Coming back to the city of your youth and school years. Something many people would like to do. Currently, I am, visiting family and friends.
But as far as activities go, all remains the same. Work, albeit shifted in time, remains. Photography also remains. Only
the family life changes. On short term, that is. Leaving my wife in Winnipeg, while I am here in Holland is not the best, but I didn’t have much choice in the matter.
Ok, the photo ops are different here, but the blogging remains the same. By now I can hear you thinking loudly: “Does he never stop?”…
The new housing of one of the oldest museums in the country
Being mildly jetlagged does not help. The best photo ops here in the North of Holland are early in the morning, and that’s when I sleep… So let’s see what I can get during the rest of the day and the evening.
You, constant reader, already know that I like taking pictures at night, in the dark season that is. I’m not a big fan of getting up at 2AM in summertime. I guess that that’s why so many night shots have been taken in wintertime.
Nieuwestad or NewCity
Here in the City of Leeuwarden, the Season’s Decorations have apparently been inspired by the lights on Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg. This year the city decided to decorate the existing trees with lights, instead of hanging ornamental light creations between the buildings across the streets. The result is not so impressive, I am used to better than this.
Busy merchant street at night
As you can see, the trees here have not lost all of their leaves yet, I guess they should hurry up before spring arrives. Then they’ll have to revitalize all of this year’s leaves 
.
Same street, 3 years ago
What strikes me most is the change that happens gradually over the years in this city. With an inhabitant count of around 100,000 the city should be full of activities. I remember the days before “Sinterklaas” or the celebration of Santa Claus’ birthday on December 5th. It was always full of people, parents buying presents, children trying to point out all the gifts they expected on the night of the 5th.
Nieuwestad, three years ago
Right now, none of this is happening. The city looks cold and the shops are closed. I’m not sure if that is a bad sign or if I simply chose the wrong evening to take a walk in the city. Let’s hope it is the latter.
You can see that this is not the usual optimistic kind of blog, I don’t know what is happening to the city I grew up in. Even if I have left it 25 years ago, I still like to see it bustling with activity, certainly in the period of the year that was most impressive to me as a kid.
On a 500 year old pipe bridge
Just to make sure I didn’t get the wrong moment for taking my pictures, I tried to go to one of the busiest places I remember. This bridge is a pipe-type of bridge, with a crossing underneath it. This picture is an hdr, taken against the setting sun.
I have the impression that this city is slowly fading away into nothingness, despite the new construction in the city center. Once this place was for a big weekly market and was filled completely. Today, it is also promised to be for the weekly market, like before. The only difference I see here is that all the market stalls from long ago will have to share a space that is roughly one third of what it used to be.
Slowly fading away…