Jaap van 't Veen's photos

The ‘Lindesche Molen’ (also called ‘Molen Ons Belang’) is an octagonal ‘belt mill’. The ‘belt (= a man made hill) for this mill has a height of 4.20 metres. These ‘belts’ were made in order to provide more wind for the mill. The present mill was built in 1890 on the site of an even older mill (1856), which burned down. The mill wasn’t used for many many years. In the year of 1971 it was restored and the sails could turn again. Twenty years later mill stones were placed and the mill was ready for grinding flour again. The ‘Lindesche Molen’ is situated in the hamlet Linde, nearby the town of Vorden and along the ‘Achtkastelen route’ (Eight Castles route); a bike route along eight castles/mansions.

‘La Catedral de Sevilla’ (or ofiicially‘Catedral de Santa María de la Sede’) has a lenght of 126 metres and a width of 83 metres. Its maximum height in the centre of the transept is 37 metres. The total surface of the building is 23.500 square metres. Measured by area Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church all over the world. The cathedral is built on the site of Seville’s main mosque. This Almohad Mosque was consecrated as a cathedral in the year of 1248. The construction of thee Gothic cathedral began in 1434 and was finished early 16th century. Seville's cathedral was built to demonstrate the power and wealth of the city after the Reconquista. The huge interior of the cathedral, with a central nave and four side aisles, is richly decorated. It also contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. In the center of the church is the choir (main picture), which has elaborate 15th-century choir stalls. Seville Cathedral was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

Stockholm’s Storkyrkan (Great Church) is also known as Sankt Nikolai kyrka or Domkyrka (Church of St. Nicholas or Cathedral). The church is located next to the Royal Palace and is the oldest church of Gamla Stan. The medieval cathedral is dating back to the year of 1279 and was originally built by Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm. Storkyrkan is an important example of Swedish Brick Gothic and the oldest building still in use in Stockholm. . Since 1527 the cathedral has been a Lutheran Protestant church. The church is often used for major (royal) ceremonies such as coronations, weddings, crownings and funerals. The Gothic interior (PiP 2) of the church - dating back to the 15th century - offers a lot of unique and important art objects, among them the impressive Royal Pews (picture + PiP 1).

Castle Vorden was first mentioned in a deed from 1315, in which ‘Steven van Vorden’ the castle and outbuildings gave to his uncle, Dirk van Vorden. The castle probably dates from the 13th century, but it was very different from today. The square tower was certainly part of the medieval building, but the present castle for the most part was built in the 16th century. This square shape was then common. The castle lost in the course of centuries its defensive function and was rebuilt in the 19th century into a mansion. In 1873, the entrance was moved to the northern wing, with a wooden bridge across the moat. The castle was left to decay after the World War II until restoration took place in 1976 and it became city hall of the municipality of Vorden. In 2004 Castle Vorden was sold to a private invester, who restored the house to its former glory. Since then the castle is used as a wedding venue and hotel. Castle Vorden is one of the eight castles/mansions in and a round Vorden. There is a special bike route along these castles.

The Real Alcázar Palace has the largest late-medieval garden in Europe, offering one of the most beautiful examples of royal Spanish palace grounds. The garden is an original representation of the typical Mudéjar style, a Muslim artistic expression adapted by the Christian world. Glazed and unglazed tiles and many features, like water channels, glittering pools, fountains and water spouts give this green oasis a special character. During the 16th century - when Seville was the richest city in Spain - changes were made. The old garden spaces survived, but Charles V's designers were influenced by Renaissance styles when making a large labyrinth and a fine pavilion. A new garden was made in the early 20th century. Nowadays the large garden area is divided into several separate parts in all kinds of styles, like French, Italian and Arabic. The garden of Real Alcázar has more than 170 different species of plants and trees, like palm, cypress, myrtle, mulberries, magnolia, orange, almond and lemon trees.

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is one of Europe’s largest palaces. The interior of this impressive building consists of 1.430 rooms of which 660 have windows. It is still the official residence of the Swedish King and Queen and also the work place and is used for official receptions. The palace is built in Italian baroque style in the 18th century on the site of the former ‘Tre Kronor’ castle, which burned down in 1697. The royal family was not able to move back in until 1754, nearly sixty years after the fire. The royal palace is open for public and offers also several museums. See for more info: www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/visittheroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace/thepalace.4.396160511584257f2180003755.html Main picture: royal palace of Stockholm PiP 1: interior of the royal chapel PiP 2: inner court of the palace PiP 3: royal guards in front of the palace

The beach of Noordwijk was lit already in 1444, when after sunset a big fire was set to show the fisher boats the way to the coast. The first (wooden) lighthouse was built in the 19th century. The present lighthouse dates from 1921. The remarkable white plastered tower - originally built out of red brick - has a height of 25,5 metres, which means the light itself is 33 metres above sea level. The tower has six flowers and 108 stair steps to the top. It is an unmanned lighthouse.

The Perito Moreno Glacier - named after explorer Francisco Moreno - is located in Los Glaciares National Park, about 80 km’s from El Calafate. The glacier is part of the so called Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This ice field is one of the largest reserves of fresh water on earth. The glacier has a length of 30 km’s and its terminus is 5 km’s wide. We were on a boat trip and it is overwhelming to see this ice wall of 60 metres above the water of Lago Argentino with its crevices, clefts, peaks and sometimes deep turquoise colours. Constantly you hear the noise of large pieces of ice collapsing as the glacier slowly advances. The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the few Patagonian glaciers that is still growing. On the left side of the picture you can see the glacier terminus 'touching' the mainland and damming a part of Lago Argentino (‘Brazo Rico’). The water level on that part of the lake will rise high above the level on the other side of the ice dam. Every year (or couple of years) the pressure of the dammed water breaks through the ice barrier causing a spectacular rupture, sending a massive outpouring of water from Brazo Rico into Lago Argentino.

Icebergs in Grey Lake, calved from the Grey Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park, Made this picture in a freezing storm; it was so COLD there.

Emjoying a proper Dutch winter during the ‘Blokzijler Merentocht’, an ice skating tour of 35 km’s on the lakes in northwest Overijssel and through the nature reserve ‘De Wieden’. Due to bad ice conditions this tour (January 2009) was ‘halfway’ interrupted by officials and police.

Our first morning ever in Oberstdorf. Can you imagine we fell in love with the town ??

St. Gallenkirch - Montafon - Vorarlberg with the Pfarrkirche St. Gallus.

Grove of trees on the golf course of the Veluwse Golf Club. PiP's: During winter (and snow) no golf players but children using their sleds.

Reschensee (Lake Reschen) is an artificial lake in South Tyrol. It is located in the triangle between Italy, Austria and Switzerland, a couple of km’s from the Reschen Pass on the border of Austria. Reschensee is an artificial lake, which unifies two natural lakes (Reschensee and Mittersee). Construction of the dam started in 1940 and took ten years. The lake submerged a couple of villages. The landmark of the reschensee is the steeple of the former 14th century village church of Graun (see PiP). On the right hand side of the mountain range you see the Piz Lad, a 2808 meter high peak nearby the so called “Dreiländerecke” (Corner of three countries).

The Nebelhorn (2.224 m.) is the highest mountain of Allgäu. It is accessible by the Nebelhornbahn, a cable car from the Oberstdorf. The summit offers a breathtaking ‘400-peak panoramic view’ towards the Alpine massif and on the other hand over the valley of the river Iller. Pictures: Main picture: Iller valley PiP: 400-peak view

Deckchairs on the terrace of mountain restaurant 'Adlerhorst' waiting for sun lovers.

‘Paleis Het Loo’ (Palace Het Loo) in winter.

Langkofel/Sassolungo (left) and Plattkofel/Sassopiatto (right) seen from the Goldknopfsee (Lake Goldknopf), nearby the Edelweißhütte. The amazing peaks of 3.181 m. and 2.969 m. are towering above the Seiseralm. The Goldknopsee is an artificial lake, which was constructed in 2003, storing water to feed snowmaking equipment and is also intended as a water reservoir for possible fires. I made this image late September from the Seiseralm, most probably after the first snowfall in the Dolomites.