Croy Castle, Holland

Google Street View

Info about castle: Wikipedia

My digitally modified version of above street view as shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Best seen in larger view

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Old Windmills of North Holland

Google Street View

These windmills built in 1630s were part of 52 mills which once existed in this region to drain the Schermer polder (low-lying tract) of North Holland. Today only 12 of those windmills have survived.

More info: Museum Molen Schermerhorn

My digitally modified version of above street view as shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Best seen in larger view

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Face In The Grass

Google Street View

This Google Street View is reposted from an older post for purpose of comparison with my digitally modified version of this street view shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Best seen in larger view

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Replica Of The Tragic Ship Batavia

Google Street View

This is the replica of Batavia - a ship of the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie - VOC). The ship built in 1628 in Amsterdam, sank on her maiden voyage after a shipwreck on 4 June 1629 near the Western Australian coast. A subsequent mutiny and massacre resulted in torture, rape and murder of 125 survivors of the shipwreck. It was one of most dreadful and tragic mutiny in the maritime history.

More details about the ship and its history can be found in VOC Historical Society, Australia.

Its replica built in 1995 is moored at Batavia Wharf in Lelystad, The Netherlands - More info: Wikipedia

My digitally modified version of above street view as shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Best seen in larger view

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For Whom The Bell Tolls

Google Street View

Here is an unusual shaped belfry known as Frisian belfry. Such free-standing belfries are generally found in the rural areas of The Netherlands especially in Friesland, Drenthe and Overijssel. Main reason for such a design was economic necessity as it saved the cost of regular belfry tower.

This particular belfry is in the small village of Wijnjewoude.

More info: Dutch Wikipedia and Klokkenstoel Wijnjewoude

My digitally modified version of above street view as shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Best seen in larger view

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White House On The Canal

Google Street View

While Roaming the Google Streets found this white house in idyllic settings. The shadows in the still waters of the canal have given entire scenery a serene touch. The house known as Bosch and Vaart House is listed in Dutch Wikipedia as a national monument in Vries region of The Netherlands.

My digitally modified version of above street view as shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Best seen in larger view

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Windmill in Garrelsweer, The Netherlands

Google Street View

While roaming the Google streets I came across this old windmill in the Garrelsweer, Groningen, The Netherlands. The Dutch country side is full of windmills.

Info about this windmill: De Hollandsche Molen (In Dutch) (English Translation)

I have been experimenting with digital modification of the Google Street Views to make the image into a piece of art. Here is the modified version titled "Windmill At Dusk" as shared in "Artistic Google" album of Google+.

Best seen in larger view

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Bizarre Statue of Man With Funnel

Google Street View

Google Street View

This bizarre sculpture showing a limp humanoid figure with funnel in his mouth is artwork of Rotterdam Sculptor Atelier Van Lieshout.

Made of polyster it is located on the A27 highway just outside the town of Breda, Belgium and is known as "Big Funnelman". The sculpture was commissioned in 2004 by the Breda civic body.

Source of info: Dutch Wikipedia (English Translation)

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Crying Giant

Google Street View

Found this sculpture on the promenade along the beach at Strandweg, Scheveningen, The Hague, Holland. 

Named "Crying Giant" it is part of the fairy tales sculptures created by New York sculptor Tom Otterness for the open air exhibit - Beelden aan Zee (Sculptures by the Sea) Museum.

Similar sculpture by the artist can be seen at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art at Kansas city (Google Street View)

Another Sculpture by the Sea can be seen in this post.

Phoenix at Efteling Theme Park, Holland

Google Street View

Efteling Theme Park located in the small town of Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands is one of largest and oldest theme park in the World. Opened in 1952 it not only pre-dates the original Disneyland of California by about 3 years but is also twice as large.

Here is a Google Street View of one its attractions; The legendary bird - Phoenix.

More info about the theme park: Wikipedia

Tower of Cards, Tower of Letters and Joker's Perch, Groningen

Google Street View

To celebrate the 950 years of founding of the city of Groningen in 1990, the city authorities had erected ten sculptures; nine on the nine roads leading to the city (city markers) and the tenth in the main plaza in the city.

Shown above is one of the nine city markers. It is known as "The Tower of Cards, The Tower of Letters, The Joker's Perch" and is located on the A7. It was created by John Hejduk.

Source of info: Dutch Wikipedia (English Translation)

Credits: I am thankful to kite_surfer, member and Master Cartographer, Google Earth Community for placemarking the location of these city markers.

Automatic Bike Dispensing Machine, The Netherlands

Google Street View

This strange looking opening in a rather drab building is the large slot of automatic bicycle dispensing machine in Arnhem Zuid railway station.

Few such machines have been installed in Holland. Through such machines, customers can automatically retrieve a rented bike or return it after use. More such machines have been planned in the country.

More info and images: Travelogue Of An Armchair Traveller

Dutch Windmill in Japan

Google Street View

This windmill in the town of Sakura, in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan was erected by a Dutch company on the occasion of 40th anniversary of founding of the city.

Known as 'De Liefde' it is named after the first Dutch sailing ship which landed on the Japanese shore in 1600. Reportedly it is the only windmill of this type in Japan.

To give to an authentic look it even has a Dutch style small drawbridge at its entrance and Tulips are grown in the surrounding grounds.

Source of info: Wikipedia

Strange Water Tank, Goes

Google Street View

Here is a strange looking water tower in a Dutch town with a stranger name - GOES .... yes the name of the town is Goes - check it out on the Wikipedia.

The 63 metres water tower was built in 1912 and could hold 1250 litres of water. It was the first water tower in the Netherlands with an open steel frame and concrete with steel inner tub. The tower is no longer used for water storage and has been converted into an office with a work area of about 600 sq. metres.

Source of info: German Wikipedia (English Translation)

Giant Water Tap

Google Street View

This giant water tap is installed as an advertisement, on the front wall of a plumber shop "Boes Plumber" in the city of Wateringen, The Netherlands. No further details are available about this giant tap.

World's Tallest Windmill - The North Windmill

Street View View

Schiedam in The Netherlands boasts of six tallest windmills in the World. Five of these are the traditional old type windmills and sixth is a new windmill which has been constructed to look like the old ones.

Shown above is World's Tallest old type windmill. Knows as The North Windmill (molen De Noord), its structure stands 33.3 metres tall, while the tips of the blades reach to 44.5 metres. However if one takes into account the newly built 6th Windmill, then it is second tallest in the World.

More info: World's Tallest Windmills

Strange Red Bridge

Google Street View

Here is an unusual shaped red coloured bridge in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Known as the "Red Bridge" (Dutch: Rode Brug), it is a small narrow draw bridge on the water channel between Anton Geesinkstraat and the Loevenhoutsedijk. The bridge built in 2009 is replacement of an earlier bridge which was also red.

Because of its proximity to the Zandpad - Red Light area in Utrecht, many feel that its red colour is symbolic of the activities in the area. As a matter of fact Zandpad is also commonly referred as the Red Bridge.

More info and images: Travelogue Of An Armchair Traveller

Sculpture By The Sea, The Hague

Google Street View

This remarkable artwork on the boulevard at the Scheveningen, the busiest tourist centres of The Hague, Netherlands, was created by by Igor Mitoraj. The  sculpture is part of the outdoor exhibit at Beelden aan Zee (Sculptures by the Sea) Museum.

More info at: Wikipedia

My artistic rendition of this Google Street View as shared in Artistic Google album of Google+

Larger view

Cube Houses, Rotterdam

Google Street View

Cube shaped houses on concrete columns is one of most strange sight in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. These unconventional looking cube shaped houses near the city centre were designed by architect Piet Blom in the 1980s.

More pictures and info: Travelogue of An Armchair Traveller

Just Call Us

Google Street View

Giant telephone in front of office "Centraal Beheer", a Dutch insurance company headquartered in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.

Its silent TV commercials are famous for humour where some situation goes shockingly wrong and it is followed by catchphrase "Just Call Us". In the Dutch version of the commercials the actual (and original phrase) is Even Apeldoorn bellen (Just Call Apeldoorn) - Apeldoorn is company's nick name.

More info: Wikipedia