Design cups and royal show pieces

In the previous post the happenings in two of the wings of Palace Het Loo were shown, this post will take you to a contemporary Dutch Design exhibition in the interior of the Palace, Royal Show Pieces.

The Palace has many exhibitions going on at the same time. As we had seen the Grace Kelly story and had had our coffee break, it was now time for the second and third aim of our journey. Or was it the third and the fourth? Sitting in those royal orange chairs in the Ballroom made us feel very royal, so maybe that was number two. On to the interior of the palace and the flower exhibition. This post will deal with only the first of five rooms with this specific mixture of old and new.

A view through the main gate onto the symmetrical garden

Although one arrives on a big court with steps leading to a big door, as a visitor you have to go down tiny stairs and reach the palace through the basement door.

Not upstairs as a visitor, but downstairs - note the yellow triangular warning sign to be careful with the steps.

It was confusing, no indicators to what and how; at least we did not see them – there is so much to take in in environments where you have not been for a while. After we had looked around in the basement, had taken good notice of the museum shop, the wide staircase ahead of us looked inviting. A warden must have noticed our confusion and stepped forward, right in front of us. We felt as we were being held back and going somewhere we should not go. After all the palace is still being used for official and royal ceremonies. ‘Is this the way to the flower exhibition?’. The answer was ‘Yes, it is’, the lady stepped aside and off we went. Once more abundant similar flower arrangements as in the Ballroom welcomed us. We passed the front door, a gate of unsurpassed craftsmanship, through which we had a glimpse on the ornamental symmetrical garden. There is a big difference in the ‘front door’ and the ‘back door’ (which is also a front door, just to make it easy).  In a future post more on this.

This is only a part of the door, there is a second part on top of it.

Friendly senior citizens, no doubt working as volunteers, were happy to hand and explain us the audio tour. This is so to be recommended, the text very creative and informing. In every room one was taken back in time and being spoken to by a ‘person from that era’, telling an interesting or funny story, giving details on subjects, paintings, etc. A chief cook, for instance told about the competition between the courts, a competition on who had the best and the most famous cook. It just gives so much more inside information, really worth the money and so much fun. Fiddling around with the gadget and having to change it for another one, as the 'ears' were not OK, it distracted me and I just had a quick glimpse on ‘Portraits of the King’, three official portraits made of King Willem-Alexander, at the big entrance hall.

In the first exhibition room the Dutch Design theme was ‘Dining with the King’. In various show cases and a big wooden frame fascinating modern design items were displayed.We had already had a preview in the Ballroom, where we had our coffee. Beautiful items used by Queen Wilhelmina could be seen also, but I like to share some Dutch Design with you.

What I liked about Iris Toonen’s ‘Service with character’ (2003), (on show in New York in 2005) were the shape and decoration of the cups. The decorations so match the environment of the Palace, the Veluwe, and its wild life. The gold tipped spoons were unusual.

Modern art and design can be so surprising, so inspiring. This ‘Jonghlabel -Royal re-PAIR’ was amusing. So creative, a nice combination of old and new. Very inviting for a modern royal tea.

No dining or tea with a king without gentlemen-in-waiting.

Do have a look at the blog of the Palace, it is interesting to read the background information on the gentlemen-in-waiting and gives a better picture than mine. The coats have cost the earth, the gold embroidery is handmade. The coats were ‘handed down’ for this costly reason and worn by more than one person. The difference between those on the pictures are the buttons, with initials ‘W’ and ‘J’ of Queen Wilhelmina and Queen Juliana. 

Daniel Marot's tapestries behind the gentlemen-in-waiting.

The picture is a bit blurred, it so difficult to catch a scene without catching another visitor at the same time. Do note that the tapestry on the floor is the same as the ceiling.This striking detail we never noticed when we were there, we heard this afterwards at home from a man who had been working on the renovation. Too much to see and to digest, one is so absorbed by the environment. After all it is dining with a king and we do not always get a glimpse of this, nor on the contemporary art on display.

These two figures overlook the whole room, with Daniel Marot’s ceiling and tapestries. The tapestries were King William III and Queen Mary's showpieces.The wooden standard at the bottom of the picture held many show pieces.

On now to the next part of the exhibition, beautiful paintings on the wall and flowers accompanying us. Thanks for visiting this post. Do come back to read the next story, hope you enjoyed this part of the surprising exhibition on 'old and new', on contemporary art mixed with beautiful old art.

I am joining Martha here with her Teacup Tuesdays, with such fabulous teacups on show (all pieces of art as such) and stories by so many enthusiastic bloggers.

On Monday next I am starting on a photo course (only a short one) on using a compact camera. Hopefully the pictures (until now taken with a cell phone) will improve.

Enjoy the last moments of summer and your tea!

The style of a Princess and Coffee in the Ballroom

Once William and Mary's Palace 'Het Loo' at Apeldoorn is so inviting for a visit. There is so much to be seen, that just one day is not enough.This time we had made a choice for the day: see the exhibition on 'Grace Kelly - Princess & Style Icon', the Palace itself for a renewed visit and to see the contemporary art exhibition, a bit of the ornamental garden and the flower exhibition. I am going to split up the visit in more posts. So, do come back for more pictures in future posts.

The West wing, two banners inviting us to see the exhibition on Grace Kelly as a  princess and style icon.

The journey to Palace 'Het Loo' is through woodlands, sand dunes landscape, the Veluwe, heatherfields being in full bloom. It is always a surprise to actually arrive at the entrance for the parking space of the Palace. It seems hidden in a lot of greenery and rhododendrons. The moment you drive through the gate there is this calm and you see symmetrical architectural buildings, which hold a lot of our royal history. It seems so quiet and relaxing, but you are out of the count after a full day and intensive visit. So much art taken in, so much beauty seen, so much to talk about, the memory of the visit lingers on for a while.

One of the banners.

A wall to wall poster with the description of the exhibition and this beautiful picture of Grace Kelly as we entered the door.

The poster was very impressive, every one stood there looking up at this beautiful face.The door to the left tells you the size of the picture. 

Someone told me it was not allowed to take pictures at the exhibition, so here the photography on this stops. It was awesome. The exhibition moved from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to Palace 'Het Loo' at Apeldoorn and will be on display until 26 October. We walked around, looked at fragments of films, saw all the dresses, the sunglasses, the brooches, the hats. A nicely set up exhibition, where you could only gasp at seeing the tiny waste of the dresses, the simplicity of them - realizing it was her beauty and personality that brought them to life. We became very silent at seeing the wedding film, realizing how this fairy tale ended. Such a beautiful pair.

Rosa 'Grace Kelly' - an elegant soft pink rose.

Details of the rose, the name of the nursery, I have not managed to find the rose yet.

Rosa 'Grace Kelly' in a flower pot - such a good idea! This will be imitated soon ;-)

The sun was shining, it rained, up and down - we decided we would go into the Ballroom and feel 'royal'.

Just love the shine and the spectacular size of these.

Last year I celebrated my birthday here with a High Tea .

A show case, reminding us of days gone by - Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus dancing in The Ballroom.

Contemporary art in another show case, we would see more in the Palace later.

Coffee time!

Blue and white is forever so pretty on china.

Such a pretty 'bonbon'.

Orange princess chairs to sit in!

Display at the Ballroom to tempt you to visit the Museum Shop. Really fancied these.

Flower vases on display everywhere, picked in the garden

Here stops part one of my visit to the Palace. See you soon!

Partir, c'est mourir un peu

‘Le ciel pleure de ton départ’, a friend once said to me when it rained on my departure from Geneva. The sky really did cry yesterday as Wanda and Kirk left, to return to Canada.
The weather had been so good during their whole stay, but now on the day of their departure the weather gods really shed their tears.

Wanda and Kirk had been here for several weeks, time flew by and seemed too short. Wanda has shown beautiful pictures on her blog Victorian 1885, showing the beauty of the places they visited during their stay. Not only Holland, but Bruges and Paris also. No doubt many posts will follow, as their keen interest in history, architecture and art made them take a zillion pictures.

It is never easy to say goodbye when you have had fun and a good time. I am terrible at saying goodbye: I cried on my first school day when my sister’s face disappeared from the school window, I cried shaking hands with the school director at elementary school on my last school day, I cried on leaving every job (only for getting a better one) and so I can continue for a while. Together with the weather gods I dropped a tear yesterday. It is getting involved, attached and connected with the people you meet and the things you do, sharing family histories. We so enjoyed getting to know Wanda and Kirk, show them our country and introduce them to the ones they were looking for.

Wanda, taking a picture of the harbour and the rescue station at Marken

It was not a big job to invite Kirk to step into these clogs! He did it immediately.

Wanda became one my first followers on this blog. It took me a while to find her blog, as Blogger did somehow not reveal her blog when I clicked on her profile. We got connected on Blogger through showing our most beautiful teacups on the linked Teacup Tuesday parties,  organized by Martha and Terry.

As time went by we left comments on each other’s blogs,  Wanda sharing with me last year that a trip to Holland was planned in memory of Kirk's father. As we live in this more than wonderful environment with so much to see and do, it was more than obvious we would invite them for a boat trip and a visit to ‘Les Trois Jardins’.
The main reason for their trip was to track and trace Kirk's father’s footsteps during WWII. We managed to find the people Kirk was looking for after a little bit of investigating. It meant also showing important war related historical places, like Hotel De Wereld at Wageningen and the War Museum at Overloon. Old photographs having been put away in a box for over 69 years do not easily give away the story behind it. It all came to life when exchanging stories with the people we met.

How surprising and great it was, in fact it was extraordinary. Thanks for being there, Wanda and Kirk, for the gifts you took us and for Floris, for the time we shared. It will be a well treasured memory.
All this in memory of Kirk's father, who left Canada as a young man, leaving a wife and a child behind, to join the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment. The regiment took part in the operations and task forces after 'Market Garden' at the end of the war. Cliff came through parts that had been terrible war zones, it will not have been easy what he witnessed. He took back to Canada a memory of families where he was warmly welcomed in Holland, he cherished the pictures and put them well away. How incredible it was to shake hands with the 'children' on those pictures, now being senior citizens well in their seventies. Just like their parents in '44-'45, they gave us a surprising warm welcome.

We are forever indebted to Cliff's contribution to freedom in Holland.

Your departure meant a little sadness yesterday, we realized the train that took you to Schiphol airport would be zooming by fast on the railroad in the not so far away distance. Partir, c'est mourir un peu. Bye bye, happy landings! Until we meet again, until we sail again, until we drink a glass of wine again in ‘Les Trois Jardins’.

Patchwork plans for a tweed quilt

Quilt made from red-white-blue farmers handkerchiefs, on show in the garden of Quiltatelier Vlijtig Liesje

Late in June all of a sudden this heart shaped yellow leaf of the elm trees dropped silently on the lawn. With a frown I watched this, as to me this is always the first sign that the garden is taking a turn, summer being over its top. Plenty of those leaves are on the lawn now, everything is changing colour in the garden. Beechnuts are plentiful all over the place, the pear trees heavy with fruit. There is a lot to be done in the garden still and hopefully we will enjoy a few more nice weeks. In August I usually get the itch to start clearing out wardrobes, kitchen shelves, to give the garage a good shake and clear out, because it has become a mess over summer with the outdoor living. It indicates it is soon time for cocooning and indoor activities. Unfinished projects will be picked up, new ones started, as the work in the garden comes to a stop and the boat will be on the dry.

Today I visited the ‘Open House’ of Hanneke Kwakkenbos, a shop and quilt course place, called Quiltatelier Vlijtig Liesje. 

For weeks on end the weather has been great, but today the rain came down. The horses nearby grouped together and were not sure whether they would grant me a look or not, the smaller ponies certainly did not, being persistent in standing still and holding their heads together. The black one did turn his head though when I made funny noises at them.

On my very first visit last year to this Quiltatelier I was not quite sure to drive over the entrance across the stream, not knowing whether I had reached the right place. It seemed so private and not like a shop. There is a nice name medallion and a sign at the gate, so you know you are there.
I discovered  the Quiltatelier by accident as I was checking out river trips on the MS de Tijd, a party boat on the river Vecht. Hanneke appeared to have organized quilt boat trips on it.  

 

The front is nicely tucked away in a lot of greenery. At that time getting out was a challenge just the same, the visiting ladies not so sociable in their parking manner. Guess I am a nervous parker these days, as my car has been bashed up recently nastily a few times. The insurance is not going to like me for more claims, so I parked well away on the main road. The walk gave me a nice view over the polder scenery, which is nearby the Lakes of Loosdrecht.

Beautiful red climbing rose, rain drops still on it.

The garden is intimate and so well kept, with niches everywhere to sit. A tea house, a verandah, a shed with a porch, a pond with beautiful water plants all around and gold fish in it. Click on the picture to see at least two of them - they are in the bottom shiny part of the picture.

 

The area just asks for a frog (or water) quilt to make and to be put up somewhere. I remember the pattern from years ago in a Quilters Newsletter Magazine. The fresh and bright colours of it highly appealed to me then. Hanneke's version of this quilt is gorgeous. Because of the dark sky, today's picture taken in the tea house does not do justice to it. Perfumed goodies were for sale at the front of the quilt.

 

The garden is a place to wonder around, with curving paths, to relax and to dream - of quilts of course! They were everywhere. Every quilt with its own story and made out of different materials, flannel, wool, cotton, linnens.

 

The intimate Log Cabin shop was crowded with ladies (with an occasional man sitting on a patched chair) who got the quilt bug and quilt fever just like me, the moment we stepped through the door. We were warmly welcomed with coffee and cookies, offered by ladies who made sure we did not miss out on it, being absorbed by everything around us. There is so much to see (and to buy) at every square inch in the shop, that you have to go round three times to see it all. At least, I had to, to take it all in and enjoy it. Hanneke's mother contributes with beautiful embroidery put up on the walls in between the many quilts. Last year it inspired me to take up my embroidery again.

Embroidery, and a mini quilt which is the background of Hanneke's blog - such a surprise to discover.

Bumping into a next village neighbour was fun. On exchanging what is our today's passion  (quilters have many passions I have noticed) we made a date for a joint quilting bee on Monday morning every three weeks. Great idea, as this will mean a continuation of my projects. Ria and I share our great interest in embroidered antique samplers, now we will start patching and quilting together.

Very personal sampler quilt by Hanneke with embroidered parts in it. Beautiful colours.

Recently a large box full of woollen and tweed samples arrived as a surprise at the door step. My husband sighed ….. my hobby room is already stocked up with materials to last for two hundred years. Sitting out in the garden the samples were taken out, rearranged by style and colour and valued on what to do with it. I must admit I did say to myself: why have I accepted this ..... What had fallen on the terrace was pinched by Floris, our dog, at a moment my mind was doing overtime and concentrating on the colourful Scottish tweeds. It was only a few days later on shovelling underneath the beech hedge and mowing the lawn, that I discovered he had hidden a whole bunch of woollen squares. I always startle when something strange appears, because you see something unsual coming out from the ground. His greatest fun is for instance to bury the garden gloves that I use to pull out the nettles.They are - muddy as they are - quite a sight coming up. He joined me at my garden job and looked at me: ‘What are you doing with my stuff, I hid it so nicely’. You cheeky something! Never mind, he is not a quilter and had no eye for the most precious pieces; he chose plain and uninteresting material. When I do notice him doing this, it is always so wonderful and endearing to see. His walk is so proud and special, sneaky also. Often it ends up in a nice game: catch me if you can!

There was so much to see in the shop, that I almost forgot what I had come for, apart from experiencing the Open House. As I had my coffee from these lovely rose cups with a butter cookie there it was on the wall on the side: the cat quilt. It is a perfect pattern for the tweed samples. Made in a bigger size no doubt it will become a nice cottage like quilt to snuggle up with when it gets cold in the winter.

 

Such an inspiring creative place, a must visit whenever near and a must have a chat with Hanneke when you are there. Do check out the links posted above and the blog mentioned on her website.

Hanneke, concentrating on giving change to a lady quilter.

 

 

On my way back to the car these apples caught my eye. It was a cheery, colourful and inspiring morning on a rainy day in Tienhoven, my mind spinning round on new projects.