Jaap van 't Veen's photos

The famous landmark Stockalper Palace (Stockalperschloss) dominates the city of Brig with its monumental architecture. It took twenty years (1658 – 1678) to built this monumental castle with its baroque architecture. The palace was the largest private building of the 17th century in the country. It was built by Kaspar Jodok von Stockalper, a renowned wealthy merchant, banker, entrepreneur, military official and politician. The palace was built next to the smaller 16th century Stockalper House. It is a rectangular building with three towers with gilded onion domes, named after the Three Kings or Wise Men of the Bible: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. The building has a large rectangular courtyard with arcades in the style of the Italian Renaissance, nowadays often used for cultural events. In 1948 the city of Brig took over the palace and in 1960 the city council moved in. A museum was established and some of the rooms were renovated. Today the palace can be visited with a guided tour.

Saint-Ursanne (see: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/47356382 ) is a charming old town on the banks of the river Doubs, considered being one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland with its medieval architecture. The most important monument is the Collégiale with the adjacent monastery. This collegiate church was built at the end of the 12th century with clear Burgundian influences. The architectural style shows elements that point to the transition from the late Romanesque to the early Gothic period. Construction of the choir, the apse and the crypt was finished before 1210. The inside of the church was altered significantly in the 14th century. Major decorative work in the baroque style was undertaken between 1660 and 1702. The church has a richly decorated gate, most probably from the second half of the 12th century. The semicircular tympanum (PiP1) shows a figure of Christ sitting on a throne; at his right hand praying Saint Ursicinus, the founder of Saint Ursanne. The cloister (PiP2) is situated to the northwest of the collegiate church. It was constructed and enlarged in 1380 on the existing foundations and later underwent two restorations in 1551 and 1906. It has a series of arcades with so called ogive windows.

The little town of Tigre - 30 km northwest of Buenos Aires - is located on the edge of the immense delta of the Paraná River, also known as the Islas del Paraná . It was already a small harbour town around 1770, but it was not until the early 1800s that it was given a village centre and from 1880 the wealthy inhabitants of Buenos Aires spend their weekends and holidays and built beautiful mansions. Nowadays it's still a place where many of Buenos Aires' residents love to come and relax for the day. Tigre is also famous for its rowing clubs and regattas. Most of the clubs are housed in stately clubhouses. In the town you can still taste the atmosphere of the past with all those elegant buildings. The delta - about 26,000 km2 - consists of about a hundred small rivers with many islands in between. Where these are not too swampy, the porteño's (residents of Buenos Aires) have built holiday homes, with a jetty or on poles. The village was originally named Las Conchas after a local river, but became popularly known as 'Tigre' in the 19th century. Tigre was also the name of a stream and is thought to derive from the tigres (jaguars) seen in the area when it was first settled. In 1952, the name of the village was officially changed to Tigre. We visited the area on a public riverboat (PiP1), made a walk around one of the island with lush flora and fauna and had a lunch in one of the restaurants.

Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Nood (Our Lady in Distress) is located just south of Heiloo. It is the largest Marian pilgrimage site in the Netherlands. The history of the Sanctuary goes back to the end of the 14th century. At that time, a farmer found a statue of the Virgin on his land. He took it home with him, but miraculously it returned to the place of invention. Around the same time a ship got in distress off the coast near Heiloo. In his distress the skipper prayed to God. Above the roar of the waves and the roar of the wind, he heard a clear woman's voice saying: 'If you are going to honour me, the wind will turn'. The skipper recognized the voice of the Mother of God and promised to devote himself to her worship. When safely ashore, the two stories came together and the place for the construction of the Genadekapel (Chapel of Grace) was found. A document from 1409 has been kept in the archives of the Archdiocese of Utrecht that speaks of the capelle in de banne van Heiligenloo . In the courtyard of the Chapel of Grace there is a well with healing water, called Runxput . During the Reformation the chapel was destroyed and the well was filled with debris from the chapel. In 1713, at the time of cattle plague, the water started to sprout from under the rubble. History tells that animals that drank from this water survived the plague. After this miracle pilgrimage to the sanctuary flourished again. Nowadays the Marian pilgrimage site is visited by tens of thousands of people.

In the Pfahlbaumuseum in Unteruhldingen, pile dwellings from the Stone and Bronze Age (4,000 to 850 B.C.) come back to life in reconstructions. The museum provides an insight into the mysterious world of farmers, fishermen and bronze casters from prehistoric times. About 6,000 years ago, the first farmers settled by the lakes around the Alps. They often built their villages directly on the water. By putting their houses on stilts, they had protection against damp soil and flooding. The important water, the fishing and a safe and convenient location on the major trade routes were probably reasons to settle here. It was not until the end of the Bronze Age (850 B.C.) that climate change forced them back to the higher regions of thee inland. Since then, the remains of the sunken villages have been well protected in the lakes. Completely isolated from the air, the soil also contains organic remains that would otherwise have been rotten on land for a long time. Numerous finds allow an accurate reconstruction of the houses. During intensive underwater excavations, divers were able to store numerous objects: tools, bones, textiles and even the remains of meals. Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen is one of Europe’s largest archaelogical open-air museums. It shows more than twenty reconstructed pile dwellings and replicas and original findings from excavations.

The Feria de Mataderos (Mataderos Fair) is a lesser known - located further away from the city center – attraction. It attracts thousands of visitors on Sundays, although during our visit - many years ago - it seemed if we were the only foreign tourists. The folk market and fair is held in the streets, opposite the former Mercado Nacional de Hacienda (National Livestock Market) in the working-class Mataderos neighbourhood. Merchants in hundreds of stands offer (handmade) crafts, as well as traditional Argentine cuisine. There is also a stage - the fair started with singing the national anthem - where musical shows and folklore dancing take place. In one of the streets we saw gaucho’s horse riding, contesting each other in a kind of game.

Sigmaringen Castle ( Schloss Sigmaringen or Hohenzollernschloss ) is standing on a cliff high above the city and the Danube. Originally built as a fortress it has been transformed into a residential palace. With its 450 rooms it is Germany’s second largest palece. The original fortress at Sigmaringen was first mentioned in 1077, but the earliest construction, still visible today, dates back to the 12th century. The oldest parts of the original castle and fortress are hidden beneath the alterations and rebuilding that took place between the 17th and 19th century. Sigmaringen Castle was almost completely destroyed by a devastating fire in 1893 and had to be rebuilt. Destructions and constructions continued to take place up until 1902. Sigmaringen Castle has been the home of the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern family since 1535. For hundreds of years the European aristocracy met at the castle and the family of Hohenzollern still owns the castle today. The palace can be visited by a guided tour. (We did not visit the castle, but only looked at the exterior from two points. First from a hill with the Josefskapelle – PiP3 - and later from the bank of the Danube - main picture and PiP 1 and 2.)

Thun is a medieval city, located on the west end of Lake Thun. Already as early as 2.500 BC a first settlement arose on today's site of the city. The castle - towering above the old town - was built by the Dukes of Zähringen. It has a donjon (PiP 1), dating back between 1180 and 1190. One can enjoy wonderful views over the city (PiP 2) and the mighty mountains of the Bernese Highlands, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in the far distance. Five bridges connect the modern shopping area of Thun with the medieval city center. By far the most interesting is the wooden covered bridge Untere Schleuse (main picture), built in 1724. The flood gates regulate the water flow of the River Aare (PiP3).

La Boca is one of the 47 <i.barrios (neighbourhoods) of Buenos Aires, located near the old port of the city. La Boca means in English ‘the mouth’. Its is named so because it is situated at the mouth of the river Riachuelco. This proximity to the river is in fact the reason for La Boca’s existence: the neighbourhood used to consist solely of shipyards and of the houses of people - in the beginning with many settlers from Italy - who worked in them. The houses were built with cast-off ship building materials, meaning that they were largely constructed of materials such as planks, sheet metal and corrugated iron. Houses were painted with whatever leftover paint they could find from the nearby dockyard. These colourful houses nowadays are a magnet for tourists and La Boca is one the main destinations for visitors. Colourful El Cominito (Little Walkway) - a formerly rail route - is the main attraction with (pseudo) art galleries, artists and tango dancers. The little pedestrian street is also a tourist trap with touts, hawkers, hustlers and overpriced knick-knacks. La Boca is also well known for its football club Boca Juniors and their stadium La Bombonera (PiP5)).

The Blautopf (Blau= Blue / topf=pot) is considered being Germany’s most beautiful karst spring. It is famous for its strikingly beautiful water colour, which is the result of the reflection of the light. All long-wave colours are absorbed, whereas the short-wave blue is reflected and thus becomes visible. This ‘Blue Pot’ is the spring of the river Blau, which flows after almost 15 km in the Danube in the city of Ulm. Because of its high water pressure, the spring has developed a funnel-like shape, which at its deepest point has a depth of 22 meters. Every now and then, the spring ‘boils over’, gushing out 32.000 liters/second, much more than the average of 2.300 liters/second. At the Blautopf is a hammermill, which is fed by the water of the spring. The church belongs to the former Benedictine monastery in Blaubeuren.

Neresheim Abbey - officially Abbey of Saints Ulrich and Afra - was founded in 1095 as a house of (secular) Augustinian Canons, and converted to a Benedictine monastery in 1106. The abbey complex is situated on a hill, overlooking the town of Neresheim. In the 13th century, the abbey owned seven villages and it had an income from a further 71 places in the area. Ten parish churches were incorporated. During wars and conflicts the monastery was destroyed several times. In 1802 the monastery was secularized. In the year of 1810 the abbey was annexed by the Kingdom of Würtemmberg. In 1919 the abbey was resettled by Benedictines from Beuron Archabbey; nowadays the abby is still part of the Benedictine congregation of Beuron. Originally the monastery had a roman basilica, but in 1695 it was transformed to a baroque church. After much internal debate, in 1745, the decision was taken to build a new abbey church. It was built between 1747 and 1792 from plans by the famous architect Balthasar Neumann. After his death (1753) his disciples and followers continued his work. It is considered being a masterpiece of European baroque. The domes were frescoed by Austrian painter Martin Knoller from Austria during six summers (1770-75). They show Jesus Christ in the centre surrounded by scenes from his life. In 1966 the domes had become in danger of collapse and the building had to be closed. During a nine years lasting restoration this wonderful work of faith and art could be saved and conserved. There are still monks loving and working in the monastery. It has also a bookshop and a restaurant for visitors. The monks run a conference centre. If you like a monastic kind of a stay there is also a guesthouse.

In the past the village of Twisk was a linear settlement, but since the end of the 20th century there are also side roads with new buildings. The village has just more than 1.000 inhabitants. Twisk is a conservation village - with fifty listed buildings - and has two churches, one of which is a late Gothic church and many old farmhouses. It even has one of the highest concentrations of so called stolpboerderijen , a kind of farmhouses typical for this part of the Netherlands. These ‘pyramids of the polder’ had their hay barns in the center of the house ; box beds were built beside them, as it was nice and warm. The village was mentioned in 1245 as Twisca and in 1639 as Twiscke . The name of the village is derived from the old Frisian twisca , which means "between". Twisk must have been a hamlet on a road between two other villages. Today Twisk is a combination of lovingly restored farms and houses; some of the them date from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. When visiting the picture-postcard village of Twisk, it feels if you are taking back a step in time.

The oldest mention of the reformed church in Limmen dates from the year 740, when the dilapidated church was renewed. Around 800 there is talk of - presumably - a wooden church in Limbon, which was owned by the St. Maartenskerk in Utrecht. In the 13th century a tower was built, separate from the existing tuff hall church. A century later, a large brick church with a choir was added and the tower was then built in. The whole building was twice as big as can be seen today. In 1598 the church was restored from the destruction by the Spanish troops during the siege of the city of Alkmaar and became its present form. The last ruins were cleared in 1806, but are still partly visible. The church with its tower - which has a bell dating from 1650 - is a national monument. The last restoration was carried out in the years 2000/2001. As you can see the church is located next to the Hortus Bulborum ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/37859542 ).

Kasteel Radboud (Radboud Castle) - also knwon as Kasteel Medemblik - is located between the harbour of Medemblik and the IJsselmeer . At the end of the 13th century, Count Floris V of Holland ordered the construction of a series of castles to control the Westfrisian population. Radboud Castle is the only one remaining of those castles. When exactly it was built is unknown, but the castle was completed before the so called St. Lucia's Flood in December 1287. From old pictures and archeological research it is known that Radboud Castle must have been a strong castle. Nowadays only two residential wings, two square and one round tower are still standing. In the 14th and 15th century the counts of Holland installed guardians at the castle. Radboud Castle has never been connected to nobility but has been primarily used as a prison. The people of Medemblik used it also as a refuge. The defensive function of the castle was reduced with the building of walls around the city of Medemblik at the end of the 16th century and due to both dismantling and lack of maintenance there was attrition of the castle buildings. From 1848 the demolition of the castle buildings started. In 1889 the remains of the castle were transferred to the state and a thorough restoration followed. From 1897 till 1934 the castle was used as a courthouse. From 1964 to 1965 further restorations were done with a more historical and architectural correctness and some of the previous renovations were removed The name Radboud has been derived from the popular assumption that the castle was built on the place where in the 8th century a castle from the Frisian king Radboud had been standing. Nowadays Kasteel Radboud houses a museum, while on the ground flore there is a café/restaurant.

Casa Rosada (Pink House) - or officially Casa de Gobierno - is one of the main landmarks of Buenos Aires and dominates the main square of the city Plaza de Mayo. The pink coloured building houses the Argentine national government and the president’s office. It is also the place where many of the major historic events of the country took place. Among them the scenes when Juan and Evita Perón addressed the masses from a balcony. The Casa Rosada was constructed on the site of a fort established by the Spanish in 1580 and used by the Spanish colonial viceroys. After the Argentine independence (1816), the fort was redeveloped into a customs house by a British architect. In 1862 the building was chosen by President Bartolomé Mitre to be the seat of his government. His successor - President Sarmiento - expanded the building and is believed to have ordered it to be painted pink. The current building was completed in 1884. Casa Rosada can be visited during a guided tour. The building also houses a museum, which contains objects relating to former presidents of Argentina. It has been declared a National Historic Monument of Argentina in 1942.

Trettachtal (Trettach Valley) is one of Oberstdorf’s valleys, which are characterised by glacial drift from the latest ice age. The valley glaciers from the large side valleys gradually crept south, forming the scenery that is visible today. As the glaciers receded, watercourses formed the current valleys, among them the beautiful Trettachtal. The Trettach stream originates south of Oberstdorf near the Trettachspitze and is about 14 km long. Nowadays the valley - almost car free - offers a more or less level, yet beautiful walk. We often made a round trip during our winter holidays in Oberstdorf. First following the river and passing the hamlets Gruben and Dietersberg, back along the golf course, the frozen Moorweiher and the historic Moorbad swimming pool.

In the past Kleinwalsertal had twelve covered bridges, but nowadays there are just three left of these monuments of carpentry. The Höfler bridge - near Mittelberg - is one of them and with a length of 33 meters the longest. The main reason for the roof of the bridges was certainly to protect the stringers from the weather. Originally the Höfler bridge is dating back to 1891, but fell victim to a devastating avalanche in 1907. The bridge was erected for a second time in spring of that year. In the valley of the river Breitach (PiP3) there were in the 1950’s eleven covered bridges. Wooden bridges with their shingle roofs were often torn away by avalanche or flood disasters. So also the Höflerbrücke, which was washed away by the Breitach in August 2005. Unlike others - replaced by more modern structures - it was replaced by a new wooden covered bridge.

One of the most famous Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most well known national parks in the USA. It is considered being one of the seven wonders of nature. Millions of years ago a part of the earth's crust was pushed up, creating the Colorado Plateau of which the Grand Canyon is now a part. Over millions of years the Colorado River has made its way through the rocky layers of the plateau, where the rocks were (and still are) polished further and further. Because each rock layer consists of a different type of rock, the effects of the force of the water are different everywhere. This has created a complicated system of deep, capriciously shaped ravines. Besides the Colorado River other erosive forces, such as frost and wind, have also had a great influence. The dimensions of the canyon are enormous with a length of 446 km’s and a width between 18 and 29 km’s. The maximum depth is about 1.600 meters. The area became a national monument on 11 January 1908 and a national park on 26 February 1919. In 1979 the park was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We visited several viewpoints of the Grand Canyon between Grand Canyon Village and Desert View. At the last one we were during sunset and could admire the beautiful colours of sky and ravine walls. Without any doubt Grand Canyon was one of the highlights of our visit to Arizona/Utah, but to be honest the (impressive) landscape at the different viewpoints was often more or less the same.