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Archive for the ‘Gouda’ Category

The Dutch town of Gouda is perhaps best known for it cheese. If you have ever seen those creamy Dutch cheeses with the red colored waxy stuff, that is Gouda cheese. I personally prefer the aged Gouda cheese, which is hard to find in the US, but SO much more flavorsome! Anyway, I digress.

Today’s post is about the other thing that Gouda is famous for – their “Stadhuis”, the old city hall situated in the middle of the town square. It was built in 1450 and is still in use today! It is one of the best known monuments of Gouda and in the summer months, a genuine cheese market is held on the square surrounding the Stadhuis. Is doesn’t get more Dutch than that!

This picture was taken last year when my wife, Linda and I visited my sister who lives in Gouda. The rest of the town is equally charming and shows its heritage throughout the city center with lots of magnificent old buildings.

This is of course another HDR, processed in Oloneo PhotoEngine, an HDR application I am really liking more and more.

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Something quite different today. Treatment-wise that is. This is my free “Aged Photo” preset applied to an HDR. Sort of double up, but I kinda liked the end result. It reminded me of some of the old paintings done by the Dutch Masters. I’m not claiming any of their brilliance here, just pointing out that the “mood” reminds me of their work.

The shot itself was taken in Gouda during a photowalk with Martin, my brother in law.

The city dates back to around 1000 when people first started to harvest peat from the area. Today, Gouda is a lovely picturesque city famous for its cheese and a cookie called the Stroopwafel.

While the city lies inland, it is well connected to the vast Dutch network of waterways and it is no wonder that a harbor was created here as early as the 13th century. That church you see is the Gouwekerk which is relatively new. It adds a nice touch to the scene though.

About the preset. It is the Aged Photo Preset from my free collection. It creates a old feel by desaturating the colors and providing a sepia-like tone. Hope you like it.

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When walking through the back streets of the picturesque Dutch town of Gouda, I spotted this lonely bike, leaning up against the wall. It struck me that bike’s blue color complimented the colors of the cobblestone and the wicker basket sort of blends in as well.

I also knew that the textures of the sandstone wall and the cobble stone pavement would look great in HDR so I couldn’t resist snapping a series of shots. Here is the result.

Bikes are everywhere in Holland of course and Linda and I, not being used to so many of them on the street, had to be on a constant lookout (they are silent too by the way).

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Gouda is of course famous for its cheese. Being a huge cheese lover, I can say with some authority that Gouda cheese is just wonderful. If you can get hold of the crumbly aged stuff, you’ll be in for a treat, I promise.

The town of Gouda is also a gem. It has a very picturesque town center that just oozes charm with its cobblestoned streets, gorgeous old houses and the old market square, which isn’t square but triangular.

Right in the middle of this “square” stands the old town hall pictured below. The building dates back to the 15th century, 1450 to be exact. An amazing 560 years old! Perhaps most amazing is the fact that council meetings are still held there.

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That’s what the city of Gouda is famous for — Gouda cheese and Stroopwafels, a waffle-like cookie with a caramel-syrupy filling (hmmm). Like so many of the Dutch cities, Gouda has a rich history dating back to 1272. This door was seen on one of my wanderings through town. Whenever I see this picture, I wonder how tall the people are that live there as I imagine they have to duck every time they enter this place.

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