The Netherlands - Medemblik Family and trains (NL-162481)

I find this Dutch card very interesting, because I like old photographs, papers and of course trains (that's the reason to place this card in today's update) ;) Unfortunately, I'm not sure what it shows. The text on the back side of this card tells that it's about the Medemblik Family, which is presented in several museums, including Museumstoomtram Hoorn - Medemblik (This text was bold, so I guess it must be the name of railway museum? My knowledge of Dutch is very limited) :(

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Of course, I tried to google for some information about the Medemblik Family, but I just found out that Medemblik was the name of municipality in the Netherlands. So I still wonder, if that was a family, which enjoyed travelling by trains very much (that's the version I want to believe in) or if "Medemblik Family" is just a common name for people that used to live in Medemblik? Anyway, the railway was definitely important for them and that's what matters :)

The Netherlands - Zeeland (NL-145638)

This wonderful multiview comes from Zeeland - a region of the Netherlands that I've been to for several times :) I can even recognize some places from this card :) I used to visit Belgium quite often and each time I wanted to go to the seaside, I preferred going to the Netherlands rather than to the Belgian coast, because it was much nicer and more peaceful, while it was not much farther away. That's why I have many good memories connected with Zeeland :)

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Zeeland, also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands (hence its name, meaning "sea-land") and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about 2930 km², of which almost 1140 km² is water.

Large parts of Zeeland are below sea level. The last great flooding of the area was in 1953. Tourism is an important economic activity. Its sunny beaches make it a popular holiday destination in the summer. Most tourists are Germans. In some areas, the population can be two to four times higher during high summer season. The coat of arms of Zeeland shows a lion half-emerged from water, and the text "luctor et emergo" (Latin for "I struggle and I emerge").

The Netherlands - Summer snowflake (NL-149230)

Christiane from the Netherlands sent me a card connected with her job. She works at the Utrecht University and the part of it are the botanic gardens. This card is something absolutely new in my collection and it made me search for some information about Leucojum aestivum (though I prefer it's English name - Summer snowflake) :) I can't tell you if I've ever seen such flowers, but I like the small, bell-shaped flowers very much :)

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The snowflakes are native to southern Europe, from the Pyrenées to Romania and western Russia, but they have been introduced and have naturalized in many other areas, including the east coast of North America. They have narrow, strap-like, dark green leaves. The flowers are small and bell-shaped, white with a green (or occasionally yellow) spot at the end of each tepal. They have a slight fragrance.

Leucojum aestivum (Summer snowflake) has a natural range, taking in Europe, southwest Asia and northern Iran, and growing in wetter habitats including damp woodland, riversides and swamps. Despite its common name it also flowers from March to May, though slightly later than the Spring Snowflake. It is a taller plant than Leucojum vernum, growing to around 60 cm (2 ft), but its flowers are smaller and are carried in an umbel of between three and seven.

The Netherlands - Leiden (NL-144278)

I've never been to Leiden, but this card reminds me other Dutch cities (even Amsterdam, although the architecture is a bit different). These canals, boat trips, bridges that seem to low to go under them and a windmill in the middle of a city - it can't be any other country but The Netherlands :) According to the sender, there's a large population of students in Leiden and the country's oldest university is located there.

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Leiden (in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands and has 118,000 inhabitants. It forms a single urban area with Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten, Valkenburg, Rijnsburg and Katwijk, with 254,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Old Rhine, close to the cities of The Hague and Haarlem. The recreational area of the Kaag Lakes (Kagerplassen) lies just to the northeast of Leiden.

Leiden University (Dutch: Universiteit Leiden), located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands.The university was founded in 1575 by Prince William of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close relationship. The Queens Juliana and Beatrix and crown-prince Willem-Alexander studied at Leiden University. In 2005 Queen Beatrix received a rare honorary degree from Leiden University.

Today, Leiden University has six faculties, over 50 departments and more than 150 undergraduate programmes, and it enjoys an international reputation. The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Leiden University 71st worldwide for 2007, 20th in Europe, and second in the Netherlands. The Times Higher Education 2008 ranked Leiden University 64th in the world overall.

The Netherlands - The Peace Palace in The Hague (NL-143081)

This beautiful card shows The Peace Palace in The Hague. I love this kind of Dutch cards, I have similar one from Rotterdam (I just haven't posted it yet, as I usually post the cards that I receive now and I'm a bit late with posting the cards that I received from my penpals several years ago). This palace seems to be built in neogothic style. I like some neogothic buildings, for example churches, palaces, the railway station in my city... But, there are also some schools and hospitals built in this style and they seem very scary at the first sight :) I've been learning at such school (built in neogothic style about 1900) and I couldn't get used to it for several months. But, in my opinion, this palace is an example of really good architecture.

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The Peace Palace ("Vredespaleis" in Dutch), situated in The Hague, Netherlands, is often called the seat of international law because it houses the International Court of Justice (which is the principal judicial body of the United Nations), the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the extensive Peace Palace Library.

In addition to hosting these institutions, the Palace is also a regular venue for special events in international policy and law.

The idea of the Palace started from a discussion in 1900 between the Russian diplomat Friedrich Martens and the American diplomat Andrew White, over providing a home for the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), which was established through the first Hague Peace Conference in 1899. White contacted his friend and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie about this idea. Carnegie had his reservations, and at first was only interested in donating money for the establishment of a Library of International Law. White however was able to convince Carnegie, and in 1903 Carnegie agreed to donating 1.5 million dollars needed for a Peace Temple that would house the PCA as well as to endow it with a library of international law.

The Netherlands - Amsterdam (NL-140765)

This postcard shows the Dutch Canal in Amsterdam. I've been to Amsterdam once (5 years ago) and I also took a boat trip on the canals. I especially like the architecture of Amsterdam, but I think I should go there again, because spending there just one day and such a long time ago isn't enough to know the city well :) I remember that the thing, which surprised me the most in Amsterdam (that was my first trip to the Netherlands) were hundreds of bicycles standing on the streets. Of course, these were not very good or modern ones, but here people definitely wouldn't leave their bikes on the street :) It's an interesting part of Dutch culture... Even on this card you can see many bikes on the bridge, if you look carefully :)

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The Netherlands - Haarlem (NL-138088)

This card shows the amazing (although not very old) Cathedral of Saint Bavo in Haarlem. I haven't been there (actually, I've visited only Amsterdam and a few other towns in the Netherlands, mostly at the seaside). According to the sender, this church is the biggest building in Haarlem.

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The Cathedral of Saint Bavo, was built in Haarlem, the Netherlands by the Catholics from 1895 to 1930 to replace the former Waterstaatskerk St. Joseph. That church was itself a replacement for the Sint-Bavokerk, that had been converted to Protestantism from Catholicism in 1578. The Cathedral of Saint Bavo now serves as the main cathedral for the Catholic diocese of Haarlem. Within the Cathedral, the former sacristy has been converted into a small museum (schatkamer) containing historical artefacts from Haarlem's Catholic past.

The Netherlands - Overijssel (NL-117757)

First I thought that Overijssel was a city or town :) But later I realized that actually it was a region in the Netherlands. I love this card, because it's so colorful and because it's a multiview, but not so regular one. I've never been to the Overijssel region, but I think it represents the whole country quite well too :)

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. The province has a population of 1,113,529 inhabitants.

To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers, such as, Regge and Dinkel and brooks, in the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the Overijsselse Vecht and clay. The northern parts were once covered by veen (bogs) which separated the dryer and more arable south from Drenthe and which have been exploited as fuel to a large degree. Only small patches survive today (Engbertsdijksvenen near Tubbergen, Witteveen (near Haaksbergen), and the Aamsveen (near Enschede). The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining, the Weerribben, which is a valuable wetland.

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The Netherlands - Amsterdam

Unfortunately, you can't see it well on the screen, but it's a very beautiful handmade 3D card :) It shows a mailbox in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. I've been there once, it's one of the most beautiful European capitals in my opinion :)

The Netherlands - flags (NL-117948)

This postcard shows many Dutch flags in typical Dutch landscape :) I wonder, if there's the sea on the other side? I don't know if there are always so many flags or maybe that was because of some holiday, but still I like it, when nations are proud of their flag. In Poland you can usually see Polish flag only on administration buildings. The only exceptions are the Independence Day, Constitution Day and the days, when Polish football team plays an important match :))) I would like to see the flag more often, as it is for example in Ukraine (at least Western Ukraine).

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The Netherlands - Friesland

I like this postcard very much, because it's a multiview with 15 pictures and because of its colors :) It shows the Friesland province in the Netherlands. I only knew there was such province and that a local language was spoken there, but receiving this postcard inspired me to read a bit more :) Here's some information about the Frisian language:

Friesland distinguishes itself from the other eleven provinces through having its own language, West Frisian, which is also spoken in a minor part of the province of Groningen, to the east. Closely related languages, East Frisian ("Seeltersk", which is different from "East Frisian (Ostfriesisch)", a collection of Low German dialects of East Frisia) and North Frisian, are spoken in the Saterland and in North Friesland areas in Germany, respectively. Friesland was a part of the German empire until 1680 when it separated and joined the Netherlands. Part of Friesland is still considered part of Germany (Ostfriesland)
Statue of Pier Gerlofs Donia, the last "King of all Frisians" known for his legendary strength and size and invention of a famous shibboleth

The English language is also closely related to West Frisian. There is a saying about it: "As milk is to cheese, are English and Fries." Another version of this saying reads (in West Frisian): "Bûter, brea, en griene tsiis; wa't dat net sizze kin, is gjin oprjochte Fries", which in English reads: "Butter, bread, and green cheese, whoever can't say that is no upright Fries" (According to legend, the 16th century Frisian freedom fighter Pier Gerlofs Donia forced his captives to repeat this shibboleth to distinguish Frisians from Dutch and Low Germans). The saying plays on the sound differences between the Dutch and Frisian words for "butter, bread, and green cheese", which in Frisian are pronounced almost identically to their English counterparts (showing the original closeness between the two languages), while in Dutch ("Boter, brood, en groene kaas"), these words sound quite different.

The Netherlands - national costumes

I received this postcard in the Netherlands & Other countries RR :) In one of the previous posts I wrote that national costumes from different countries seem to be very similar in my opinion (probably because I'm a 100% ignorant) ;) But Dutch national costumes are so typical that I can easily distinguish them from any others :) Unfortunately, I haven't seen people dressed like that in the Netherlands :(

The Netherlands - Den Helder (NL-110899)

This postcard shows the water tower in Den Helder, The Netherlands. It reminds me the water tower in my city, which isn't used anymore, but there's a restaurant with a wonderful view :) I wonder, if this one is still in use?

Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base.

Huisduinen was the original older part of the city, whereas Helder itself was a nearby smaller hamlet. Due to its strategic location at the tip of the North Holland peninsula, multiple fortifications were built in the area. The area began to be called Helledore ("Gate to hell", later on Den Helsdeur), because of the "hellish" fortifications that prevented enemy ships from sailing into the Zuyderzee. The name Helder may also have come from Helle/Helde, which means hill or hilly grounds, or from Helre, which means a sandy ridge.

Den Helder has played an important part in Dutch shipping. During the Dutch Golden Age, ships would be assembled near Den Helder and sail from there the world's oceans. In the 1820s, the North Holland Canal was dug from Amsterdam to Den Helder. The lighthouse Lange Jaap was built in 1877 and is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in Europe, at 63.45 meters (208.2 ft).

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The Netherlands - Efteling

I received this lovely postcard in the Netherlands and Rest of the world RR :) It shows the entrance of Efteling, an amusement park in the Netherlands.
I've been to some amusement parks in the USA, but I was only 13 years old then... Now I'm a bit older (just a bit, I'm 17), but I'd love to have such fun again :)

Efteling is the largest and most popular theme park in The Netherlands, and one of the leading theme parks in Europe. It is also one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand. Efteling was opened in 1952.

Originally the park catered towards children with a fairy tale theme. Nowadays Efteling appeals to both young and old with its cultural, romantic and nostalgic themes and its variety of amusement rides. In over fifty years the park has evolved from a nature park with playground and a Fairy Tale Forest, into a full-size theme park along the lines of Disneyland (it is actually twice as large as the original Disneyland park and predates it by three years). In 1992 Efteling received the IAAPA Applause Award for Best Amusement Park in the World.

The Netherlands - Aalsmeer (NL-104047)

This card shows the church and water-tower in Aalsmeer, which seems to be a typical, nice Dutch town. Well, almost typical :) Because not every Dutch town is called the flower capital of the world ;)

Aalsmeer is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its name is derived from the Dutch for eel (aal) and lake (meer). Aalsmeer is bordered by the Westeinderplassen lake - the largest open water of the Randstad - and the Ringvaart Canal. The town is located 13 kilometers (8 miles) southwest of Amsterdam.

Because the largest flower auction in the world is based in Aalsmeer, along with numerous nurseries and an experimental station for floriculture, the town is sometimes referred to as the flower capital of the world.

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The Netherlands - Nijmegen (NL-104320)

This postcard shows Nijmegen, which is the oldest city of the Netherlands (Nijmegen celebrated its 2000th year of existence in 2005). So it's actually twice older than my city :) On this card you can see 12 pictures that make up a calendar. I love multiview cards (especially the ones with really many pictures), so this one is just perfect :)

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The Netherlands (NL-98055)

This postcard shows some symbols of the Netherlands. I've been to this country for several times, so I knew about the bikes and tulips (I think that's what everyone knows), but the syrup-wafels are something new for me :) I think I'll try them someday...

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The Netherlands - Schiedam (NL-98739)

This postcard is actually a picture taken by the sender's husband. It shows Schiedam, a town next to Rotterdam. I really appreciate this kind of home made postcards, when people put some effort to take a nice picture and print it on a high quality paper. That's why I'd never write "no hand made cards, please" in my profile. I've never been disappointed with such postacrd, but I know that it happens sometimes. Maybe someday, when I learn to photograph well, I'll be able to send my own cards too :)

The Netherlands (NL-97254)

I know that Holland is a beautiful country, because I've been there for many times... But even if I hadn't - this postcard would certainly make me believe it :) Maybe because of the tulips, maybe because of the warm colors... I don't know. But it's one of my favorite official cards so far :)

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Netherlands - Nieuwerkerk aan de IJssel (NL-89073)

This postcard is my 2nd official from the Netherlands :) Yes, I've received only 2 offical cards from the Netherlands so far. What I like about postcrossing is that you never know, where will your postcards come from. Of course, if you join postcrossing - you'll receive many cards from Finland, Germany and USA. But other countries are always a surprise :) For example, I haven't received any card from Portugal, which is a Top5 country, but I already have some officials from quite 'rare' countries, such as Romania or Thailand.

But, let's come back to the Netherlands :)

HämeeNieuwerkerk aan den IJssel (population: 22,344 in 2004) is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland.

It is situated along the Hollandse IJssel river, across from the town Ouderkerk.

Within the boundaries of this municipality lies the lowest point of the Netherlands: 6.76 m (22.2 ft) below Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (mean summer sea level in Amsterdam).

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