Manhattan of the Lowlands, a photo from Zuid Holland, South

Photographer's Note

Today we had a splendid day in Rotterdam. In the early afternoon we gave a performance with our choir during the "Day of the Romantic Music" in a park. We spent the rest of the day being lazy in the park, drank wine and enjoyed good food. The weather was great and we returned to our homes in Delft on our bicycles. But because the weather was so nice, we decided to take an alternative route.

This took us through a very open and flat area on the north side of Rotterdam. This area used to be sea, but the Dutch turned it into land by constructing dykes to enclose the area and pumping the water out. This is what we call a "polder" and we have many many square kilometers of it.

The quiet and open atmosphere of the "polder" forms a nice contrast with the high and modern buildings of Rotterdam. The concentration of high buildings make me think of downtown Los Angeles or other cities in the USA. But the flat farmland with the black-and-white cows are typically Dutch!

Rockyboy, avigur_11, torben, kikvel, Rinie_Hoff, jhm, carper, Porteplume, summer89 has marked this note useful

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Rockyboy (20598) 2004-08-08 16:02

Nice idea to take this alternative route... You have a very nice landscape here with thos cows in the foreground. Buildings are an interesting background. Well done!

torben (3100) 2004-08-08 16:04

That is surely a clean contrast between city and farmland. I guess the dense population of Holland has prevented a land-wasting 30-50 km sprawl of single-family houses around the city ensuring a photo opportunity like this.

avigur_11 (22535) 2004-08-08 16:11

Waht a wonderful and contrastic shot. Very typical Dutch flat field with cows, and a very interesting urbam skyline at the background. a very cooperative sunlight always help, of coarse. VEry well captured, Michael.

kikvel (4784) 2004-08-08 16:13

Hi Michael!!

This is good stuff!
I like the contrast you grabbed here!!!
Very nice!
I am glad you spent a nice day today!
Saludos!

Kikvel

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2004-08-08 16:30

Hee Michael, quite a coincedence, I was there, too. ;-)
Didn't I drink that wine also? I can't remember. And what about the food, I did not touch that, did I? At least, although I'm not afraid of a bkek trip, I was happy that I didn't have to go back to Delft on the bike.
This is a nice picture of my town. I like it, it really gives that big city feeling here. Were you anywhere near the airport by chance? ;-) Good picture, nice with your telelens, quite a lens, 300 mm, on a D70!

Lithium (596) 2004-08-08 17:30

This is quite incredible. I love this contrast!

gbac (1933) 2004-08-09 4:56

Contraste saisissant entre la campagne et la ville, le paysage est tr鋊 sp嶰ial, c'est une bonne id嶪 de nous le proposer.
Par contre je propose un WS o� j'ai un peu recadr� l'image.
Bien vu Michael.

[workshop] [compare] +

jhm (211734) 2004-08-09 6:00

Het is zeer verschillend, Michael, op de voorgrond koeien en schapen, op de achtergrond de grote gebouwen, dus fietsen is een mooi gebaar en gezond en goed voor een foto.
It is very differing, Michael, on the fore ground cows and sheep, on the back ground the great bluidings, thus cycling a beautiful gesture is healthily and well and for a photograph.

carper (96) 2004-08-09 6:21

Hele goede contrast foto Michael,
Erg goede compositie, goede kleuren en die stad op de achergrond heeft wel wat, goed werk, goed gezien

Porteplume (4036) 2004-08-09 7:02

Funny... Your title always is in my mind when approching Rotterdam from the north - Only I think in French, "Le Manhattan des Pays-Bas" - :o) - A little big city! or is it "A big little city"?

I like that shot because I think it's the way foreigners would have to know R'dam as well. Not just as a large harbour but also as town boarded by the last green [*?] left... I hope they'll keep it that way.

[*: Can't find any translation for "groene strook"]

summer89 (5422) 2004-08-09 9:28

Hi Michael,

I like this landscape contrast, cows and bluiding.

Well done