The Neuruppin is also called Fontanestadt, from the name of Theodor Fontane who was born there. We had a very pleasant walk along the lake and the town, though the weather wasn’t perfect at all. This photo was taken just before a storm, which surprised us, and we were unfortunately soaked. I was pleased, however, as I was able to capture the impressive structure of the clouds before it started to rain.
The structure of the “dome” began in 2007 and was completed 9 months later when the author, artist Miquel Barcelo placed his signature in the middle of the Cupola. Knowing that for this 1,400 square meters of ceiling, they needed 35,000 kilos of paint – this was met with great awe! The art piece on the Cupola is a metaphor of what the United Nations represent.
It was funny to discover that the name “Sächsische Schweiz” comes from 17th Century. In 1766, two Swiss artists Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff joined Dresden Academy of Arts. These two artists wrote many letters comparing landscape – back then named Meissen Highlands – to their homeland. The name gained broad audience and soon enough the entire area was recognized this way.
In our modern age, there are only 1,200 fully operational windmills in the Netherlands. Several in the “Old Holland” region, including the famous beauties from Zaanse Schans. Over a few centuries ago, there were over 10,000 windmills across the Netherlands and they were used to pump water out of the lowlands, to make flour from grains and to press oil from seeds or saw wood.
Whilst visiting Amsterdam, we had to get up early for at least one our mornings to visit the incredible and charming Zaanse Schans. Gustavo told us that this area is supposedly a “fake village” and that there were no residents, so we made the best use of our visit – making as much noise as we desired. When the sun was up, a young man came out of the house you see above, complaining about the noise.
