I don't really know how I feel about all this

[beelikej]

In the last couple of days I finished another set of artwork, got fired, did some sightseeing and bought my first mobile phone. So how was your week?

I also cheered on my brother and his friend who ran a 10K race in Kampen, a quaint little town nearby. Afterwards brotherdearest indulged me (and held my bag!) while I went all touristy with my camera in search of the best angles to shoot the cool old buildings.

Let's walk through historic Kampen... Click to zoom!

First impression: Oudestraat (view from Voorstraat)
Look at that colorful Art Nouveau front on the bakery (1900)

Nieuwe Toren (New Tower, what a clever name... it was build between 1648-1664, so it's not new anymore;) In the bottom right corner you can see a statue of the cow staring longingly up the tower. This is based on an old folk's tale. Apparently when construction of the tower came to a stop for a while, grass started to grow on the unfinished building. One clever guy figured they should pull a cow to the top of the tower to eat the grass. [the story gets a bit gruesome from here on...]

They used a pully system to lift the cow, with a rope around its body. Halfway there the guy noticed the tongue of the cow sticking out and he shouted down excitedly that she was already trying to lick the grass! Once they got the cow up to the highest point they discovered what really happened to the poor animal. Ahem.

On the left a detail from the tower: the city's shield with one of its many gates.
View from the Oudestraat on the former City Hall (1543-1545)


Another close up: so many buildings have gorgeous details. Check out the Gothic House on the right (yes, that's its name) Build around 1500 as a private home. Fancy!


Fascinating Houtzagerssteeg (Lumberjackalley) with nine 'schoren' a supportsystem made of bricklayers.
On the right the other side of the street; a view on the river through the Marktgang.


River the IJssel with the drawbridge and across the water the trainstation (twice an hour a tiny train goes to my town)
Beautiful painted advertisements in the Botervatsteeg.


Mosaic bench with text in dialect, translates to 'Whose kid are you?' (Something an old relative would say on a big family reunion;). Leaded light (window) in the Gasthuisstraat.


Many gorgeous fronts in the Gasthuisstraat.


Another preserved painted wall, the left side is missing though :(
On the right the (apparently) smallest house in Kampen :)


Swan on top of the Greek tempel style Lutherian church. I don't know. o_O
I loved the blue glaced bricks on this square, okay. So shiny.


Wherever you look there is pretty. How cute is that balcony and the head on the Domino's building?


Torenstraat and Botermarkt


Looking up the Broederkerk (rebuild after fire in 1472). Stared in wonder at the glorious Jugenstil tiles on Le Chapeau shop. (redesigned in 1904 - Broederstraat 21)


Sidewall of the City Museum; modern portrait of 17th century magistrate Jan Beeldsnijder, made by Henk Nyenhuis.
View from the train: bye Kampen!

More about the job-thing and that phone later. I have an art-post to prepare first!

J.

(I'm more concerned with the new phone than the loss of my job - that's been a long time coming.
Hugs are appreciated for both issues though:)

Comments

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Oh, bb, I'm so sorry about the job. :((( *massive hugs*

Congrats on your first mobile phone, though. *more hugs*

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

*clings* It's gonna be a weird couple of months.

I already figured out how to make a mobile phonecall *proud*

[fireheart13.livejournal.com]

Just..............*HUGS!!!*

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

[herminekurotowa.livejournal.com]

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Best hug! Thank you.

[marciaelena.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about you losing your job. I'm jobless at the moment too and it sucks. Lots and lots of hugs, bb.

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Because I've worked for this company for over 15 years I have a couple of months notice, so I have some time to get used to the idea. It does suck indeed. *hugs tight*

[marciaelena.livejournal.com]

At least there's that. I hope you'll find a new (and better) job soon. Tight hugs to you too. <3

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

Veeeeeeeeerry curious about the art.

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

:-) I see you found it already (didn't have to wait long, did you;)

[trishabooms.livejournal.com]

I adore your photographs. Do you ever paint from them?

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Nah, taking the photos (and discovering weird angles) is the fun part:) Glad you like them!

[bflyw.livejournal.com]

Pictures are wonderful! Would have loved to be there myself with my own camera, because it looked like a place I would have loved to try to frame
I was a bit distracted looking at them though - the thought of your job was churning in my mind a bit.... I am well aware that job hasn't been sunshine for a good while, but still... *hugs*

Congrats on the phone! And *hugs* :-)

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Thank you, that means a lot coming from you. Kampen is really close, so WHEN you come for a visit, we can absolutely go there. My brother and I only wandered through a tiny part, there is a lot more to ogle.

Yeah, the job-issue is unsettling, but I'm trying to not let it get to me.

I can't believe I have a mobile phone;)

[sillie]

Whaaaat? Oh no *big hug* I'm so sorry about the job... If you need to talk/vent you know my inbox is alway open, yeah?

Are you getting the hang of your new phone yet? Also.. such awesome pictures. Kampen looks like a very pretty town.

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been preparing for that moment for the last few years, so it didn't come as a surprise, but it's still stuuuuupid, hrmpf.

My phone is very pretty and I've played with it most of Sunday afternoon, even made a phonecall, ha! Still need to figure out how to decorate it; backgrounds, how do they work o_O

Kampen is darling.

[eledhwenlin]

*hugs* I'm sorry about the job, but I really hope you can find something else that makes you much happier now!

<333

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Things can only get better, I'm sure. *hugs*

[fred-bear.livejournal.com]

Oh bb. Many hugs for the job and the phone. I hope you'll find something that suits you job wise as quickly as you need to.

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Thank you *hugs back*

[tmn1966.livejournal.com]

Okay, again I must say something first before I forget to mention it with all the glorious photos you posted. Woohoo about your first mobile phone. I hope you two are getting along. *hugs* on the job front, you've shared about it in our emails, but still... more *hugs*

Ahhhh, oh my gosh, so many wonderful buildings! The old folk's tale for the Nieuwe Toren is more than a little disturbing. But I think there are lots of disturbing stories about things while they were being built, so it's actually pretty fascinating.

I love the mosaic bench and the saying made me literally LOL.

The architecture is so amazing. I love all the faces/heads that people used to adorn buildings. And it amuses me greatly that Domino's Pizza is in such a lovely building. The ones here in the States... well let's just say they are pretty much Plain Jane buildings.

I love the brick streets. We still have a few around where I live, but sometimes they aren't so nicely maintained. I think the ones you took a photo of are pretty!

So much pretty to look at!!!!

Thank you once again for sharing your photos!!

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Today I learned that even though I don't use the phone at all, it still needs to be recharged every two days. Huh.

Kampen is very pretty *chinhands* Brick streets are pretty common in the Netherlands, but I have never seen the blue glazed variety - the bricks don't show up glossy in the photo but they were almost too nice to walk on!

I'm working on a long London picspam now (how I manage to make so many pictures in just one day (and in between actually looking around) is a mystery to me. I should probably get an extra memory stick for our road trip;)