Friday, July 31, 2009

Broek in Waterland

I would like to thank everybody who visited my studio last week, it was a bit crowdy but very cozy and I loved to meet you all, thanks for your visit!

Hallo allemaal,
Wij hebben vakantie en doen 'dagjes uit'. Misschien vinden jullie het leuk om mee te gaan naar Broek in Waterland, dat zo'n 10 kilometer boven Amsterdam ligt. Ooit zag ik een artikel over de pastelkleurige houten huizen in Broek in een tijdschrift. Dat was inspiratie voor onze schuur. Dus op naar Broek in Waterland en een sloepje gehuurd. De foto's spreken verder denk ik wel voor zich.


We are having vacation right now and as we traveled to the US this spring, we only do small trips this summer. I know, some people take inspiration from places like Paris and Istanbul when they create,


but when hubby and I built and painted our shed,
we took our inspiration from this:



The wooden houses in Broek in Waterland, which I had seen in a magazine.

Broek in Waterland is a small village a few miles up North of Amsterdam.
Nowadays I should translate 'Broek' (pronounce brooke) as pants, but I discovered that Broek is an old word for swampy. Somehow I think I don't have to tell you what Waterland means. So as you can understand, we didn't use our car to discover Broek in Waterland, but we took our picknick basket and rented this baby:


a very flat boat, which we call a 'sloep' (pronounce sloop). Yes this is an electric, silent, environmental friendly and non stinking boat. It is small, which is very convenient in our landscape see:




A huge yacht is of no use over here. Too bad for the heirs of Aristoteles Onassis!


While there is so much water around, the ground here is soft and that's why the people up here used to built wooden homes.


And they used to paint these homes in pastel colors.




Even the dogs over here have wooden and pastel colored homes.


Not to mention the ducks!


We did enjoy the beautiful wooden houses


and the blooming hydrangeas everywhere


and the typical Dutch open and flat landscape, which will always be something special to me.


Someone abroad once told me that the Dutch are born with webs between their toes.


Like this aalscholver.


I wish we were!
We could sure use them over here.


Bye girls, thanks for having us in Broek in Waterland, it was even better than in the magzine.

Thanks for visiting me, have a great day whether you are having vacation or not.
xoxo LiLi M.

41 comments:

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh dear Lili,
Your homeland is so beautiful! I dream of going there; I have such a sweet friend in a town near Amsterdam. You have a rich and wonderful palate from which to draw inspiration! Enjoy the weekend, Anita

Anonymous said...

Your vacation was so lovely and peaceful. I just love old wooden houses, and the water is such a calming effect. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photographs.
Just charming.

Anonymous said...
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Creations by Marie Antoinette and Edie Marie said...

My dear sleepy head...I'm so glad you stoped by,even though its late.I wish I had a wooden house painted a beautiful pastel green like in that picture.We have a brick house.But its paid for ,so I guess I better be happy with what I got.I think my friend was smiling down on me,but what in the world will I do with all them dolls.I can't show them,no room in my small home.I think I will just give what I can away.Butch was going to burn them.They are in bad shape no matter how I cleand them.May I send you one of the small dolls Lili?Just a very small.There is one from West Germany,I bet that would suit you.Let me know.A gift from me.Hugs toni(Marie Antionette)

María Elena said...

Hi Lili, this place is wonderful, made me recall southern Chile and its transport river. Have you a good rest, this is an ideal place to recharge the batteries.
Hugs.

Heidi said...

I so enjoyed that adventure to Broek! Those wooden houses are so cozy looking! I also loved the tour of your studio and the story of the winged envelopes. Very glad I found your sweet blog. :)Heidi

Betty said...

What a beautiful place Lili! I would love to visit some day!

Anonymous said...

I love your shed !!! Beautiful color !
I would love to visit Broek in Waterland one day, it's marvellous !!! Thank you very much for sharing ! xo

Pink Princess said...

Broek heeft altijd nog een speciaal plaatsje in mijn ♥. Heb er niet zo ver vandaan gewoond

Brigitta said...

Hmmm ik denk dat ik dat ook maar op mijn lijstje "places to visit" ga zetten, wat een idyllische plek!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh Lili, How I would go to the Netherlands in a heartbeat! And yes, thank you for mentioning my husband; he is home, happy to be back and we haven't stopped yet! We are having so much fun together. Bless you, Anita

lia said...

Wat is Nederland toch ook mooi.
Jammer dat het niet zo vaak gezien word. Ik heb van deze plaatjes genoten.

Groetjes Lia

Rosemary said...

Nice to meet you too!
What a beautiful vacation!! A lovely place. Thanks for sharing!
Rosemary

Willeke de la Chambre said...

Hollandser kunnen je foto's haast niet zijn he? Geweldig!
Groetjes,

linnea-maria said...

I love those posts with pictures and stories about your country. Beautiful surroundings!
Sometimes it takes 2 minutes to make something perfect and sometimes it never works at all, simple life. Hope your vacation will be filled with fun thriftshopping and lazy days. Hugs /linnea-maria

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Ma chère Lili! Merci pour être venue! I am glad to hear that you know Babette's Feast! It is one of my favorite movies....I have it on DVD but it may only be available on our region. Keep on eye out however, because it shouldn't be long until it reaches you! I can follow the French, no problem, and I have learned a bit of Danish from it! The story is so strong yet sweet, so the actions speak for themselves. I do hope you can find it! Bon weekend à toi aussi! Anita

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Mary Green said...

your photos are beautiful! what a wonderful trip!

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

It looks so peaceful.

Victoria xx

Poppedijne said...

This must be the most beautiful village in Holland.Years agoo on our way to a Dutch quilt exhibition we came by the village and I tought it is a most magical village.
Thanks for reminding me of Broek in Waterland.It's pure magic!

LW said...

Hi Lili,

I love all of your pictures, what a delightful way to spend a day.
Love the pastel houses …and the cows…

Someday I hope I can go to the Netherlands, my bother travels often to Europe on business and he loves
the Netherlands. He said that the people are friendly and very helpful…
However, I already knew that because of you…

Have a wonderful week and enjoy your vacation time…

Louise

Jan Thomason said...

Hmmmm. I've always said that water speaks to me. Your vacation looked wonderful.
I especially enjoyed the "history" lesson and the cows crossing the bridge and the pastel colored houses!
we have a ranch and therefore we have cows, but no bridges for them to cross:(

I'm glad I was able to "come along" on your trip!

Jan

susanna said...

What an amazing vacation! This is right up my alley...I mean, canal. What picturesque sights you saw and captured on your camera. The floating duck house makes me happy. I'd love to meet whoever made that.

cherished*vintage said...

Hi Lili!
Thank you for taking us along your trip to Broek in Waterland. Your pictures are breathtaking! How fun to travel by boat and see all those beautiful houses. Loved it!
-Karoline

Lori said...

LiLi, it looks so beautiful there...and your pictures are so gorgeous...i feel like i was right there in the boat with you...the pastel colored houses are so pretty...what a wonderful place to go for a little holiday!!! thanks for taking me with you:)

vosgesparis said...

Ja prachtig he ;) ook in de winter zeker de moeite waard als alle huisjes in kerstsfeer zijn versierd!

rochambeau said...

Hi LiLi,
Your holidays looked so peaceful. The pastel homes are soft and charming, so are the flat boats. It is a miracle that I can see your part of the world because of blogland! Truly magical.

Happy Sunday friend.
Enjoy your time away.
xox
Constance

Dih Rocha said...

Olá! Conheci seu espaço e é tudo de bom! Amei mesmo!!! Parabéns pelo seu trabalho!
Se puder, dê uma espiadinha no meu:
magiadaines.blogspot.com
Beijinhos carinhosos.
Itabira - Brasil

atelierlemlem said...

Hoi Lili! Ik heb genoten van de tour door je atelier (vorige post), maar dit is ook super! Ik vroeg aan mijn oudste dochter, waar de foto met het mooie huis gemaakt was en zij dacht scandinavië! Daar lijkt het ook echt op hoor. Ik ben nog nooit in Broek geweest, maar nu heb ik toch alles gezien, dank je wel voor de rondleiding! Fijne week toegewenst en groetjes van mama lieveheersbeestje.

June said...

Thank you Lili for sharing this beautiful place with us. I love the colors they paint their houses. I love the color of your little building too.
Smiles,
June

June said...

Thank you Lili for sharing this beautiful place with us. I love the colors they paint their houses. I love the color of your little building too.
Smiles,
June

Karen from A`Musements said...

Hello LiLi!!! I can't tell you how breathtaking your photos are... I let out a little gasp looking at them. The colors are so rich and beautiful. I can see why you were inspired to use the wonderful hue of blue that you did on your home. What a gorgeous place to be! I hope you and your family are well and having a great summer!
xoxo
Karen

Reflections from the Stone Nest said...

Hi Lili,

Love your little blue building. It is wonderful. And your trip to Waterland looks so much fun in that little sloep. What a peaceful setting. And you know I am so jealous of those hydrangeas! But I must say, mine are looking pretty good. Fingers crossed! I am closing in on getting your package ready! Can't wait! Have a great week.

Fondly,
Kitty

Natasha Burns said...

how gorgeous Lili! Who would have thought swampy waterland could be so beautiful and inspiring!!!!

Unknown said...

Wow what a beautiful place and I love the pastel wood houses! I hope you are enjoying your summer!
Sandy xox

bluemuf said...

Oh Lili, thank you for taking us with you to this delightful place. The town is so pretty and looks so peaceful.

Karen

Sandy said...

Lili,

Your land is just enchanting! Thank you so much for letting us float along with you and such a delightful trip. I love the scenery and the painted houses are so sweet.

Thanks for dropping in. I think you are right, if I such lovely places to escape to I do not need to complain. I did survive thus far. It will be a week or two before the siding installers can get to us so I have a little break in between.

Have a lovely rest!

Stephenie said...

Wow!!! This post is amazing...I loooove all the pretty pictures..I bet it's even prettier in person, if that's possible.. It looks like such a peaceful place.. I just adore that picture of the cows walking over that bridge.. Sounds like you had a wonderful time...
PS: I got to see all the pretty treasures Kitty got for you...You're going to looooooove them...
Stephenie

Gabriela said...

Hello Lili,

Love these photos of nature!



~ Gabriela ~

roseroomnz.com said...

Pretty, pretty houses! Rachaelxo

Anonymous said...

Hallo,
Ik was aan het googlen voor een Waterland pop (male), een match voor de pop die mijn moeder al heeft (female) en het bracht me naar deze blog. Echt mooi. Ik ben jarelang geleden nog in Broek geweest, en het is precies zoals ik het mij herrinner. Is er een poppen fabriek in Broek? De pop is 12 inches lang, met een porcelain gezicht, met tradionele kostuum en klompen. Nu wil ze graag een boy doll hebben, maar ik kan niets vinden. Ben wel blij dat ik deze blog gevonden heb. Mijn moeder woont bij ons in en we wonen in New Jersey, USA. De fotos zijn erg mooi, je hebt een oog voor landschap. Bibi