Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Heiligenhafen, a small city located along the Baltic Sea, has a modern marina with 1.000 moorings. The marina is located at the open part of a bight close to the city centre and the Graswarder Nature Reserve. It is considered being one of the most beautiful wharfs of the Baltic Sea.

The ‘Brandenburger Tor’ (Brandenburg Gate) is one of Berlin's most well known monuments; a landmark with over 200 years of history. The gate is the only remaining city gate of the former city wall. The Brandenburg Gate - a replacement of an older gate - was commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm II. The design of this neoclassical triumphal arch - 65.5 meters wide and 28 meters tall - was based on the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens. The construction started in 1788 and was officially opened in 1791. The Quadriga, a sculpture representing the Goddess of Victory was erected on the Gate in 1793. In World War II Brandenburg Gate was damaged but not destroyed by allied bombing. During the Cold War the gate was located right near the border between East and West Berlin and became a symbol of a divided city, which drew visitors who could get a glimpse of the world behind the Iron Curtain from an observation platform. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 the ‘Brandenburger Tor’ quickly reinvented itself into the symbol of a reunited Germany. The gate was thoroughly renovated in 2000 - 2002 and regained its 19th century grandeur.

Frigiliana is one of the most beautiful and picturesque Andalucian white villages; voted as the ‘prettiest village in Andalusia’ by the Spanish tourism authority. The village is situated 6 kilometres north of Nerja, more than 300 metres above sea level. Frigiliana can be divided into two parts: a newer part built in the traditional style of a white Andalucian village and the older part of Moorish origin. That part of the town is one of the best preserved Moorish villages in Andalucia. It offers many picturesque narrow, windy cobble stoned streets lined with whitewashed houses.

Pictures are taken along a rather steep and winding path and the scenic Paseo Don Juan de Temboury from the Gibralfaro Castle towards the Alcazaba, nearby the city centre of Málaga.

Malaga’s cathedral ‘Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación’ (Our Lady of Incarnation) was built between 1528 and 1782 on the plot of land of the former Almohad mosque. As a matter of fact it is still unfinished as the planned south tower was never built. The missing tower gives the cathedral its nickname ‘La Manquita’ (One Armed Lady). The emblematic north tower has a height of 84 metres, making this building the second-highest cathedral in Andalusia. The rectangular built cathedral has a nave and two aisles, the former being wider, though having the same height - almost 42 metres - as the aisles. The façade of the cathedral with its ornate stonework, unlike the rest of the building, is in baroque style and is divided into two levels; on the lower level are three arches, inside of which are portals separated by marble columns. Above the doors are medallions carved in stone (PiP). For information and pictures of the interior: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41333332

Malaga’s cathedral ‘Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación’ (Our Lady of Incarnation) was built between 1528 and 1782 is one of the best examples of Spanish religious art. The interior of this impressive building shows influences of renaissance and baroque styles. The cathedral offers a series of artworks, among them are the main altar with an elaborate marble pulpit on both sides (main picture). There are several side altars with the neoclassic altarpieces of the Chapel of the Incarnation (PiP 1) and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart (PiP 2). The choir has 42 beautifully carved stalls of mahogany and cedar wood (PiP 3). Above the stalls are two magnificent organs with more than 4.000 pipes, examples of 18th century musical instruments. For information and pictures of the exterior: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41359686

Puerto del Viento (Wind Pass) is a pass on the road A-366 between Ronda and El Burgo on an altitude of 1.190 metres. The pass is located in the Serrania de Ronda/Sierra de los Merinos.

In the year of 1625 rich Amsterdam merchants did get permission to cultivate an area west of Hilversum – nowadays called 's-Graveland. The sandy soil was excavated and transported by boat to Amsterdam, where it was used for the expansion of the city. Initially farms were founded on the lots. Later several estates were created, covering a manor in a large park and a farmhouse with pastures and fields. One of these estates is Boekesteyn, where the first owner Benedict Schaeck built a farm. Early 18th century the property was sold and on a map of 1725 a house is already marked. Around the year of 1750 the estate got its name “Boekesteyn”, probably named after the many beech trees on the property (boeke = beuk = beech); the lawn at the front of the manor still has some of these historic beeches. Huis Boekesteyn was built twenty years later by Solomon Dedel. During a renovation and expansion in 1915 it got the present tower and conservatory. In 1992 the estate is purchased by Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch nature organization. Nowadays Boekesteyn is one of the more than ten estates in 's-Graveland.

Begijnhof is the only almshouse founded in medieval Amsterdam, located within the innermost canal the ‘Singel’. Begijnhof is not an ordinary almshouse as it was not founded by private persons. It bore closer resemblance to a convent, although the beguines enjoyed more freedom than nuns in a convent. They were a group of unmarried or widowed women who lived together in a close community under a vow of chastity, but were free to leave the court at any time in order to get married. The ‘begijntjes’ (beguines) received free lodging for caring the sick and educating the poor in Amsterdam. It is unclear when the Beguinage was founded. The beguines lived in 1346 still in one house; in a document called "Beghynhuys". In 1389 for the first time is spoken of a courtyard. Begijnhof doesn’t have the small houses, so characteristic for most of the Dutch almshouses, but exist of 47 ordinary townhouses, each with facades from the 17th and 18th century (PiP 1). Most of the houses are older and quite a lot of them still have a Gothic timber frame. One of the oldest wooden houses of Amsterdam - Houten Huys from 1528 - is located within the Begijnhof (PiP2). The Begijnhof Chapel features a series of panels telling the story of the Miracle of Amsterdam. For more info and pictures about this chapel see: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41236526 Nowadays the houses in Begijnhof are still occupied by single women. The secluded courtyard is a green oasis, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city centre of Amsterdam.

The beguines had as early as 1397 their own little chapel in the Begijnhof. After the enlargement of the beguinage a new larger chapel was consecrated. The beguines themselves paid for the restoration of their church after it was damaged during fires in 1421 and 1452. After the ‘Alteration’ (transition of the municipality to the Protestant church) of 1578 their Gothic church was confiscated for Protestant use. The English Reformed Church of Amsterdam still has its services at this location. The Beguines went without a church for a century, worshipping in their homes in the Begijnhof. In 1671 began construction of their own Catholic chapel in two of their houses, which was authorized by the Protestant authorities, but its exterior had to be hidden from public view. So it became a ‘hidden church’. It opened for its first service in 1682. The interior of the Begijnhofkapel still offers fine marble columns, wooden pews, stained-glass windows and paintings telling the story of the ‘Miracle of Amsterdam’, referring to a eucharistic miracle in 1345, which happened in the Kalverstraat, not far from the Begijnhof. See for more info and pictures of the Begijnhof: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41236800

The Oude Kerk may be justly called ‘Old Church’: around the year of 1380 the church replaced a chapel from the 10th century on the same location. Both were dedicated to St. Thomas. Construction of the church was completed in 1409 and an independent parish was founded in Huizen. In 1577 the village was hit by a tornado and the roof of the church was blown away. It took sixty years before the damage was repaired, most probably due to a lack of resources. In 1637 the “Oude Kerk’ was inaugurated again. In 1870 the church was transformed into a cruciform. The northern side of this construction is still present and used as a meeting room. On the south side this was completely undone in 1908, when the reformed church decided to expand that part of the church with a modern semicircular extension (PiP). The latest renovations of the ‘Oude Kerk’ took place in 1958 (reducing the number of seats in the church to 1.200) and in 1987.

Spakenburg (formally Bunschoten-Spakenburg since its fusion with Bunschoten) was a real fishing village located at the borders of the IJsselmeer (former Zuiderzee). The heart of the village still is its harbour with an active wharf and many heritage ‘botters’ (authentic fishing boats), although there is no longer commercial fishing done from this area. These smacks are now used for sailing trips. Spakenburg is one of he few villages in the Netherlands where mostly elderly women still wear traditional costumes.

Without doubt the Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor is one of the most important religious buildings of Ronda. It was considered as a kind of cathedral, according to the founding documents. In 1485 - after the conquest of the city from the Moors - the catholic monarchs ordered the building of the church at the place of the mosque. During the constructing there were and it was not finished until the end of the 17th century. This explains the combination of different styles of the church: a part of the former Moorish Mirhab, gothic columns in the three naves, a renaissance choir and ends with some baroque elements. A central cedar choir screen divides the church into two sections: aristocrats to the front, everyone else at the back. The rear of this choir screen (main picture) is centering Our Lady of Peace surrounded by 14 elaborate wood carved renaissance reliefs. The exterior of the church (PiP) has some beautiful balconies, built during the regime of Felip II. These were used by local authorities and aristocracy for watching knight games, bull fighting and other public acts on the square in front of the building.

Oytal is a valley in the south of Oberstdorf and gets its name from the river Oybach. The valley is situated on an altitude of 1.000 meters. In the winter it ‘ends’ at the Berggasthof Oytalhaus, about 5 km’s from Oberstdorf. Besides walking and cycling (summer), one can take a carriage ride through this beautiful valley. Characteristic for the Oy valley is the avenue, lined with numerous mount maples, with a length of more than 1 km.

The Hoher Ifen - also called Hochifen - is a 2.230 meters high summit of the Ifen plateau, which is part of the Allgäu Alps and located just west of the Kleinwalsertal. It lies on the border between Austria and Germany and can only be accessed by road from Germany (Bavaria). Hoher Ifen is part of the European Watershed, where water is separated between the North Sea (Rhine River) and the Black Sea (Danube). Although not that high Hoher Ifen is a prominent landmark of this part of Austria and can be seen from everywhere in Kleinwalsertal. In winter the mountain plateau is an impressive backdrop for the Ifen ski area. Main picture was taken from the Schäfalp ski slope and the PiP’s from a footpath from Söllereck to Riezlern in Kleinwalsertal.

Runestones are mostly raised stones with a runic inscription. These stones are often memorials to dead men and were usually brightly coloured when erected, though this is no longer evident as the colour has worn off. This tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century. Most of them date from the late Viking Age and are located in Scandinavia (the majority however is found in Sweden, estimated around 2.000 of these stones). The Rökstenen (Runestone in Rök) is the most famous runestone of Sweden. It features the longest known runic inscription of the world in stone with 760 characters. The text is considered to be one of the earliest examples of writing in the Old Swedish language and it marks the beginning of the history of Swedish literature. The stone is almost four metres tall and was carved and erected most probably in the early 9th century, judging from the main runic alphabet used and the form of the language. Rökstenen is covered with runes on five sides; a few parts of the inscription are damaged, but most of it is readable. In the 11th century the stone was used for the building of a church in Rök. Rökstenen was discovered in the late 19th century in the wall of the church and then was placed on the graveyard. In 1933 it became a shed, protecting the stone for decay. There is also an information centre next to the stone.

Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) is the second one on this place, replacing a bridge designed by King Philip V. When that bridge collapsed some years later (1751) started the construction of a new bridge, which took more than 40 years and was opened in 1793. Puente Nuevo is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the 120-metre deep canyon of the Rio Guadalevín dividing the city of Ronda. The oldest one is dating back to 1616 and nowadays carries only pedestrians. Puente Nuovo is 98 metres tall and is built in three levels. The bottom level has a single arch, the second level has one tall central arch and the top level has a central room and two shorter side arches. The impressive bridge has been built with stone masonry from the bottom of the gorge. Nowadays Puente Nuevo can be considered as the landmark of Ronda.

Alvastra Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks from Clairvaux in France in the year of 1143 after a donation of land from King Sverker I of Sweden. It was the first Cistercian settlement in Sweden. The monastery is one of the oldest and was the largest of the country. Alvastra Abbey flourished for nearly 400 years, but after the Swedish Lutheran reformation in the 1530s, the monastery was demolished, never to be rebuilt. Construction materials - limestone from the nearby Omberg - were used among other things for building Vadstena Castle. The ruins have been restored and preserved in several phases. Nowadays it is one of the most important cultural sights in the province of Östergötland and open for visitors.