Pregled posta

Marketing

I went all the way upto the edge of Zandvoort, about one
hundred metres before the NH Hoteles building. I hadn't gone this far yet
but I had to, because this was where the people were.
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There were several groups of youngsters at this section of the beach and
they were all kiting, they did not seem interesting to me today. I think
they'll be there any of the other days. Amongst them there was an older
man who wore a jacket with a high collar and a beany. Well suited for the
windy beach. This German man did not want me to make a portrait of him but
I did have a talk with him, to which he was very open. He was being a
tourist, visiting a different Dutch city every day. Yesterday it was the
Hague, the day before Rotterdam and tomorrow he'll visit Amsterdam and
Marken the day after that, with a traveling group. He had visited the
North sea more often but that was on a sail boat, so there was not much
sight seeing going on. He was catching up I think. I wished him a good
holiday and went to find someone for my daily portrait. At this section of
the beach it was pretty crowded whereas the rest of the beach was
virtually empty. This was probably because of the hotels near the
boulevard.
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I came past two men, both taking pictures of the sea, the sunset and the
kitesurfers with a big camera and an even bigger lens. I did not approach
them because they looked like typical fanatic photo amateurs and I was not
in the mood for boring talks about their lens collection. Hmm .. Is not
gathering and liking to talk about the latest lenses anymore a bit of a
justification for calling myself a professional? ;)
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Another older man with a jacket and a hat was taking pictures of his two
grandchildren. Eldery people have more interesting faces to take pictures
of. This man was also German and he also did not want his picture taken.
He did not seem to have understood me the first time because when I told
him about my project and when I got to the part of picture taking, he
shook his head and turned his back towards me. He turned his attention
back to his grandchildren and kept his back turned at me. I was left
standing there as some kind of dimwit. I walked past him and he did not
reply me when I wished him a happy rest of his holiday. A couple (also
German) around their 50's that just came walking up on the beach also did
not want me to take their picture. I needed to get away from the tourists.
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I walked a bit in the direction along with the couple that just turned me
down, but then I'd get into the groups of kids again. I looked back and
saw another couple just walking onto the beach. They were about 50 metres
away from me and I did not really feel like walking after more people
while being sandblasted. That choice seemed better to me than towards the
kiting youth.
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They were a younger couple, around their 30's. They wore contemporary
clothing and both of them wore sunglasses which they did not take off
during our encounter. Luckily they were open to my idea, I finally found
my subjects! He wanted to make sure that he got the photograph which of
course is no problem. They came here from Amsterdam and the guy hadn't
been on the beach for a year. He workes for the ING as an IT consultant in
Amsterdam, to which he moved eight years ago. His girlfriend lived in
Amstedam for four years now and she said that he had always worked in
Amsterdam. During the conversation I had all the time to get my camera out
and mount the flash on top. When I asked them where they came from, I was
in for a nice surprise. They originally came from Twente which is an area
in the Eastern part of the Netherlands in which the city Almelo, where I
come from, also lies. I replied that I came from Almelo and the girl
pointed at her boyfriend while saying he came from the same city. What are
the odds! He even came from the same neighbourhood (Schelfhorst) as I. I
made a portrait of them (in which I tried to wait for a non couple-smiling
and posing shot) and we kept talking, while the hard wind was blowing cold
in our ears, making it also difficult for the guy to understand me. I of
course forgot to ask their names but the guy asked me for mine and we
finally shook hands. I think my name triggered a string of thoughts in his
mind and as I was putting away my camera, he asked me a question that made
my jaw drop. Wasn't I the guy that was friends with those twins? Rob and
Martijn? I was totally flabbergasted because was and I know them since
kindergarten. Somehow the guy recognised my face but I still had no idea
who he was, but he was only two years younger than me. I could still not
believe that I had met these two of which one must have been in my close
neighbourhood when I was a kid. An unbelievable story.

This chapel is the last surviving building of a hospital for homeless people founded by Henry VII in 1512. Hidden behind the hotel down Savoy Street, its angular Tudor lines and grand windows give the chapel a distinctive appearance suited to this upmarket part of town. Incidentally, it was the first place of worship to ever have electricity.

The chapel is a remarkable piece of the infamous Duchy of Lancaster portfolio. Being the property of the Queen any expenses incurred by the chapel are borne by the monarchy. The chapel ceiling was restored to its rich splendour in honour of the Golden Jubilee. At the same time, the vibrant, elegant gardens were landscaped.

500 years later this enduring chapel is still providing spiritual guidance to the community. Members of the public are most welcome to join services at the chapel and all money received in collection is donated to charity.