Category: OWHC 2022

Apple picking!

In September apples start to be in-season and we went to pick them!
Magdar and Stan, the couple that hosted us in Bruges, proposed that we go with them in a forest close to the city and to join the community in apple-picking. What a great idea and a wonderful experience. None of us had ever picked apples before, so we were like children enjoying our first time.
The activity is organized by the Municipality of Bruges, which makes the municipal apple trees available for everyone one day a year. The orchard was full of families and groups of friends. At the entrance the staff gave us a basket and a stick with a net, a specific tool for picking apples.
We really had a good time while filling our basket and eating some fruit!

We conclude our morning excursion sitting in a nice dehor to drink a coffee with whipped cream and chatting about our lives. There was so much to share with them!

Exploring Bruges: the old city

Once back home, we had lunch all together. Later, we left our hosts enjoying their Sunday and we walked towards the city center. We bought “Musea Brugge Card”, with which you can visit all open locations of Musea Brugge for 72 hours at a reduced price. 

The first place that we visited was the Church of Our Lady, a magnificent medieval church that was built over at least two centuries, beginning in the 13th century. At a height of 122.3 m it includes the second tallest brickwork tower in the world (after St. Martin’s Church in Landshut, Germany) and is the tallest spire in Belgium. The church is a classic example of brick Gothic, but it is also unique due to a centuries-old connection with the Gruuthuse palace through an oratory in the chancel. The church chancel houses an impressive triptych of the Passion by Margaret of Austria’s court painter, Bernard van Orley, as well as the 15th and 16th century mausoleums of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy, who died tragically in an accident.
The altarpiece of the large chapel known as the Cappella sacra, created in the 18th century in the Baroque style, enshrines the church’s most celebrated art treasure—a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created around 1504 by Michelangelo. Payments made to Michelangelo by Florentine bankers Baldassare and Giovanni Balducci between 1503 and 1504 provide evidence of this date. Because the block of marble used to sculpt the Madonna weighed nearly a ton, carving locations would have been limited. Michelangelo most likely began carving the sculpture in Carrara, where he spent nearly a year in 1505. The Madonna was finished in 1506. It was most likely intended for Siena Cathedral, but it was purchased in Italy by two Brugean merchants, Jan and Alexander Mouscron. Due to a monetary disagreement, Michelangelo had the statue privately transported to the Mouscrons in Bruges instead, and it was donated to its current home in 1514.

Our second step has been the Gruuthusemuseum. In the museum, we travel through three pivotal periods in Bruges’ history. First, there is the city’s Burgundian heyday, followed by the previously underexposed period of the 17th and 18th centuries, and finally, the ‘rediscovery’ of Bruges in the 19th century neo-Gothic style that is so characteristic of the city today. More than 600 exhibits, each with its own story to tell, bring these three periods to life. From magnificent tapestries to Gothic stained glass, elegant wooden sculptures to refined historical lace, period paintings to a 17th and 18th century dinner table set with silver cutlery and luxurious Chinese porcelain. The theme running through the exhibition is ‘Plus est en vous,’ which was the motto of Louis of Gruuthuse, the man who gave the palace its stunning grandiosity in the 15th century. 

What surprised us the most was the private chapel located in the museum. With its original 15th-century oak plank floor and panelling, this extraordinary chapel connects the palace and the Church of Our Lady.  When we ended our visit, we felt immersed in the atmosphere of times gone by.

Exploring Bruges: contemporary art

Just rounded the corner, we came across other interesting museum. Properly, it’s St John’s Hospital, one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe. The first traces can be found in the middle of the 12th century. St. John’s Hospital houses an impressive collection of artworks and medical instruments that tell the story of early hospital life and depict how hospital wards looked in the mid-17th century.

We have been really lucky because there was an exhibition, titled Underneath the Shade We Lay Grounded, took place on the ground floor and in the hospital’s impressive wooden attic. The artist is Otobong Nkanga, a Nigerian-Belgian contemporary artist. Nkanga’s groundbreaking exhibition aims to engage visitors, the historic St John’s Hospital, and Bruges in an intense dialogue. Nkanga hopes to ‘heal’ visitors’ injuries and ‘cure’ them through their connection with her art and a dialogue with the works of, among others, Hans Memling and Jan Beerblock from the Musea Brugge collection. The concept of grounding is central to this exhibition, and it runs throughout the entire exhibition display. She reconnects people with their material, spiritual, and cultural roots in this way.

The sweet ringing of bells

When we left the Hospital, we saw that the golden hour was coming, so it would have been the perfect moment to enjoy a panoramic view from Belfort and to eat some Belgian fries.
The Belfort is the most striking tower in Bruges dates from the 13th century, stands 83 meters tall, and is a world heritage site. Climbing all 366 steps we have been rewarded with a breathtaking view of the city and its surroundings. On our way up, visit the treasury, which once housed the city’s charters, seals, and coffers. A few steps further on, we saw the impressive music drum that powers the carillon as well as the keyboard that the city carillonneur uses to play the tower’s 47 carillon bells.

Real Belgian bear

After a long and full day such as this, we deserved to enjoy the finest belgian beer. So, we went to a hidden alley in the middle of the inner city of Bruges to find “Staminee De Garre since 1984”. An establishment with its own typical atmosphere and where time seems to have stood still. We drank an amazing Tripel van De Garre (11%), a full bodied beer of high fermentation, which is rather soft and has a slightly bitter aftertaste. The brewing process of the triple goes through five stages and takes several months. It begins in the brewing room and ends in a room where the temperature is a constant 22°C.

Really happy and tired, we said goodnight to Bruges! 

Where is Mosè?

The morning started off without Gloria’s cat, Mosé. We have been forgetful leaving the boat’s entrance a bit open during breakfast and the cat escaped out. So, we began seeking him all around the harbor, looking at every boat and every corner, asking people if they had seen him. 

After an hour we found him in a hedge between two fences delimiting the harbor. We tried to get him out by attracting him with cats’ biscuits. But no way, Mosè was leaving his best life in that hedge and he had no intention to go out. The only solution was to enter between the two fences. Gloria did it, while Allegra was checking every Mosé’s movement. Unfortunately, the hedge was made of thick and thorny plants, so Gloria had some difficulties, but in the end she managed to grab the cat. 

Movies, movies, movies 

As winners we went back on board and started getting ready to go out. We quickly ate some Italian spaghetti with tomato sauce and then we went to the Eye Filmmuseum, which is very close to Sixhaven Harbor. 

Eye Filmmuseum is the leading Dutch cultural institution dedicated to filmmaking. The museum is located ia building with a modern and unusual cut, which was inaugurated by the Queen of the Netherlands in April 2012 and was designed by Austrian architects Roman Delugan and Elke Delugan-Meissl. It includes four movie theaters and a 1,200 m² exhibition space. The structure is envisioned as a highly tensed and dynamic geometric solid. Smooth, crystalline surfaces reflect light in a variety of ways, subjecting the building’s appearance to permanent optical changes throughout the day. Movement and light are clearly manifested as essential parameters for the film as a medium in architectural production. In a formal and atmospheric symbiosis, the museum building responds to its surroundings and the distinctive neighboring Oeverhoeks tower. Two motivations guided their design: plural perspective and physiological effect. Along these lines, the entire structure alludes to the cinematic experience as a game of light, space, and movement. The building’s white roof alludes to cinematography, and the façade reflects light in constantly changing conditions.

EYE’s main goal would, in theory, be the preservation of film heritage for future generations, both of Dutch films and foreign films shown in the Netherlands. EYE’s collection of films on film, and the technical expertise of its conservators and restorers in the field of restoration are internationally renowned[1]. But the EYE is primarily concerned with showing contemporary films and promoting new cinema produced in the Netherlands at major international festivals, often forgetting its archival vocation.

EYE houses the largest film library in the Netherlands. The Institute’s collection consists of 37,000 films, 500,000 photos, 41,500 posters and scripts, collections of private materials belonging to filmmakers, and thousands of film-related objects. The collection, which ranges from silent films of the late 19th century to contemporary productions, to which many Dutch but also foreign titles are regularly added, is regularly ignored by EYE’s film programmers and curators of exhibitions presented at the Museum. The only exception, almost confirming the rule, was an exhibition devoted to the impressive Desmet Collection, which was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World list in 2011. 

We were impressed by a three-channel HD video installation by Kahlil Joseph. He is interested in the physical possibilities of presenting his films and in the moving image in all its forms – from video clips to commercials and news footage. The artist said that he makes the stuff he wants to see and in the process he blurs the boundaries between art, journalism, documentary film, and cultural criticism. We were enthusiastic because his style was so seductive and hypnotic. 

Moreover, we were interested in his way of challenging the mainstream – predominantly white – media representation of the lives of black Americans. Indeed, the video installation was about a not well known subculture: black cowboys. In particular, the video illustrated the Black Rodeo, which is held annually in the tiny town of Grayson in Oklahoma.

Before leaving the Museum, Allegra bought some playing cards with beautiful illustrations of Hitchcock’s movies. 

Bruges is calling!

Then, we had to run to the boat to pack our bags and go to the station where we had an appointment with Blablacar. 

Since Gloria had to wait five days in Harlingen between Elena’s departure and Allegra’s arrival, the itinerary has been changed. Sadly we couldn’t reach Bruges by boat anymore. That’s the reason why we picked up a ride in the car to get to Belgium. 

The shared car trip was an opportunity to get to know an Argentinian girl visiting Europe and an orchestra singer from Amsterdam. We listened to really good and new music!

At nine p.m. we got to Bruges, where a kind, sweet and helpful couple was waiting for us. After reading our request on a facebook group, they decided to host us in order to help the realization of our project. We appreciated this act of kindness immensely and tasted the good taste of solidarity. They have even made an apple cake to welcome us!

Our arrival in Belgium couldn’t be better!

The city

New day, new city. Today we left by train with our bikes from Amsterdam Central Station towards Den Haag. Holland’s third-largest city, Den Haag is a majestic and regal location, filled with sumptuous palaces, home to embassies and luxury residences, as well as boulevards and green parks. The Hague, whose official name is ‘s-Gravenhage (‘Count’s Hedge’), is the seat of the Dutch government and the residence of the royal family. It was also the country’s capital until 1806, when Louis Bonaparte established his government in Amsterdam. Eight years later, with the expulsion of the French, the government was again moved to The Hague, but Amsterdam retained the title of capital.

During the 20th century, the city became the seat of numerous international legal bodies, including the United Nations International Court of Justice, where important trials are regularly held that propel Den Haag into the headlines. The city is also home to all foreign embassies in the Netherlands, and is inhabited by a large community of foreign residents.

Welcome to the Europe House

Indeed, we are here because of institutional commitments. Since Gloria is an Ambassador of the European Climate Pact, we have been hosted at the Europe House, home of the Representation of the European Commission and the European Parliament Liaison in the Netherlands. Here we met the Coordinator of the House of Europe, Amber Scheele, to whom we presented Navigandum per hereditatem project and started discussing presenting our report. It would be the perfect place where to talk about our experience!

In addition to institutional activities, the House of Europe is an information point where you, as a citizen, can just walk in and see, in an interactive way, what the European Union can do for you. This is the place where you can learn about Europe. You can also stop by this meeting place and take away leaflets on all kinds of topics related to the European Union. There are also people ready to answer your questions. If you want to voice your own opinion, you can do that too at the House of Europe. Debates are organized, and the meeting and debate room can accommodate more than 100 visitors. Under certain conditions, civil society organizations can use this space free of charge.

After chatting with Amber and visiting the beautiful building, we had lunch in front of the ancient Parliament, the Binnenhof. The Binnenhof is a group of buildings located near to the Hofvijver lake in the heart of the city. Along with the Ministry of General Affairs and the office of the Dutch Prime Minister, it serves as a meeting venue for both chambers of the Netherlands’ States General. The Gothic fortress, which was mostly constructed in the 13th century, served as the counts of Holland’s primary residence before it was transformed into the political hub of the Dutch Republic in 1584. The top 100 Dutch heritage sites include it. The Binnenhof is one of the oldest still-in-use Parliament buildings in the world.

A full immersion into Dutch Art 

But it started raining little later, so we decided to enjoy the city visiting the famous Mauritshuis Museum, which is particularly known for its collection of paintings, which includes masterpieces by artists of the Dutch Golden Age-including Joannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Carel Fabritius, Jan Steen, and Paulus Potter-as well as other Dutch and European painters such as Hans Holbein the Younger, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, and Anthony van Dick. The museum houses also the most well-known of Vermeer’s works, Girl with a Pearl Earring. It is a “tronie,” a painting of an imagined figure, rather than a portrait. Tronies often feature a specific kind or character, in this example a female dressed exotically with an oriental turban and a surrealistically big pearl dangling from her ear. Light was Johannes Vermeer’s specialty. The girl’s gentle features and the glimmers of light on her moist lips in this photograph demonstrate this. Of course there is also the brilliant pearl.

Visiting Mauritshuis, we also had a chance to look at Rembrandt’s amazing works. The Dutch Golden Age painter changed his style and techniques throughout his life. Among his first masterpieces, there is for sure The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp (1632). When Rembrandt was commissioned to create the portraits of the Amsterdam surgeons, he was only 25 years old. The doctors are shown in action by Rembrandt, and each of them is focused on a different object. The stark contrasts between light and dark give the scene more dynamism. The teenage artist showcased his renowned technique and his exceptional aptitude for painting lifelike portraits in this group portrait. 

Instead, if we look at the end of his life, we find a new expressive freedom. For instance, in Self Portrait (1669) it’s amazing how he painted the face with such forceful brushstrokes. Rembrandt suggests a real-life guy with his thick, almost model-like layers of paint. This is truly a work of art.

This collection of Dutch art permitted us to discover much more about the Holland style and cultural background. So, we concluded our day in Den Haag artistically fulfilled.

Picturesque canal network, rich history and thrumming cultural scene. Here we are in  the capital of the Netherlands: Amsterdam.

But before diving into the city, we had some technical duties to perform. Indeed, it is the perfect moment to replace the broken part of Tetide’s engine. A gentle man volunteering at the harbour helped us finding a mechanic expert. So, Gloria removed the part and then we went into this repair shop. They need to order a new gear; that’s why they asked for few days to fix everything. 

At the Monuments City Department

After taking care of our boat, we could deservedly enjoy the city. We ate our sandwiches with a gorgeous view on the canals, and then we reached the historic De Basel building where we have an appointment with the Monuments & Archaeology Department City of Amsterdam.

Beside the municipality activities, the building mainly acts as the Amsterdam City Archives, the world’s biggest city archive and, according to many, the most attractive. It features a library, vast audio, video, and photo archives, as well as a historical topographical collection with millions of maps, drawings, and images. Visitors can explore Amsterdam’s past to discover more about how the modern city was created. Additionally, the Archives host both transient and ongoing exhibitions and provide guided tours.

It was a magnificent place for a meeting. We have been welcomed by Inez Weyermans, project leader at Municipality of Amsterdam, Bureau Monuments & Archaeology. She mainly works for the Unesco heritage of the city: the canal belt.

The end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries saw the construction of the historic urban ensemble known as the canal district of Amsterdam. It consists of a system of canals to the west and south of the ancient old town, the medieval harbor that encircled the old town, and the Singelgracht, which was moved interior along with the city’s defensive borders. It was a long-term project that required draining the swampland, building a network of canals in circular arcs, and filling in the empty places in between. These areas allowed for the growth of a uniform urban ensemble that included gabled homes and a number of monuments. The biggest and most uniform urban extension at the time. Up until the 19th century, it was used as a model for extensive town planning and was a source of inspiration for people all over the world.

Inez explained that the canal belt raises several issues which have to be handled by the Municipality. 

Firstly, she illustrated us the city’s attempt to involve the local community in their cultural heritage. Indeed, Inez underlined the need to increase the historical acknowledgment by the citizens and, especially, by the new generations. In order to reach this goal the Monuments & Archaeology Department together with Amsterdam Museums had developed an educational programme for all the Amsterdam’s schools. It provides for three lessons for 12 years old students: the first one is held at the De Basel building by a specialized teacher; in the second one children go around the canals by boat; the third one is a focus on the Holland colonization. This issue, indeed, has become increasingly important by virtue of the fact that the Golden Age obscures the nation’s colonial origins and is in some ways the story of the winners. In addition to hiding slavery, it also obscures overall poverty. Not everyone participated in the Golden Age, not at all. Promote wider inclusion of what you consider to be “Dutch” if you wish to safeguard a free and democratic system. People assume they are familiar with the Golden Age’s narrative if you mention it. What the traditional historiography fails to mention is that barely 1% of society was affected. People in Holland were suffering from poverty, there were ongoing internal battles, and slavery was also present. The current population of the Netherlands includes offspring from both the 99 percent and the 1 percent. That’s the reason why the UNESCO department wanted to include this lecture within the educational programme.  

Secondly, she told us all the difficulties in tackling the climate impact on the country. She explained that there is a programme office dealing with this topic and working in a cross sections way. For instance, they collaborate with the Monuments Department and with technicians to do maintenance of canals, bridges and banks. Drought and rising seas play a dramatic role in making matters worse. In particular,the municipality of Amsterdam seeks to take preventive action and has a heart fort the issue since the canal system has been a national heritage site since 1999.

At the De basel building we had the chance to meet also Annette ten Doeschate, the sustainable heritage coordinator of  the Spatial Quality Committee of Amsterdam Municipality. Among her activities, she works at the digital desk giving directions on heritage policies and simplifying the legal and technical frame for the citizens. The idea is to make more feasible private initiatives for the renovation of buildings, especially when citizens want to decrease environmental impact. Indeed, their wills often collide with public bans and complicated regulations. That situation mirrors the conflict between old heritage legislation and new guidelines for climate change. Thanks to her position, Annette can better understand what should be modified in the legal frame and what technical innovations the city needs. Indeed, she also communicates with the police making departement to make it aware. 

Moreover, her team had developed many instruments to facilitate pro-clima actions. For example, they mapped and classified all city’s buildings according to their possibility to install solar panels, according to their economical and cultural value, and according to many other criteries. Mapping makes administration more accessible!

Finally, we discuss with Inez and Annette the current impact of climate change on the city of Amsterdam. They told us that no physical signs are already noticeable. However, the Municipality wants to prevent problems with a good water management, investigations on future risks, and protection of the buildings most at risk. 

A real Amsterdam pub

This meeting has been incredibly interesting! So, we deserved some spare time at Caffe Hoppe. The Hoppe is one of Amsterdam’s best-known brown cafes. Located in the lively Joordaan district, this bar, which opened in 1670, offers a wide selection of local beers as well as traditional Dutch gin.

Café Hoppe has been located on the Spui since 1670. Hans van Mierlo laid the foundations of the liberal D’66 party here,and even our recently abdicated Queen Beatrix honored the café with a royal visit when she was still a young princess. 

Here we spent amazing time with our new friends we met some days before in Harlingen.