The meaning of the word Zeepaert and another surprise

Wooden painted ceiling in 't Zeepaert

Hi!

As I told you last weekend was 'open monument' weekend over here. I didn't had much time, but I managed to visit a few monuments anyway. I will tell you all my adventures of course, starting with my visit at 't Zeepaert today. Now this is a confusing name in dutch. I'll teach you a little dutch; Zee=Sea (you see the words are related) and paert=horse, a seahorse! Every blogreader can learn dutch! There is one thing though; 't Zeepaert isn't a seahorse but a Zeep=soap, aert=person. This was the house of a soap manufacturer amongst many others. This is the oldest house in Dordrecht. There was already a house at this place around 1300, but the house we are going to see now on the inside and the back was built in the 15th century and is very well kept. I was so eager to get in that I totally forgot to take a photo of the outside. Mmmm next time ok?

On the inside the original architecture is combined with modern design. As in here; the Midsummer Light by Tord Boontje (famous dutch designer, do visit his website!) and a modern carpet too.

Better view of the carpet
Of course many things were found during the restoration (2002-2004). Probably many things from the cesspool or cesspit, I don't know which word you use (if any of those at all).

My feet at the cesspool or -pit which is covered with glass nowadays. Look at the typical antique red floor tiles.

The things that were dug up are exposed in the hallway, precious things like these medieval glasses behind perspex.

Fancy room, restored in the old colors of our town, again a combination of traditional and modern. Look at that perspex chandelier, a little surprising, isn't it?

The garden at the back of the house is traditional

and modern too!
I guess here is a little joke from the artist who made these horses especially for this garden. The bucket upside down probably refers to the soap, the horse of course to the dutch word zeepaert which means, as we already have seen; seahorse as well. Well it's my interpretation. If you know better, you may say so!

I wasn't able to visit any monuments on Sunday, as it was fair at the village were my relatives live in the south of our country.

I think (exactly) this one is at the fair as long as I can remember. Yep that's very long.

I cannot resist to show you what we ate, as almost everybody outside of this part of the world hates it:

It's smoked eel mmmm yummy!
But we eat it like this:

A sandwich with the eel like a kind of flat sausage in between.
Sorry, a little interruption, I have to go to the kitchen now as this photo really makes me hungry.

And of course at a village fair, while the new fashion season just arrived, to see and especially to be seen is most important, as this clever little fellow understood well:

He (she, I told you already I know nothing about dogs) is actually wearing hooded trainers! I don't believe there is a market for these costumes :-D!

After the fair we visited my aunt. I made this little cushion filled with rice and lavender to put the teapot on as a gift for her. In one move she protects her table as well as she creates a lovely smell.

The other day I received a present myself:

Great package, beautiful paper, lovely card and that smell....I had a present before with this lovely rosemary and lavender smell. Yes again a little parcel from Myra, whom we already have met before at the Valentine swap. She has a lovely blog too, Cupcakes

And inside: Oh what is this?

Ooh sorry! Upside down! Look at this lovely bag made by Myra, I love it!

This was inside the bag. Handmade paper, Mary Engelbreit's home companion, Homes and Gardens and a couple of charms to create jewelry with, my next project!

Everybody can see that this bag was made for me!
Thanks a million Myra, you are so sweet!

And I even got another present, but I'll show that next time. Hope to see you then, take care!
hugs LiLi M.

Ik had eigenlijk weer te weinig tijd in het open monumenten weekend. Ik heb toch nog van alles gezien en ik laat jullie hier het interieur van 't Zeepaert zien. Dat is het oudste huis van Dordrecht. Heel goed onderhouden, ook aan de buitenkant, waar jullie een volgende keer een foto van te zien krijgen, om de doodeenvoudige reden dat ik die vergeten ben te nemen :-). 't Zeepaert is overigens geen bekend zeediertje maar verwijst naar de zeepzieder die hier woonde, wij zouden misschien zeggen De Zeperd, of toch niet? Binnen een fraaie combinatie van modern design (o.a. van Tord Boontje) met traditioneel vakmanschap. Zondag was ik bij mijn familie in in het zuiden van het land. Daar was het traditioneel najaarskermis. Volgens mij vindt de gemiddelde dorpeling zijn/haar partner tijdens de kermis of tijdens het carnaval. Bij een vorige feestelijke gelegenheid in mijn blogje bleek mij dat het paling eten door velen maar smerig gevonden wordt, maar wij vinden het heerlijk, echt kermiseten. Wat ik dan weer wel raar vindt is zo'n hondenpakje, maar goed smaken verschillen. Voor mijn tante had ik trouwens een theepot onderzetter gemaakt, gevuld met rijst en lavendel. Last but zeker niet least: dit bracht de postbode mij van Myra! Geweldig hè, tijdschriften, ornamentjes om sieraden te maken (mijn volgende project), handgeschept papier en dan natuurlijk het fraaie zakje dat deze talentvolle jongedame zelfgemaakt heeft. Kijk eens hoe goed dat staat in mijn slaapkamer! Hartstikke bedankt Myra, dikke kus! Vergeten jullie niet ook even bij Cupcakes te gaan kijken?
Voor jullie ook allemaal een kus, tot de volgende keer, ik durf het haast niet meer te zeggen, maar ik heb nog meer door postbode Wim bezorgd gekregen...
Allemaal genieten van onze Indian Summer, ja ja ik heb mijn hoed op!
LiLi M.