NETHERLANDS ~ Schokland - UNESCO ~

... Great new Dutch UNESCO Site... Schokland is a unique combination of cultural history and nature... it symbolizes the life of the Dutch people in their battle with and against the water... it is a place between land and water, in the middle of the Noordoostpolder, with a wealth of archaeological treasures... thousands of years of history relating to human habitation in the Netherlands is lying concealed in the ground... there is a museum and it's a pretty place for a walk...Thanks a lot Mike!!ヽ(ヅ)ノ

Schoklands history starts in prehistoric times, as part of the mainland. From around 1000 AD fishermen and farmers started to occupy this area to make a living. In the following centuries the water rose and rose, until Schokland finally ended up as an island. This was at the end of the Middle Ages.

Fishing and shipping became the main source of income for the Schoklanders. Living on the island wasn't to last forever: in 1859 the inhabitants were ordered to leave. Life had become too dangerous due to the ever rising sea level.

In 1941 the surrounding area (called Noordoostpolder) was drained to create more agricultural land to feed the Dutch (and German) people. Schokland became part of the mainland again.

UNESCO decided to award Schokland the status of World Heritage Site in 1995. The Schokland World Heritage Site also encompasses the surrounding agricultural areas and the Schokkerbos, in addition to the former island.

Stamp:

Giant Pandas
(Issued 30-05-2017)

NETHERLANDS ~ Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam ~

... Beautiful night view of Dutch museum nr2... a must see if you go to Amsterdam and a truly impressive museum... more than 8.000 objects in 80 rooms tell the story of 800 years of Dutch art and history.... the Rijksmuseum specializes in 'Dutch Masters', with the oil paintings from world-famous Dutch artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer and Jan Steen.... Thanks a lot Dustin!!ヽ(ヅ)ノ

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum located in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, founded in 1800 and its original location was in The Hague. In 1808, the museum relocated to Amsterdam and was housed in the Royal Palace before moving to the Trippenhuis. Its current building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and opened its doors in 1885. On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation the main building was reopened by Queen Beatrix.

The artifacts date back as far as 1200 and include masterpieces by Dutch Golden Age painters Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and Rembrandt. The collection includes famous paintings such as The Night Watch (Rembrandt), Portrait of a Young Couple (Frans Hals) and The Milkmaid (Johannes Vermeer).

In addition to famous paintings, the museum also displays sculptures, antique furnishings, fashion, ceramics, weapons, photographs and drawings.

Stamps:


The 50th Anniversary of the Birth of King Willem-Alexander
(Issued 24-04-2017)

Life in the North Sea
(Issued 17-07-2017)

NETHERLANDS ~ Microbia Museum ~

...  *Curious* looking postcard of an interesting museum in Holland... the world's first museum of microbes... it is part of the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo... to me a museum of microbes sounds almost a bit weird...  but Micropia has found a unique way to show the world of the smallest life form, micro-organismes... focusing on bugs, bacteria, germs and tiny life.... it has taken over 12 years for the idea but this museum  really opens your eyes to the unseen world... Thanks a lot  Dustin!! 【ツ】(more famous and known Dutch museum next😉)

Micropia is a museum in Amsterdam that opened in 2014 based on the idea of distributing information about microbes, which are often associated with illness and disease despite their essential function in the daily functioning of human life. It consists of both living microbes as well as virtual representations of microbes.

The Micropia museum is not just limited to micro-organisms such as bacteria. Visitors can also see living ants and large-scale graphic images of their behaviour or get an idea of how fast decay sets in by watching a fast-forward series of pictures of a kiwi fruit ageing.









Stamps:

Magazines - The 100th Anniversary of De Stijl (Issued 27-03-2017)

Life in the North Sea
(Issued 17-07-2017)

NETHERLANDS ~ Dordrecht ~

... A lovely city view of one of my closest neighbouring countries... known as the most ancient city in Holland... an area with beautiful historic buildings, diverse museums, numerous canals and old monuments... busy shopping streets that commemorate the wealthy history of this city by the water... Thanks a lot Nolleke!!ヽ(ヅ)ノ

"View of The Church of Our Lady - Spuiboulevard - Boogjes"
The city of Dordrecht, located in the province of South Holland was founded in the early 11th C. Located in a wetland area with such rivers as the Merwede, Noord and Ouwe Maas, it was an important merchant city with a lively trade in wood, cereals and wine.

Today, the city is the 6th largest seaport in the Netherlands, and is primarily known for shipbuilding and its wood and steel industry.   Dordrecht has a 14th-century Gothic church and an art museum.

1&3 My Stamps
(Issued 10-03-2009)

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
(Issued 02-01-2002)

Definitive Issue - "NL" Stamps
(Issued 02-01-2002)

NETHERLANDS ~ Efteling ~

... Super sweet postcard sent by my niece and written by her 6 years old little girl Anna♥❤♥...  from their stay at the hotel in the largest and most well known theme park of the country... and one of the oldest in the world... the place has a dreamy look because of the famous architecture by Anton Pieck... there are a lot of rides for children but there are also fun and thrilling rides for older visitors... Héééél Erg Bedankt Sabrina, Koen, Leon en Anna!!( ˘ ³˘)❤

"Fairytaile-Filled nights"
Efteling  is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel in the Netherlands. The attractions are based on elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore.  Most of the fairytales are written by Hans Christiaan Andersen.

The park was opened in 1952. It has since evolved from a nature park with a playground and a Fairytale Forest into a full-sized theme park. Efteling currently covers around 494 acres.

In 2016, it was the third most visited theme park in Europe, behind Disneyland Paris and Europapark. Over the years, it has received over 125 million visitors.

Stamp:

Machine label
(mailed from the hotel)

NETHERLANDS ~ The Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam

...More artwork...this time beautifully dressed up...the Rijksmuseum is a must-see when you visit Amsterdam...8,000 objects in 80 rooms tell the story of 800 years of Dutch art and history....Thanks Jobbo!! (✿◠‿◠) Visiting Germany, Holland and... Belgium????

-Portrait of a Javanese Regent 'Bupat' c. 1810-1870-Java.
-Portrait of a Javanese Officer, c. 1820-1870 Java.

The Rijksmuseum is the principal national museum in Holland. It illustrates the art and history of Holland from the Middle Ages to the present and is located at the Museum Square.

It has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are some masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer.

The museum also has a Asian collection which is on display in the Asian pavilion. It houses the museum’s rich collection of Asian art from China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Thailand, dating from 2000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. with a total of approximately 350 objects.

Stamp:

Dutch Icons
(Issued 02-01-2014)

NETHERLANDS ~ Amsterdam - Emperor's Canal - UNESCO ~

...Great night view of one of the most famous canals in the capital... with beautiful houses lining it of in different sizes and construction...Thanks a lot Johan for this nice surprise in my mailbox today!!♥

© Hamar Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel.

Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010,

Keizersgracht (literal English translation: Emperor's Canal) is the second and widest of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam, in between Herengracht and Prinsengracht.

Stamps:

Beautiful Netherlands-Fishing Places
(Issued 01-02-2016)

NETHERLANDS ~Valkenburg ~

...Many lovely views of a city in my neighbouring country Holland... Thanks a lot Ben!!

Valkenburg aan de Geul  is situated in the southeastern Dutch province of Limburg. The name refers to the central town in the municipality, Valkenburg, and the small river Geul.

People come to visit the mines, its chalk houses and caverns with drawings dating back to Roman times, the castle of Valkenburg from which you can enjoy the wonderful landscape.

Stamps:

Dutch Icons
(Issued 02-01-2014)

NETHERLANDS ~Flag-Zeelandic Flanders~

...this postard shows the flag of a part of Holland near to Belgium...we also have the black lion in our "Flanders" flag...Bedankt Johan!!


With stamp from the serie ‘Going Green'
with as theme Europe gives green light.

Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeelandic Flanders), is the southernmost part of the Dutch Province of Zeeland. The region is separated from the rest of Zeeland by the estuary of the Wester Schelde and has land borders with Belgium only.

The flag is horizontally divided red-white-red-yellow-blue-white-blue and the border between the coloured stripes and the yellow stripe is wavy.
The upper red stripes come form the flag of Sluis, while the lower blue stripes come from the flag of Terneuzen.
The stripes represents the North Sea, the Zwin and Wester Schelde, that is water bordering more than 60% of the region.
The yellow stripe in the middle of the flag is charged with a black lion, recalling the flags of Flanders and Hulst (but, seemingly, without the red tongue and nails).
The colours of the flag also recalls the links of the region with both the Netherlands and Belgium.

NETHERLANDS ~, Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)-UNESCO~

Nice UNESCO site from neighbour Netherlands...It represents the contribution made by Netherlands engineers and architects in protecting their people and land against the natural forces of water.
Bedankt Moniek!!



With nice stamps too!!

The Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station) is the largest steam-pumping station ever built and is still in operation. During the winterdays, this station comes in action to help more modern pumping stations cope with high water in Friesland. On average, this occurs for 400 hours a year.
On October 7, 1920 Queen Wilhelmina opened the pumping station.

Since 1998 the ir. D.F. Woudagemaal has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

NETHERLANDS ~From Vlieland with love~

...So "cute" seals postcard (NL-1810501) from my neighbouring country Holland!! Bedankt Maud!


 With stamp from the serie ‘Going Green' with as theme
 Europe gives green light.

Vlieland is one of the West Frisian Islands, lying in the Wadden Sea, in the northern Netherlands. It is the second island from the west in the chain, lying between Texel and Terschelling. Vlieland was named after the Vlie. The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland.
The majority of the landscape consists of sand dunes and the western part of the island is nicknamed "Sahara of the North".

NETHERLANDS

Wonderful whale card... mother and calf swimming towards the sunset... gorgeous!!
This card was bought by IFAW  " International Fund for Animal Welfare" so  the money will go to a good cause...Great idea...I never heard of this organisation... Heel erg bedankt  Kirsten! (NL-1767780)


From a serie of 36 Dutch mammals on stamps,
a really lovely squirl stamp! (Issued 08-01-2013)

NETHERLANDS ~Amsterdam~

Great  aerial view of Amsterdam, the capital of Holland. (NL-1711096).
...It's on this square  that on 30 April Queen Beatrix after signing the act of abdication, the new King Willem Alexander will be inaugurated in the New Church and appears on the balcony of the Palace...
It will be much more crowded that day than on the postcard...^__^Thanks Janita!!

With nice stamps: "Going Green" (Issued 01-09-2011)and
city of the Netherlands stamp "Windpost Maasvlakte" (Issued 28-03-2011)

Dam square (13th C) is the central square in Amsterdam with the Royal Palace and New Church. Although no longer home to the Dutch Royal family, this grand 17th century Royal Palace is still used to hold official receptions.

NETHERLANDS ~Wintertime bicycles~

Lovely wintery scene from Holland (NL-1477097)...I do like cycling... but I'm not so fond of snow and not at all of cycling in the snow!!:D Bedankt Nienke!!

With great stamps ( printed before the euro, still in guldens):
Stamp WillemIII&Mary StuartII (Issued 14-06-1988)
Stamp showing Women's suffrage meeting (60th anniv of Women's suffrage) (Issued 1979)
Stamp for golden jubilee of the wedding of Queen Juliana with Prince Bernhard (Issued 1987)

Cycling for the Dutch is a way of life, it is the most popular form of daily transport; using a bicycle for daily needs is fun, convenient and almost for free!
The quality of bicycle lanes (fietspaden) is very high throughout the country.

NETHERLANDS ~Rotterdam~

Great offical (NL-1366222) aerial view of Rotterdam...It's always nice to receive a postcard from a "neighbour" and in the same language as me, dutch! Heel erg bedankt Djube!!

With two self adhesive stamps, love and cube stamp.(Issued 1-07-2010)

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world.Rotterdam is known as a city of architecture. A few square kilometres of the city centre offers a complete overview of what the 20thC has produced in terms of modern architecture.

NETHERLANDS ~Retranchement-Church~

Vacation card nr 6 from Johan... Nice church view...Thanks a lot!!

With stamp from the serie ‘Going Green' with as theme Europe gives green light.

Retranchement is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located on the Belgian border.

The Dutch Reformed church in the Dorpsstraat dates from 1653. The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.

NETHERLANDS ~Zeeland-North Sea~

A day trip to Zeeland... Enjoying the only "sunny" day of this week on the beautiful coast of Holland, our nearest neighbour...I just love our wonderful North Sea!!:D:D
(...must say today has a sunny start and the weather should be better from now one... We can only hope!!)

Formed by the North Sea, rivers and man, the province of Zeeland posesses the most authentic and varied coast territory of the country. Between the Zeeland islands, a number of sea arms twist through the landscape: the Westerschelde, Oosterschelde, Grevelingenmeer and Haringvliet.
In the west, we find at the North Sea coast a natural defense; the dunes. Together with the salt marshes between the islands the dunes and the beach form the major part of the natural landscape of Zeeland.

NETHERLANDS ~ Brouwershaven Harbour~

From family... Lovely aerial view of Port Greve and Brouwershaven harbour!
Hééél erg bedankt Sabrina, Koen and Anna.

With nice stamp from the serie ‘Going Green' with as theme Europe gives green light.

"Landal Park Greve" is a parc situated on the banks of Grevelingen Lake. Approx. 35ha, 575 bungalows and about 6km from the North Sea beach.

NETHERLANDS ~Overijssel~

Lovely panaoramic view of an old dutch farmhouse...and ofcourse with their famous dutch cows!!(NL-1153623).The beautiful environment is excellent for making varied bicycle or walking tours. Thanks a lot Sake!

With nice Europe Stamp, the water theme of Amsterdam, which symbolizes the position and attractiveness of the Netherlands as wetlands.

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede.

NETHERLANDS

...I do love those "Holland images" cards (NL-1060798)... This one shows their famous windmills, cows and laundry hanging outside to dry. This is not only typical for Netherland, we do it here also a lot...I was thinking wether this is a habit in other countries too...:D Thanks a lot Sjanie!!

With nice stamp from the serie ‘Going Green' with as theme "Recycling gives new life".