|
Meandering down the back alleys of old Ghent, what should I come upon but rows of children's paintings. Charming. And here was one of the first characters I ever learned about in my early Dutch studies, Paulus de Boskabouter (Paulus the Woods Gnome). How nice. |
 |
| I was only in Ghent for one quick afternoon. So what did I do? Bought a tour book and followed the dotted line to all the must-see attractions...until I was running out of time and cut it short. But even off the beaten trail, I found noteworthy works of art. Here's a fashion statement, cast in bronze, that's meant to last. It leaves no doubt as to this model's gender and choice of clothing. |
 |
| Did I ever tell you about my little Angel kitty, Abalone? I had to leave him back in the States -- bless his heart -- but look! By some miracle he appears here (in yet another museum), at the food of the Nazarene, getting some of that massive fish action. What a happy and blessèd kitty. |
 |
| Ah
well, that was a nice breeze through Belgium. Time to get back to the other
Lowlands, my crash pad in Holland.
You know how when you ride on public transportation, you always see garish billboards, ugly, lurid advertisements, partly torn and interspersed with graffiti and other unmentionables? Well, the Dutch have a different idea. Their trains are not only clean, but decorated by a great variety of original fanciful artworks. here is one of the more pleasant ones. |
 |
| And where to now? Still on the fast track I didn't spend much more time in Utrecht but headed out to see my Bosnian Dutch friend on the eastern border, Senka. And, naturally enough -- since this was my European vacation -- we went to the near-by African museum. All sorts of masks and tribal wear. Here's a piece that honors a theme we covered earlier in this web site. |
 |
| And here's one that honors the influence of the good old U.S.A. Say, if you were spending time on the African savanna, wouldn't you go in for an ice-cold bottle of Coke? Looks like the French got there first though, these bottles are advertised at 5 centimes apiece. |
 |
| Then, Senka and I took a little trip with her brother, Mirso, and his wife Els. Right over the border is this beautiful classic castle, Schloss Moyland (that is German "Castle" and the Dutch name "Beautiful Land"). Looks like it got caught in the cross-fire in World War II -- but don't worry -- this is an old photo. |
 |
| Here's the picture I took. Much better. This castle has been converted into an art museum, dedicated to the massive art collection of the brothers Van der Grinten. It's just jam-packed with artworks, and I must tell you, these Van der Grinten lads had about the worst taste I've ever seen. They especially feature the work of Joseph Beuys, who was apparently a significant player in the fall of Western culture. Terrible stuff. |
 |
| And there's Senka getting friendly with the Lion. Don't touch the Artwork! This proud lion was crafted by that same French fellow who designed our Statue of Liberty. Beautiful! And the lion's OK too. Purrrrrrr...... |
 |
|
|
NEXT PAGE….! |