Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I will be attending Easter mass this morning at the Church of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk) followed by brunch.

Happy Easter to all!

Tony

Church of Our Lord in the Attic

Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I visited Our Lord in the Attic  (Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder), a 17th-century  house church and museum in the center of Amsterdam. This Catholic Church was built on the top three floors of a canal house during the 1660s. It is an important example of a “schuilkerk”, or “clandestine church” in which Catholics and other religious dissenters (i.e., Lutherans, Jews) held services beause they were forbidden to do so publicly. The church has been open as a museum since 1888, and has 85,000 visitors annually. We were not aware that such churches existed and to see the artistry of Our Lord… was impressive.

Also, just a few yards down the street from Our Lord… is the oldest building in Amsterdam, Oude Kerk (Old Church) built originally in 1250 and took on its present form in 1570. The inside of Oude Kerk is bare with the exception of its magnificent organ.

Tony

The Altar in Our Lord in the Attic

Sculpture of God the Father in Our Lord in the Attic

Painting of the Assumption and Ascension in Our Lord in the Attic

Alabaster Cameo of Eve in Our Lord in the Attic (Artist Unkown)

The Organ in  Our Lord in the Attic

Oude Kerk – Oldest Building in Amsterdam

The Organ in the Oude Kerk

Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I spent the day in Utrecht which is an historic, cultural, religious and education hub of the Netherlands. Although there is some evidence of even earlier inhabitation in the region, Utrecht dates back to the Stone Age (app. 2200 BCE).  The  founding date of the city is usually related to the construction of a Roman fortification built around 50 CE. In 723, the Frankish leader Charles Martel established Utrecht as a religious base for bishops  and from then on Utrecht became the most influential seat of power for the Catholic Church in the Netherlands.  Its location on the banks of the river Rhine also allowed Utrecht to become an important trading center.  In 1636, Utrecht University was founded and today enrolls almost 40,000 students and is the largest university in the Netherlands.  It also enjoys an international reputation as one of the leading research universities in Europe.

The old part of Utrecht is incredibly charming with lots of small streets, alleys, and shops.  Restaurants dot along the canals.  It is an easy place to walk and Elaine and I logged six miles in one day.

Exhausting but fun!

Tony

Tower of Domtoren which was part of the Cathedral of St. Martin

Statue of Liberty in Front of the Cathedral

Gardens outside of the Cathedral

Main altar of the Cathedral

Academic Center of Utrecht University

Protest signs were posted on a number of windows of the Utrecht University Academic Center

Dear Commons Community,

Yesterday Elaine and I visited the scenic Dutch village of Zaanse Schans near Zaandik, Netherlands, best known for its collection of historic windmills and wooden houses, several of which were relocated there from the wider region north of Amsterdam. The windmills and wooden houses were built in  the 16^th through the 18^th centuries. From 1961 to 1974, old buildings from all over the region were relocated using lowboy trailers.

Zaanse Schans derived its name from the river Zaan and its original function as a sconce (schans in Dutch) or fortification against the Spanish troops during the Eighty Years’ War of Dutch independence.  In addition to the windmills and houses, Zaanse Schans also is home to seven small museums. 

In sum, Zaanse Schans is a must see for any visit to the Netherlands.

Tony

Inside of a Windmill

Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I took a canal cruise in Amsterdam today.  It was a good way to get more of a feel for the city with its 165 canals and 1700 bridges.  The cruise passed several interesting sights but what was most impressive was the guide describing Amsterdam’s history and development as one of the major commercial centers of Europe. Originally a small fishing village in the 12th century, Amsterdam became a major world port during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, when the Netherlands was an economic powerhouse. Amsterdam was the leading center for finance and trade, as well as a hub of secular art production. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded and new neighborhoods were built.  Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10th, 1940 and took control of the country. Some Amsterdam citizens sheltered Jews, thereby exposing themselves and their families to a high risk of being imprisoned or sent to concentration camps.   Anne Frank was sheltered in an attic in a house that was no more than 100 yards from where our cruise boat disembarked.

Enjoyable afternoon.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I cancelled our trip to Bruges due to a railway strike in Belgium.  We actually were about a third of the way there but could not get a train across the border.  Below are details about the strike.

We returned to Amsterdam and had a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant (Lucca).

The best laid plans…..

Tony

_________________

Another railway strike on Tuesday: Train traffic in Belgium disrupted

Bruges

Dear Commons Community,

Today is a travel day as Elaine and I leave Amsterdam to travel to Bruges, Belgium.  We will make a brief stop in Brussels.  We will come back to Amsterdam tomorrow night.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I spent the morning at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s major art museum.   Since 1885, the museum has been housed in the elegant Rijksmuseum building, which was designed by the Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers. The collection offers an overview of Dutch art and history, including works by  Dutch masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, van Gogh, and Hals. I must say that it is the best organized museum in which I have ever been.  A number of its major works such as  Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid are located in a single central Gallery of Honour.  The Rijksmuseum also houses the Cuyper Library, a work of art in and of itself.

Below is a sample of the masterpieces we viewed.

Tony

Rembrandt – The Night Watch

Johannes Vermeer – The Milkmaid

Vincent van Gogh  – Self Portrait

Franz Hals – The Lovers

 Jan Asselijn – The Threatened Swan

Model of a late 17^th Century Warship (William Rex) by Adriaen de Vriend

The Cuyper Library

The Netherlands National Monument Commemorating the Country’s World War II  Dead

Dear Commons Community,

Yesterday we took a walk to The Dam, Amsterdam’s main square. It is the location of the National Monument commemorating the country’s World War II  dead and several interesting buildings including the Royal Palace, the Magna Plaza, and De Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church.)  The National Monument carries an inscription in Latin:

Hic ubi cor patriae monumentum cordibus intus quod gestant cives spectet ad astra dei.

Translated:

“Here, where the heart of the fatherland is, may this monument, which citizens carry in their hearts, gaze at God’s stars.”

During our visit to The Dam, a group of about a dozen demonstrators were showing their support for Ukraine.  My wife engaged one of them in a brief conversation who indicated that they “hated” Trump.

As an aside, the most popular form of transportation in Amsterdam is the bicycle.  There are hundreds of them on almost every street.

Tony

Royal Palace

Showing Support for Ukraine

Magna Plaza (Former Main Post Office Converted in 1992 to a Shopping Mall)

Bicycles Everywhere

Dear Commons Community,

Elaine and I attended Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of Our Lady.  Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady) (Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܕܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ , Ito dyoldath Aloho) is a Syriac Orthodox church in the center of Amsterdam. The church is used both by the Syriac Orthodox community and the Roman Catholic community of Opus Dei. The structure has the Dutch status of a Rijksmonument (National Heritage Site).

The church was founded in 1854 by the Redemptorist Fathers and was designed by architect Theo Molkenboer. In 1985 the Redemptorists left the church due to the lack of redemptorist priests. The church was acquired by the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Netherlands and the parish was renamed Moeder Godskerk (Church of the Mother of God). However, the church never closed its doors for the Roman and Surinam Catholic believers.

Elaine and I decided to attend mass here because it was being said in English.  It was a beautiful service with lots of music and singing.

Tony