A beautiful sunny day in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, 11 August 2010

I went yesterday to Amsterdam to buy some white tulips for my relatives and friends in Portugal ;-)
The day was glorious! Sunshine, a wonderful blue sky... :-) Great to a nice walk with a special friend ;-)

Where did we go? What have we seen when we were walking on the streets?

De Krijtberg

Opened in 1883, is a Roman Catholic church, located at the Singel, dedicated to St Francis Xavier.

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

De Waag (weigh house)

The Amsterdam Waag (1488) is a remnant of the former city walls in Amsterdam. Originally, it was one of the city gates, the Sint Anthoniespoort.
The building carries the oldest plaque in Amsterdam, which reads On 28 April 1488 the first stone of this gate was laid.

From Amsterdam

De Oude Kerk

The Oude Kerk ("old church") is Amsterdam’s oldest parish church, consecrated in 1306 by the bishop of Utrecht.
It stands in De Wallen, now Amsterdam's main red-light district.

From Amsterdam

Meanwhile, between the Singel and Waterlooplein, where we went to see Rembrandt's House...

From Amsterdam

Some typical Dutch pictures...;-)

Old buildings...

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

Bikes...

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

From Amsterdam

Cheese...

From Amsterdam

Boats...

From Amsterdam

Cruises...

From Amsterdam

Flowers...

From Amsterdam

Swans...

From Amsterdam

To Aledys! Happy Birthday! Parabens! Que tenhas um dia muito feliz! ;-)

See you soon ;-)

Ennio Morricone, Once Upon a Time in America



See you soon! Have a nice Summer! Enjoy your favourite things! ;-)

Sand Sculptures in Den Haag

In my favourite city of the Netherlands...Den Haag...these amazing sculptures until 27 th August...

Ode to the Dutch Masters in a life-sized sand sculpture at the Buitenhof in The Hague’s city centre.

My favourite Netherlander painter...

Vermeer, The Milkmaid

From Haia

These sculptures will be The Hague’s contribution to the national ‘Holland Art Cities’ theme, which places the Dutch Masters such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vermeer in the spotlight.

Let's play ;-)

Which paintings are represented here? ;-)

And...

Who are the painters represented here ? ;-)

Ok, and the answers are...;-)

De koppelaarster,
(A Alcoviteira), Dirck van Baburen

From Haia

Tuin der lusten
(O Jardim das Delicias) Jheronimus (ou Hiëronymus) Bosch

(Well done, Aledys!!)

From Haia

De Luitspeler
(O Tocador de Alaude), Frans Hals

From Haia

Zoals de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen
(Enquanto cantam os velhos, fumam os jovens), Jan Steen

From Haia

(http://www.denhaag.nl/en/visitors-and-tourists/culture-and-arts/to-3/Sand-Sculpture-on-the-Buitenhof.htm)

Chateau de Beloeil III

These are the photos of my favourite rooms in Castle Beloeil...

La Chambre d' Amblise

From Chateau de Beloeil

with this magnificent carved and gilded wooden bed, decorated in Genoa velvet.

From Chateau de Beloeil

The Field Marshals' Apartments

The bed of Field Marshal Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne (1735-1814), the greatest belgian writer of the 18th Century.

From Chateau de Beloeil

The Library

From Chateau de Beloeil

This beautiful library gathers more than 20 000 books and precious manuscripts.

La Galerie

with three large paintings about battle scenes...

From Chateau de Beloeil

look at the details of this painting...

From Chateau de Beloeil

Salle de conférence

Here the magnificent painting of Eugenia de Montijo by
Winterhalter, one of my favourite painters.

From Chateau de Beloeil

Chateau de Beloeil II

From Chateau de Beloeil

The Castle of Beloeil belongs to the House of Ligne, one of the most prestigious Belgian noble Houses. The actual Prince of Ligne, Michel Lamoral, is married with a Brazilian Princess, Dona Eleonora d'Orleans- Braganca. She is a cousin of the Duke of Braganca, Dom Duarte Pio, the Chief of the Royal Portuguese House.

From Chateau de Beloeil

Prince's Michel sister, Princess Cristina, is married with the Brazilian Prince, Dom Antonio d' Orleans-Braganca, Dona Eleonora's brother.

Prince Antonio and Princess Cristina had four sons. Their eldest, Dom Pedro Luiz, died last year in a plane crash.
Prince Rafael, his brother, is considered now the fourth in the line of the Brazilian throne (if the monarchy was restored), after his uncles, Dom Luis Gastao and Dom Bertrand, and his own father, Dom Antonio.

From Chateau de Beloeil

I like to visit castles whose families are connected to the Portuguese Royal Family and, in a certain way, with the Portuguese History.
I like this feeling...I feel closer to my own country, my roots... this liaision through the times between countries, connections plenty of History...

From Chateau de Beloeil

Remember these entries about Windsor Castle or Regensburg Christmas Market ?

The travel to Bruges or to Luxembourg?

Chateau de Beloeil I

Welcome to the Castle of Beloeil in Belgium...

From Château de Beloeil

the rooms...

From Château de Beloeil

the paintings...

From Château de Beloeil

the gardens...

From Château de Beloeil

are exquisite ;-)

The next entries are about this beautiful Castle ;-) Enjoy! ;-)

Because is Summer

Because is Summer ;-) Let's enjoy!

Aproveitem a vida e ajudem-se uns aos outros. Apreciem cada momento, agradeçam e não deixem nada por dizer, nada por fazer.
Antonio Feio

Caetano Veloso, Nao enche