Spring in Wassenaar...

Here’s some random photos from my spring cycle rides to Wassenaar, including cool shadows from trees...

…a utility building covered in Van Gogh paintings...

…and a view of The Hague in the distance...

…with menacing clouds moving in during my return journey.

 

These two images were taken by Veronica at Wassenaar Beach, this one at sunset (here’s the drone footage she shot over the beach)…

…and this after sunset showing zeevonk (sea sparkles) caused by Noctiluca scintillans algae that exhibit bioluminescence when disturbed. Veronica said her photos couldn’t capture how incredible it was to run through the waves and be covered in blue sparkles. 

Back Out in Leiden...

After our museum visit, Jimmy suggested that we stop for a beer—something we hadn’t been able to do for 2.5 months. I assumed it would be impossible to get a table, but we lucked out as Annie’s wasn’t full.

They were clearly abiding by the strict restrictions on the number of guests allowed, as we had so much more space than normal on their floating terrace on barges. Not only were we thrilled to be served good Belgian beers, but their wakame bitterballen (seaweed balls) were incredible. 

I’d expected to see everything bustling, but also happy there was still a lot of caution. 

We saw some interesting signs in Leiden, including this one offering free things such as shoes and a rusty bike...

…We cannot return to normal, because normal was the problem...

…a newly installed Black Lives Matter sign...

…and Rest in Peace to George Floyd. 

 

More Local History...

After finishing the Pilgrim exhibit, we wandered through the rest of the museum, which had a major restoration and expansion from 2016 until 2019. While I had visited the Lakenhal (former cloth hall) before, I don’t recall ever being particularly impressed like I was during this visit. The building was beautiful with a much improved manner of displaying the art. 

In Ahead by Atelier Van Leishout in 2014, man and machine are literally intertwined. Working conditions were often sub-standard in the textile industry that made Leiden so prosperous in the 17th century. The artist is showing that industrialization and new technologies still don’t create a perfect situation for workers. 

View of the Korte Maar in Leiden was painted in 1778 depicting a canal around the corner from the museum, which was dug in 1611 during an expansion of the city. A network of canals allowed horse-drawn barges and smaller boats to have easy access to the cloth hall. 

This room covered in wall-to-wall paintings used to house the Brewer’s Assembly Room while this wing of the building housed the Leiden’s Brewer’s Guild from 1772 until 1801. 

A clandestine Catholic church built behind a house in 1694 was relocated into the Lakenhal in 1926.

The Self-Sacrifice of the Burgomaster (Mayor) was painted in 1817, but tells a tale of much earlier. In 1574, riots broke out in Leiden due to severe food shortages. Hungry citizens called on the mayor to surrender the city to the Spanish occupying forces. When he offered his own body as food, they shamefacedly backtracked. King William I gave this enormous (14 feet high by 19 feet wide) canvas depicting this historic deed to the city in 1818. 

The Siege of Leiden was a map made in 1588 out of wool and linen to depict the Sea Beggars’ journey from Rotterdam to Leiden. Of special interest to me was that it showed our village of Voorschoten...

...as well as Leiden.

Famous Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf set up quite an impressive shoot in 2011 for Liberty: Plague and Hunger During Leiden’s Siege. Based on new scientific insights, we now know that more people died then due to the plague rather than hunger. While many of the attributes are historical, he also included an iPod and reading glasses.

This large stained glass window was made in 1928 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Algemeen Handelsblad, a liberal newspaper published in Amsterdam from 1828 to 1970. 

View of the Lakenhal was painted on commission in 1642 by Susanna van Steenwijck, who specialized in small architectural exteriors. The Lakenhal was once the administrative center of the cloth trade. Cloth had to pass quality inspection here before being allowed to be sold. The building opened in 1640 during the height of the textile trade. Of the 60,000 people living in Leiden at the time, at least half were employed in the industry.  

By 1820, the textile industry had shrunk considerably, so the cloth hall was no longer needed. It was repurposed as a Hall of Manufacturing and cholera hospital. In 1874 it was repurposed again as Museum de Lakenhal.
 

Pilgrims to America...

Museums, restaurants and bars in Holland were allowed to reopen (with heavy restrictions on capacity) on June 1. I was itching to get back in a museum, so booked two spaces for June 3. 

In honor of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s departure from the Netherlands and arrival in the New World, the Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden hosted a fantastic special exhibit: Pilgrims to America and the Limits of Freedom.  

This brilliantly colorful map of the Lowlands called Leo Belgicus was from 1617. 

View of Leiden was painted by Jan van Goyen in 1650, 30 years after the Mayflower sailed, but it was included in the exhibit because it shows the view of Leiden as it would have been seen by the Pilgrims when they first moved from Amsterdam to Leiden in 1609 (they had only lived in Amsterdam for about one year).

The Green Market from 1660 shows the Weigh House (the large white building) where the Pilgrims first arrived in Leiden from Amsterdam on a ferry, likely pulled by horses from the shore, on May 1, 1609.

I’m always amazed at the intricate detail of old maps; this world map dates from 1661.

Another painting by Van Goyen, this one was View of the Vliet near Voorschoten from 1642. The Pilgrims departed Leiden from the Rapenburg canal and headed south down the Vliet canal to the nearest seaport at Delfshaven (now part of Rotterdam). It’s crazy to realize that we walk along the Vliet all the time. 

This painting by Adam Willaerts depicts The Departure of the Pilgrims from Delfshaven. As it was painted in 1620, it is possible that the artist actually witnessed the Pilgrims board the Speedwell for England. The inclusion of military gear implies that the they were ready to fight if necessary. 
 

Spring Dog Walks...

Having to walk Kati was an excellent excuse to get out into nature every day. 

We saw a lot of new things pop up in the field this year that we’d never seen before including these pink/purple plants...

…this giant dandelion...

…a giant dragonfly...

…and a Cinnabar Moth caterpillar (which I’d never seen before but is apparently very common in Europe).

On our walks into the village, we’d pass this loving artwork...

…as well as this colorful brick wall...

…and these messages from conspiracy theorists. 

Most days we walk past small canals...

…and often the larger canal: the Vliet.

By mid-June it was warm enough for these kids to challenge each other to jump off this bridge (we later saw girls jumping as well).

People can be such pigs! This sight, which I saw too often at the park along the Vliet, really ticked me off. I agree that the trash bins are too small, but just leaving trash on the ground to get picked through by birds and rodents is so stupid and disgusting. I am proud to say that we’ve taught our daughters to clean up after themselves even if that means having to haul your picnic trash back home. 

More Spring Self-Portraits...

When I was first pregnant, I went page-by-page through the baby name book making a list until I got to the Vs and came across Veronica, which Jimmy quickly agreed was the perfect name: Veronica, the Patron Saint of Photographers. Clearly we weren’t drawn to it because we’re religious, but rather because we both love photography. Little did we know that when we picked her name that she’d definitely live up to it and become a better photographer than either of us. While she had help from Brett for all of these photos, she was definitely the creative force. 

These two were taken in May at Vlietland, a nearby lake. 

This whimsical yellow series was taken in an industrial area that we hashed through. 

How great is this! This is definitely one of my all-time favorites.

She even managed to get Ashlynn to pose for a few photos with her in April... 

…and in June.