This very ordinary little wooden plaque with tin triangle advertising the sale of watches played a role in saving hundreds of people’s lives in Haarlem during the Second World War. During the period of the nazi occupation of Holland, the Ten Boom family ran a safe house above their clock … Continue reading
Oops! I had this post half-written and forgot to post it on THE day. Better late than never. January 28th was the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. One of those novels that has so strongly influenced English-speaking literature and culture that it is hard to imagine … Continue reading
God, I think I’m becoming a museum tragic. All of my letters home are filled with the stories I find in them, and in the conversations I rarely have the courage to strike up with strangers. I’m sure I’m boring all my long-suffering friends to death, so instead I should … Continue reading
Natura Artis Magistra, founded in 1838, is a miniature zoo in the heart of Amsterdam’s Plantage district. It includes an aquarium, butterfly pavilion, planetarium and various other animal exhibits. The zoo is also the site of a range of beautiful old buildings, including Wolf House, which was once The Oak … Continue reading
I really enjoyed visiting Waterland, the district that encompasses both Monnickendam, where these photographs were taken, and Broek. I’m not the first to enjoy a stroll through the area. In 1905, an Englishman by the name of Edward Verrall Lucas published a book about his visit to the Netherlands: A … Continue reading
Monnickendam is a beautiful village in North Holland, part of what is now Waterland. It’s a short drive from Amsterdam, through some beautiful countryside that, at this time of year, features wide fields of pure white snow dotted with picturesque Dutch country houses and small copses of leafless trees. The … Continue reading
The openbare bibliotheek stands on the fresh earth of the Oosterdokskade. As the local people say: God created the earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands. The Oosterdokskade is an example of the created land of the Netherlands: before the buildings that are spread out along it were built, the … Continue reading
It’s surprisingly difficult to get good food in Amsterdam. There are oodles of cafes and coffee shops, but the cafes often aren’t really focused on food (but booze and coffee), whereas coffee shops are often places that serve coffee, but are mostly famous for serving various types of cannabis. Gartine … Continue reading
Recently, I read an essay by James M. Barrie called ‘Courage’. It’s not an essay so much as the transcript of a speech Barrie delivered to the ‘red gowns of St Andrews’* on May 3, 1922. The speech was given on the occasion of the students’ graduation. The year … Continue reading
This is not really a post at all. It’s just a quote from Jenny Lawson’s blog. I’m not usually into humorous blogs, or books. But I love this bit of her post about the-year-that-cannot-be-named. Apparently, Jenny is afraid of the number … that number. The one between 12 and 14. … Continue reading