On the way out from IJmuiden as well as the windsurfers (see previous posts) we passed a fortified island, which is named Fortress Island.

I assume the fortifications were built by the Germans during World War 2 as part of their Atlantic Wall.

Industrial IJmuiden in the background:-

A bit further on. I can’t decide if the rectangular array is a set of solar panels. I think it must be, so obviously a much later addition:-

Are the serrated things in this view tank traps?

We travelled back from The Netherlands last spring via IJmuiden.

It’s not as neat and tidy a place as Hook of Holland as it’s more industrial, witness this photo taken from beyond the end of the long breakwater leading out from the port.

On the way out we did spot a crowd of windsurfers, though, plying their hobby from the spit of sand at the edge of the breakwater:-

I even took two videos:-

More from our trip to The Netherlands last year.

Canalside (former?) warehouse. Roof under repair:-

Closer view. Note circular company information:-

Old building. Looks like 1641!

Modern Fountain:-

Hanging garden. Wisteria:-

Boat in a courtyard:-

In a Dutch town you’re never far from a load of bikes:-

A few buildings in Drachten I missed first time round.

Art Deco style brickwork on this:-

Typical old Dutch style:-

Modern bungalow type house but flat-roofed:-

Another more modern style house:-

I also spotted this neat multi-child trolley being trundlied across the town square:-

I could not beieve my eyes when from the steps of the Waterpoort in Sneek I spotted this toilet block.

Honest to goodness true Art Deco, streamlined, curved, mostly white, detailing picked out in contrasting paint.

Brilliant.

With Dutch buildings it can be difficult to decide if they are truly Art Deco. This one in Sneek has “rule of three” in the windows though:-

Yet this is similar but only has two sets of windows:-

And what of these?:-

Or this? The roofline undoubtedly has claims:-

This only has two sets of windows but look at the brickwork detailing at the bottom of the central column, to the sides and above:-

Not much doubt about this one, even if it is minor Deco. An Indian Restaurant, not I think all that common in The Netherlands:-

The windows on this shop were delightful:-

Dutch towns have interesting architectural features. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a building is Art Deco or not. Others are distinctively Dutch/Low Countries as on the right here:-

The doorway to the middle building above has Art Deco features to it. Certainly there’s “rule of three” in the windows above it and the door itself has a very 30s feel. The ironwork on the gates is good too:-

The brickwork on the canalside house below is very distinctive and there’s more than a hint of Deco to the double doors in the centre. Also a Charles Rennie Mackintosh feel to all the doors:-

And is this Deco or merely Dutch style?:-

Note the squares in the window highlights. And there’s an Art Nouveau touch to the decoration just above the windows but below the brick arches:-

There’s something satisfying about a town which has water in or near its centre. It nearly always brightens the place up.

Sneek (it’s pronounced snake) is a town in Friesland, in the north of The Netherlands.

Like a lot of towns in Flanders and most in The Netherlands, Sneek is built around canals. This one was right beside the road leading into the town from the motorway. The town centre is just off to the right.

We parked by the side of this (different) canal:-

That was after having crossed this bridge to get to the canalside:-

And this canal is in the middle of a shopping street. Notice the “Christmas Light” style hangings over the canal:-

Along with more standard light fittings these also appeared over the “normal” streets:-

The design is in the shape of the Waterpoort, a prominent feature of Sneek’s townscape which I’ll post about later.

This is another beautiful, leafy canal in Sneek:-

A bit further along the same canal was this striking modern theatre:-

You may remember I mentioned the home ground of Dutch football team V V Bakkeveen (among others) three and a half years ago.

The plant growth had been too profuse in Sep 2014 when I was there.

Just over a year ago we visited Bakkeveen again. It being spring the trees were less in evidence and the ground eminently visible.

On our trip to Belgium and the Netherlands last year we again visited Ypres and I took more photos of the Menin Gate.

Menin Gate from west, bathed in early evening sunlight:-

Menin Gate from Ypres ramparts:-

Menin Gate from street:-

Moat from Menin Gate:-

Relief Map of Ypres, situated right by the Menin Gate, on the west side:-

On approaching the Menin gate from the Menin Road I noticed two statues that had not been there the year before. It turned out these had originally been at the Gate but had been presented in 1936 to the Australian War Memorial in memory of the thousands of Australians who passed through the Gate during the Great War. They had been temporarily returned in April 2017 (till November 2017) to their original location.

Close up on one of the lions:-

Menin Gate Lions information board in four languages:-

The information in English:-