open all hours?
Why the black and white? I like the repeating pattern of it. These doors are to be found at the Bergselaan in the neighbourhood Liskwartier, part of Rotterdam Noord, and typical for Rotterdam. I don’t know if they are open all hours but they look inviting 🙂 Buildings in this area are from around 1906. Its a nice neighbourhood to walk with beautiful houses, streets, avenues and canals. Peace and quiet is to find here, so let the weekend begin, enjoy!
Mi have een droom
Inspired on a poem of the Rotterdam poet Ramsey Nasr (link Dutch only). You can’t walk past it without looking and reading the stanza! It is made-up street language. The Rotterdams language as spoken in 2059, a mishmash between the Rotterdam slang, street language and poetry. You can find this mural at Delftseplein.
Every cloud has a golden lining
Today a simple picture taken at the P.C. Hooftplein in the direction of Marconiplein with the three towers or Lee Towers. The sun burst through the rain clouds and every cloud has a golden lining…
Reasonable young trees on a old square
This afternoon I took this picture on Noordplein located in het Oude Noorden. This square dates back to about 1860 with the streets surrounding it dating from 1860 – 1895 till about 1930s. Till about 1968 there was a vegetables market supplied via the nearby river Rotte. The trees in the picture are not that old, in the 90s a tree disease made sure that the old trees had to be cut down and these new trees were planted. Nowadays there is a small market (saturdays), concerts, a fair etc. And you can see at the far left the old buildings from the Heineken brewery sadly closed in 1968. Keep breathing, the brewery just moved to a new location at Zoeterwoude, so everything is ok 🙂
Reflections of a shopping night
Remember friday night, shopping night? This is the same spot but the picture is taken from the other side, facing the location where I stood then. I like this photo for the festive lights reflections in the stairs and sidewalks, it was a rainy monday evening but I was there!
Terminus line 24
A lovely day with beautifull light! I took this one through the windshield of the tram towards the terminus of line 24, the Esch. This is also near the centre of Rotterdam but you couldn’t guess that! And of course near this view>> Tomorrow is Monday again, until then!
Lights on! Let the game begin!
Today this picture of the football stadium owned by the pro Excelsior team. Founded in 1902 and located at Woudestein. And its not really a picture of the stadium but from the lights that put everything in a bright glow!
Rain showers used to stay down here
While travelling to work I passed the former water extraction company terrain located at the Esch and of course near the river Maas. Between the rain showers the sun broke open the clouds and showed again how beautiful autumn can be! On the right you see the silhouette of the old water tower. The entire location is now full of houses and business premises. I have to work this weekend but for those who have the weekend off, have fun!!
The pink flyover
A few weeks ago I photographed the columns of the flyover underpass at the Oostzeedijk Beneden. According to the artists – Transister (Nelleke Boerkoel & Hanneke van Leeuwen) – Painted columns and laminated panels depicting the local residents, installed as graffiti prevention. The dimensions: 2 slopes, 15 columns and ceiling: total 834 m2! Made in 2009, the ceiling is popping pink, the 15 pillars with super cute prints and hand-painted with skill, both sloping walls act as a real portrait gallery with people from the neighbourhood. Thats what I called a piece of art!
Progress in 1898
I always wanted to take a photograph of the tile tableau on this buildings facade. And today I took the subway and did it! The “Rotterdamsche Cooperatieve broodbakkerij en verbruiksvereeniging Vooruitgang“* founded in 1898 to provide good-quality bread and other foodstuffs at an affordable price to the working class. The bombing of Rotterdam in 1940 destroyed various stores and the head office of the bread and pastry bakery “Vooruitgang” or “Progress”. Short after the war a new head office was opened on a new location, the Schiekade. And in 1967 a whole new building at the Rotterdamse Zomerhofstraat combined all the old locations, the head office etc. In 1972 it all ended. Nowadays the location houses small businesses and many creative entrepreneurs.
* Translated: Rotterdam Cooperative bread bakery and consumption association Progress
Bowed strings in Rotterdam
In the Proveniersstraat near the railway station there’s a house where you would not know that a violin builder is housed until you see the violin on the facade (and of course the nameplate also helps…). De Blitz violin makers started around 1905 by Calman Blitz, his son Lou took it over and his son Otto was his successor then again from 1969. This small business still goes on.
A quiet Monday evening in Heliport
This picture is taken in the neighbourhood where I live, Heliport. Walking home I noticed the lights and all the stairs who have chosen their own way so it seems…
A weekend vibe, train travel
Another photo that has to do with my journey south (and the last one, I promise). Is it Rotterdam? Not strictly but it is taken on the train traveling from Rotterdam with a view on the passing landscape, the outskirts of the city. The light of fall, the tranquility of Sunday. Tomorrow its monday, enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Rotterdam Central station, walk to the light
The theme day photo yesterday was taken while on my way to the south of the Netherlands. Beside the bench I shot also this picture of a corner and one of the many entrances to the great hall of the station (the new station, opened in 2014, here a photo of how it used to be, the 1957 version >>), nice light, nice fall weather and a very nice travel companion, what else could you wish for?? Have a great weekend and if traveling, goede reis!
November 1st theme day “Brown”
First of the month again and themeday again! Theme is “brown” so the last days I was scanning for a photo op with a brownish je ne sais quoi… And the photo op occurred when I traveled by train to another beautiful town here in the Netherlands – Maastricht… Our brown travelbags on the brown bench in the great hall of Rotterdam Centraal, the mainhub for trains to all directions of the Netherlands! I was on my way to horizons and the picture to the world by means of my blog!