In the polder

 

This sunset could have come straight out of a Hollywood movie, but it's actually real. Here's one for Skywatch Friday.

A Cheese Shop for the Unsuspecting Tourist.

 If you like cheese, you really shouldn't come here—they only have three kinds of Gouda and one Edammer. One for signs2 here.

Holiday

 

Things are really hopping on the lake behind the dike near our house.

A colorful ensemble

 

 Columns beneath a subway line in Rotterdam. One for Sami's Colourful World here.

Way to the roof

 The last section of the stairwell in the fantastic Fenix Museum in Rotterdam (see also my post from June 4 last week).  One for Weekend street/reflections here. Header: Amsterdam street photography—and I don’t think everyone is happy to be in the photo. 

The Moon ?

 Well, it was really strange to see the moon there the day before yesterday.  But upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a reflection of the hallway light in the double-paned glass of the garden window. Here’s one for Skywatch Friday.

Passing by again

 

Must be a funny shot.

Transport

 On the way to the Fenix Museum from the subway Rotterdam, you’ll pass signs with maps of the subway system featuring station names like Vanity, Disillusionment, Trust, Desire, and Alienation. One for Signs2 here.

Mother and child once again

 This mural by JDL Street Art is located on the Kop van Zuid near Wilhelminahaven in Rotterdam. One for Sami's Colourful World here.

Just passing by

 Header typical street crossing Amsterdam

Praying Kestrel

 If it keeps popping up right in front of you, you might as well give it a try. Here’s one for Saturday Critters.

Oops

 Not every skywatch is as wonderful as it seems in everyday life.  A Rotterdam sky in the harbour. One for Skywatch Friday here.

Fenix Museum

 Yesterday I visited the latest architectural addition in Rotterdam: the Fenix Museum, featuring a double-helical staircase in the center, designed by architect Ma Yansong of Mad Architects.

The start

Looking upstairs

Try to capture the surroundings through the reflection created by the entire staircase.

All in all, well worth it.

I just don’t know what to make of this.

 Transformer station clad with images of Rembrandt’s paintings on Rembrandt Square.  A slightly belated post for Sami's Colourful World here.

Entrance?

Using the front door seems a bit tricky to me.(Header: Well, if no bikes are parked there, something else will take over the bike racks.)

Look up.

 The sky sometimes makes for a beautiful backdrop, like here with an inflatable bouncy castle. Here’s one for Skywatch Friday.

People-watching is definitely the most fun

 Go girl go.

The newest invention

Streets locked for bikers on both sides. One for Signs2 here.

 

Really, really busy

 Parking on either side is really no easy task.

Bike transport

 Just throw everything in including the kids. Saw this yesterday on the Prinsengracht. (Header text reads: Amsterdam buckles under the pressure by a renovation brick-lined embankment)  

Let's see if there's anything left to get.

 Goldfish or Koi. I like them both. Most of my neighbors have covered their ponds with a net, but you never know. Linking it to Saturday critters here

Café terrace expansion

 Well, you have to make do when you don't have much space. (Header: the lock between Prinsengracht and Korte Prinsengracht, with a view of the Wester Church)

Happy fruits and vegetables.

 

And the mousetrap was there again, too. One for Signs2 here.

Street furniture

 It really stands out, even though it's in a cluttered spot. Here's one for Sami's Colourful World.

Birthday Party

It looks like someone just turned 26, and that calls for a celebration on a bridge over the Keizersgracht.  

Aerial advertising

Apparently, even the aerial advertisements are in English, even though we’re in the Netherlands. Seems to have something to do with cryptocurrency. I’d call this double air pollution. One for Skywatch Friday here.

Signs in the vicinity.

 

You don't have to walk far to see that this neighbor keeps chickens in his yard. One of them, named Duco, seems to always make a run for it whenever the gate opens. Here's one for Signs2.

Its a colorful world

 One for Sami's Colourful World here.

A beautiful home.

Houseboat on the Amstel (Header from the archive. Window sill filler at Biebkriebels sister's place.)

 

Yesterday was truly a beautiful day in Amsterdam

 

 I had to stop by my old workplace and thought I’d walk from Central Station to work. I came across this welcome sign for visitors featuring an alternative to the St. Andrew’s crosses in the Amsterdam coat of arms. Unfortunately, very few visitors come to this spot and I haven't seen elsewhere.

Very sunny

and very inviting with all those spring green.

Mouse guard

 This is a real problem in downtown Amsterdam, especially when there's plenty of food around.  This really works best. A point for Signs2 here.

Today in Almere

Preparations for King's Day tomorrow are in full swing. Some children have already gotten their hands on some goodies or are bringing them in for sale.

And to think that someone has to stay up all night to watch over the stuff at a temperature of 5°C.

Header the old canal Utrecht from the archive.

Dutch Mountains

 One for Skywatch Friday here.

The frustration of street photography

 Photos taken at waist height. I didn’t look through the viewfinder and just snapped the shot with a standard-sized DSLR. Well, the focus ended up a bit off—something you don’t have to worry about with a cell phone, but I still haven’t gotten used to it. I like it so much anyway that I’m posting it.

Martin Parr

 

Following the death of Martin Parr (1952–2025), a Magnum photographer, the Amsterdam photography museum Foam has curated a small photo exhibition titled *Very Modern and Rather Ugly*. His photos have always offered a somewhat sarcastic and humorous perspective on our society, and it is truly a shame that we have now lost this perspective. ( Header entrance of the Hart museum Amsterdam)

The Amstel

 It looks like boating season is here again. (Last Thursday)

There has to be something to laugh about.

 From the archive. The Cat Café. One for Signs2 here.

Amsterdam bikes

 Its colorful