Pictures from in and around where we live - to capture the spirit of each passing day. Current Location - Deventer, the netherlands Tumblr (3.0; @sacredfig)http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m51nsmfBye1qziadko1_r3_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>…like Tucson in Antwerp.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24329107411http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24329107411Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:50:00 +0200bike shopcyclinggraphicsgrafitticolortucson4th avenueBICASantwerp<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4zk4w3BMS1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>And while on the subject of Kerala, here’s an image of a part of it that might have something to do with the Dutch.</p> <p>Near the “Dutch palace” on Mattancherri island - the Dutch quarter in Cochin lies this synagogue, which I thought had a  <em>delftse blauw </em>tile floor. I’m not so sure anymore because the patterns seem so oriental, but, thats just something that will take a bit more googling we suppose :)</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24253831546http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24253831546Sat, 02 Jun 2012 12:36:32 +0200delft bluetilessynangoguemattancherri islandcochinkerala<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4y7on1cwr1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>We’ve now seen a couple of churches dedicated to ‘Onze lieve vrouw’ (our beloved lady) and seen all kinds of artistic depictions of her, in sculpture and stained glass. </p> <p>In this context, this image from a humble provincial church in Kerala makes us marvel so much more at the artist’s skill, where something so evocative has been made out of a welded metal window grill.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24201735669http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24201735669Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:09:00 +0200keralachurchwindow grillour beloved ladyonze lieve vrouw<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4utbwexqv1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>These are some of the longest days of the year. Little surprise then, that the tea-lights haven’t been lit for ages…</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24082497689http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/24082497689Wed, 30 May 2012 23:07:07 +0200tea lightsspringsummerlong days<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4qnq2QKQ91qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>One from the archives: from when a dear friend’s cat had her litter of kittens.</p> <p>Since the friend thought she mew-ed rather melodiously, the cat was named ‘Lata’ for Lata Mangeshkar. Yes,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lata_Mangeshkar" target="_blank"> her</a>!</p> <p><em>Edit: while checking to see if the use of ‘litter’ was correct above, we discovered that a group of cats is a ‘clowder’ and a group of kittens is also called a ‘kindle’…hmm!</em></p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23989342675http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23989342675Tue, 29 May 2012 11:23:00 +0200<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4q8qh1MA81qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>So this dude was perched atop a tall column next to the station in Rosendaal. No clue who he is….</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23921921062http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23921921062Mon, 28 May 2012 11:51:00 +0200station rosendaalsculpture<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4p18tB4Rc1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Husband is sick of my pics of trees and sky - so here’s something to bring back memories from last spring’s trip to Berlin…a view inside the Bundestag’s glass dome.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23874199780http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23874199780Sun, 27 May 2012 20:12:00 +0200berlinbundestag<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4og59UmzE1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Hot summer days, that have turned into the time of lying in bed, and staring through the skylight, at blue skies and leaves fluttering in the breeze.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23855128802http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23855128802Sun, 27 May 2012 12:36:44 +0200<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4n22c7NbY1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>We miss the loving post breakfast servings of fruit now that daddy is back home.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23802949440http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23802949440Sat, 26 May 2012 18:34:59 +0200<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4f1c9N4io1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Warmer and longer days are here. And when you pop your head out of the window after dinner, there’s glorious late evening sunlight lighting up the lush green that has arrived on the trees. </p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23535886523http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23535886523Tue, 22 May 2012 10:38:31 +0200springsummerfoliagesunshine<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4dlxd2sW21qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Sin(as)fully good.</p> <p><em>(Note: Sinasappel, or sinas for short, is the dutch word for an orange)</em></p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23479454514http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23479454514Mon, 21 May 2012 16:08:00 +0200dunglishnederengelssinasappelsinasorange juicesummer indulgence<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4bd9vnAV61qziadko1_r2_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>A little gem of a piece of sculpture from Aachen. Whats more, the little girl in there reminds us of our friend L.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23404376436http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23404376436Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200aachensculpture<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4a3dqPXcW1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>…and a fantastic swirly blue sky for a backdrop can make anything look pretty, and anyone’s heart sing!</p> <p>The chosen song for our heart all that day was a favorite track, from a favorite album of a favorite band - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75pzxg_SCX4" target="_blank">Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky. </a></p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23355894640http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23355894640Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200maastrichtvrijthofspringmayblue skysky blue skywilco<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m45t0kt5ag1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>A pretty stunning center-piece to the original octagonal palatine chapel, this chandelier hung like a crown above Charlemagne’s reliquary before it was moved to the gothic addition. It stays in its original location…floating a bit pointlessly. </p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23220861716http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23220861716Thu, 17 May 2012 11:00:00 +0200chandeliercharlamagneaachenpalatine chapel<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m44esiSsHr1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>More from Aachen.</p> <p>Stained glass that is designed to invoke the image of Aachen when it was bombed in World War 2. From the gothic style choir addition of the Palatine Chapel. </p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23166299270http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23166299270Wed, 16 May 2012 16:55:00 +0200stained glasspalatine chapelaachenWW2art<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m42ic88b8j1qziadko2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m42ic88b8j1qziadko3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m42ic88b8j1qziadko4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m42ic88b8j1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Jeweled locks in the treasury (<em>schatzhaus</em>) at Aachen. These protected Charlemagne’s remains in his golden reliquary between pilgrimages.</p> <p>To us, these look like the stuff of bollywood legend. Props from a lost-and-found tale of siblings, where one was given a lock, and the other its key. And both sing a song taught by the parents to find each other. (Need an example?? Go <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isv5TJ635oQ&feature=endscreen&NR=1" title="RKRCKR lock-key" target="_blank">here</a> and watch from 12:00 to 13:50)</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23103517133http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23103517133Tue, 15 May 2012 16:16:00 +0200lockkeyaachenbollywoodRKRCKR<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m42gy0Mia41qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><em>Atta</em>boy! </p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23102611508http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23102611508Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200chapati floursticky handshing-lish<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m40f8xKvnf1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Interior of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen. It didn’t used to be so, until they thought it should look more like other chapels of its time from Italy and gilt-mosaic-ed the crap out of it about a 100 years ago!!</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23033442184http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/23033442184Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200aachenpalatine chapelmosaicgoldwierd ideas<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3zb93olWu1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Its nice to be reminded that landscape can have components in the third dimension…</p> <p>…….and to be surprised by the bright yellows and greens of spring.</p> <p>In Limburg, amid the ‘Alps of the Netherlands’. </p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/22993238229http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/22993238229Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200limburgspringmaastrichtaachenyellowgreendutch mountains<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3z4ubzQMW1qziadko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Who knew!! It would come so quickly after the last blog-post??!!….The first taste of Mort Subite Kriek, at Cafe Falstaff in Maastricht.</p> <p>The verdict: Its almost as good as the graphics, a very fresh and crisp kriek, that avoids being over-sweet and/or tasting like cough syrup (Waterbury’s compound, if you know what that is!!) - a problem that besets its competitor, the <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47/2426" target="_blank">Boon Kriek</a>.</p>http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/22984091259http://sacredfig.tumblr.com/post/22984091259Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200beerbelgiankrieklambicmaastrichtmort subitenetherlandscafe falstaff