VISIT TO THE GENDERPARK :

On 24/06/24, We went on our morning walk to the wonderful Genderpark & the surrounding areas in Eindhoven, Netherlands and found it so very refreshing & relaxing strolling along the gender river stream with the numerous benches to relax on.There are so many beautiful bridges on the Gender.Its an ideal place for picnic, long walks/running & a nice weekend getaway from city noise with family.The gently flowing Gender stream is full of ducks,swans & fish.Nearby there are some outlets serving icecreams & takeaway snacks.The area is not crowdy normally !Apart from being ideal for a healthy morning walk its also good for relaxation in the evenings after a hectic days work.Also its a suitable place for engaging in different sports, get together & practicing Yoga .Its a cool place owing to the tree cover/shade so welcome in the summers.Its a great place for the old & the young.There are some noticeable nearby places such as Suma college of Vocational studies,Morein Maria-a Day Care Centre,Speetuin Gender-a nice playgroung &Vitalis Engelsbergen-a Doctors clinic, Primary school De Troubadour, Zest for Life-Massage therapist.

About the Genderpark :

Gender park is located in Gestle district near Vitalis housing complex about 3km from the centrum.Its quite a spacious park with ample place to sit ,play & relax with numerous benches along the Gender. There are separate walking & cycling tracks.The long-stretched Gender Park owes its name to the Gender: a river stream about fifteen kilometers long in and around Eindhoven. You can walk through the recently renovated area alongside the walking strips.There are so many lovely bridges on the Gender stream. As per reliable sources, some Primary School children have planted a mini-forest with more than 600 trees in the location. This will contribute to increased biodiversity & greenery in the surroundings of Eindhoven!Lots of rennovation work in progress which will render a much more appealing look to the visitors of the park.There is opportunities for fishing in the Gender. The park has a dedicated, separately enclosed & leash-free ‘Dog Place” for dogs to play in the grass lawns & have a dip in the Gender stream.

ABOUT THE GENDER STREAM :

The Gender  is a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It originates in originally marshy flatlands near Steensel and flows through Veldhoven and its eastern district Meerveldhoven in a general east-northeast direction towards Eindhoven. The Gender is one of many small streams that drain what once was the marshy heath and moorland of eastern North Brabant and the Kempen plateau. Similar streams include the Dommel, Kleine Dommel, Keersop, Tongelreep, Aa, Binnendieze and Run. All of these streams at one point or other merge to finally form River Dieze in Den Bosch, which in turn flows into River Maas.Out of sheer curiosity I want to make a trip to Den Bosch to personally witness the merger of various water streams into the “River Dieze” subsequently flowing into river Maas.

Near Eindhoven, the Gender originally flowed just north of the medieval city walls, serving as the north part of the city moat, to end in confluence with the Dommel stream. As early as the fifteenth century, its course was diverted southward through the city centre, to provide the city with freshwater supplies and fire-extinguishing means. By the 19th century, the stretch within the old city had been filled in and the Gender now ended in De Vest, the city moat, which itself was connected to the Dommel. Archaeological excavations during the 1980s and 1990s before the construction of a new shopping centre have brought several branches of the artificial inner-city section of the Gender to light, including a connection to the moat of Eindhoven Castle, which stood just east of the city walls.

The Gender in the western suburbs of Veldhoven:

20th-century channelisation and the emergence of large-scale residential areas in the Gender basin have seen the last stretch before the city centre cut off. In order to regulate water levels of the Dommel and Gender streams, which occasionally threatened to flood Eindhoven’s inner city area, a drainage canal (Afwateringskanaal) was dug in the late 1930s to connect the Dommel to the newly constructed Beatrix Canal and so dispose of excess water. Into this canal the Gender now discharges. A further downstream section of the Gender between the canal and the Engelsbergen pond remains, but receives little water of the original stream. Two districts of Eindhoven that are situated on its banks were named after the Gender stream: Genderdal (‘Gender Dale’) and Genderbeemd (‘Gender Meadow’).

Note :I am indebted to the Wikkipaedia for the invaluable information on the subject

On 20th June,2024 ,We went on our third visit (previous two visits being in Sept.2019 & Aug.2022) to Nuenen village(8 km from Eindhoven city,Netherlands)where one of the greatest artist, that ever existed, lived once upon a time.This is the place where the painter Vincent Van Gogh started his artworks many of which were the ‘masterpieces’ of his paint & brush.Although his life was quite turbulent & he was a troubled soul , his paintings were very beautiful . Personally speaking I am a great admirer of his creations & have got many prints of his framed paintings doning the walls of my living room (at my residence)!His works are so precious that there are occasional ‘Van Gogh exhibitions’ being organised in many cities of the world!Here I am giving a detailed account his personal & professional life for my lovely readers to go through “the incredible experience of immersing oneself” in the amazing masterpieces of the great artist!Happy Reading!

VINCENT VAN GOGH ( March, 1853-July ,1890) was a very famous Dutch painter . His work falls under post-impressionism, an art movement that followed nineteenth-century  impressionism( Post-Impressionism was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction against Impressionists’ concern for the naturalistic depiction of light and colour)! Van Gogh’s influence on Expressionism ,Fauvism and early abstraction was enormous and can be seen in many other aspects of twentieth-century art. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is dedicated to the work of Van Gogh and his contemporaries. In the Kroller-Muller Museum is home to the second largest Van Gogh collection in the world. Van Gogh is considered one of the greatest painters of the 19th century. This recognition came late, however: although he already had some fame in select art circles in the last years of his life, his work was not noticed by the general public until after his death !He posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings , most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes,portraits, and self portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art . He was not commercially successful and, struggling with severe depression and poverty,committed suicide at the age of 37.

Vincent van Gogh, born in the province of Brabant, is one of the most famous artists who ever existed. If you wish to admire Van Gogh’s works, you really must visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. But there are other special places that you really should visit if you are a Van Gogh lover! In the beautiful National Park De Hoge Veluwe lies the Kröller-Müller Museum, with the second largest Van Gogh collection in the world! And in Brabant, the region where he was born, you can still visit unique locations that were instrumental in shaping his life and work. These are highlights you simply cannot afford to miss! To truly understand Vincent van Gogh, it’s essential to look beyond the canvas. Step out into the Dutch countryside, villages and cities that influenced his life and work. In the south of Holland,the quaint village of Nuenen is an essntial stop. Van Gogh moved here in 1883 to live with his parents, shortly before moving to France, and it was here he produced monumental paintings like ‘The Potato Eaters’ (1885). Today, the Van Gogh Village Nuenen is dedicated to his artistic endeavors and offers a memorable audio-visual experience. In his birthplace of Zundert, the Vincent Van Gogh House invites you to learn more about the artist’s early life, while in nearby Tilburg, you can experience where the 13 year old boy took his first drawing classes. The Noordbranbant Museum is another impressive art institution to show his work in dedicated exhibition spaces. To best experience the natural and artistic charms of North Brabant,explore Van Goghs Holland by bike, taking the time to experience the landscapes and villages that helped shape the artist’s inimitable view of the world.

 Van Gogh Museum (in Amsterdam) 

Its a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent Van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam south, close to the Stedelijk museum, the Rijksmuseum & the Conertgebouw.The museum opened on 2 June 1973,and its buildings were designed by Gerrit Rietveld & Kisho Kurokawa. The museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world. In 2017, the museum had 2.3 million visitors and was the most visited museum in Netherlands, and the 23 most visited art museum in the world. In 2019, the Van Gogh Museum launched the Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience, a technology-driven “immersive exhibition” on Van Gogh’s life and works, which has toured globally.

THE VINCENTER:(VINCENT Van Gogh Museum in Nuenen village near Eindhoven)  is a Dutch museum in the North Brabant town of Nuenen with documentation about the residence of the painter Vincent Van Gogh. The museum is located in the former town hall of Nuenen from 1874. Vincentre was opened on 18 July 2010. The permanent exhibition of the museum tells the story of Vincent van Gogh and Nuenen using audiovisual techniques. Van Gogh stayed here from 1883 to 1885 and realized an important part of his oeuvre during this period. This includes reproductions of paintings of the landscapes and churches, as captured by Vincent in Nuenen. The Potato Eaters  is an oil painting painted by him in April 1885 in Nuenen! It is in the Van Gogh Museum  in Amsterdam. The original oil sketch of the painting is at the Kroller -Muller museum in Otterlo, and he also made Lithographs of the image, which are held in collections including the Musem of Modern Art in New York City. The painting is considered to be one of Van Gogh’s masterpieces & is a subject of multimedia presentation!

What is on view in Salon Nune Ville?

1)Ancestral home of Margot Begemann (lover of Vincent van Gogh).

2)19th century art salon with paintings of fellow painters of Vincent van Gogh.

3)19th century attic with a fully furnished servant room, and the room where a Jewish boy went into hiding during the Second World War.

4)Fully Furnished 19th-century rooms.

This house was built in 1874, following 18th century style for Reverend W.L. Begemann.

It is located next to the parental house of the artist Vincent van Gogh, who lived and worked in Nuenen from December 1883 until November 1885. Reverend Begemann and his family moved in. He and his wife soon died, however their three unmarried daughters kept living in the house including Margot, Vincent van Gogh’s later beloved. The house served as Reformed Parsonage from 1926 until 1954. Then the house was acquired by the Van Gogh family, who restored it, and so Nune Ville remained a historically valuable monument. It is now a private residence but on certain days partly on view. Every saturday afternoon open. Address: Berg 24, 5671 CC, Nuenen Village

VAN GOGH BRABANT :

 Kröller-Müller Museum :

The Kröller-Müller Museum is a Dutch museum for modern and contemporary art , located in the De Hoge Veluwe National park in Otterlo . The museum and its associated sculpture park, together approximately 25 hectares, are internationally renowned. Until 2020, the museum attracted increasing numbers of visitors from home and abroad every year, with 405,428 visitors in 2019. The museum is characterized by an extensive collection of works by Vincent Van Gogh .

History :

The museum is named after Helene Kroller-Muller, who assembled a large part of the collection, advised by art educator HP Beeder . It was officially opened as a national museum in 1939, a few years after the foundation of the National Park. After the government decided to make the museum, like all other state museums, independent & the name Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller was dropped, the statutory name of the museum became the Kröller-Müller Museum Foundation. The museum received ANBI status. 

The collection:

Since her first purchase of the painting He comes from far away by Paul Gabriel in 1908 , Helene Kröller-Müller had built up a collection of paintings that, unlike collections of her contemporaries, concerned modern works. Because Kröller-Müller had to undergo a serious operation in 1911, which she assumed she would not survive, she decided that her collection should be left to the Dutch people. However, when she survived the operation, she had various architects, such as Ludwig Mies,Peter Behrens & Hendrik Berlage , draw up plans for the construction of a museum, the Groote Museum, to house all her works of art.

The Groote Museum 

The Groote Museum was commissioned by the Kröllers, initially (in 1918) by Berlage, who also designed the hunting lodge on the family estate. However, relations with Berlage deteriorated, after which the Belgian architect Henry Van de Velde was employed in 1920. In 1921, construction of his design, the Groote Museum, started at the foot of the Franse Berg in Hoenderloo. The Maulbronner sandstone required for this was delivered by rail. Due to financial headwinds, the construction of the museum was halted. In the meantime, the Kröller-Müller Foundation, founded in 1928, organized exhibitions at Lange Voorhout 1 in The Hague, including exhibitions by Issac Israels. Because Kröller’s company was doing worse, the government was asked to help finance the Groote Museum. On April 26, 1935, the foundation donated the art collection to the government, which in return promised to help realize the museum building. The De Hoge Veluwe National Park was also founded on the family estate, also with government support.

FAMOUS PAINTINGS OF VINCENT VAN GOGH :

‘I dream my painting & then I paint my dream’

Vincent to his brother Theo, September 1888

STARRY NIGHTS :

The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas modern art painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village !It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of modern art in New York City since 1941, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. Widely regarded as Van Gogh’s magnus opus, The Starry Night is one of the most recognizable paintings in Western art.

MEET VINCENT VAN GOGH EXPERIENCE : TAKE AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY TO THE WORLD OF VINCENT VAN GOGH AT THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM ,AMSTERDAM.

Educational value :

The interactive approach of Meet Vincent van Gogh appeals to families and schools as primary target groups. The Meet Vincent audio tour tells Vincent’s story at two levels: from 8 to 12 years and 13+ years. The texts are based on Vincent’s unique collection of personal letters from the Van Gogh Museum. The audio tour consists of interactive stops and a scavenger hunt for children and turns a visit into an exciting hands-on digital learning experience. The Meet Vincent van Gogh Experience has had successful editions in European and Asian markets.

Meet Vincent’s innovative techniques and storytelling are aimed at:

• Families looking for a cultural experience for both parents and children;
• Digital nomads looking for innovative ways to experience art;
• Tourists with an interest in cultural and retail-based excursions;
• Lay people and art experts;
• School groups with a focus on art, art history or science.

CHILDREN GET TO WORK THEMSELVES & USE THE SAME MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUE AS THE PAINTER VINCENT VAN GOGH USED THEN

Note :I am indebted to the Wikkipedia for the invaluable information on the subject

On this weekend, the 15& 16 June 2024,we went for an exploration visit to the Genneper Parken, Genneper Hoeve, Heem park,Genneper Watermollen & Eindhoven museum in Eindhoven ,Netherlands to discover the amazing landmarks relating to the area’s flora & fauna.In this vast park ,seeing the lush greenery,flora fauna & feeling the freshness of breeze ,we experienced healthy vibes coming our way relieving us of all tiredness or anxiety which we had previously!While strolling in thr park the atmosphere induces in us an urge to inculcate healthy habbits to improve health of the body & the heart. During my 75-day stay at Eindhoven I have made sure to visit the park for long brisk walks & or short distance running daily being near to my son’s villa !Especially for aged & retired people like us ,the place is like Rehabilitation homes for recovering normal health after some illness or disorder!In the Dommel there is facility for Canoeing ,fishing as well as skating(in wintres) !There are occasional fares/exhibitions for family recreations & health awareness for all people & agesIn the park there is an amazingly developed Prehistoric/Medieval village housing artefacts & tools/items used by our ancestors in the ancient times!Its a must visit place to experience life (back in time)led by the people in that era!At the Genneper Hoeve,(organic farm) one can choose from a variety of refreshments & fresh fruits & say goodbye to their kitchens for a while! For the working people it is an excellent weekend getaway with family & friends!

The Genneper Parken:

It is a nature, sports and recreation area in the south of Eindhoven. It is named after the hamlet of Gennep and is one of the largest parks in the Netherlands. The Genneper Parken area is located in and along the Dommel and Tongelreep rivers , the latter of which in particular has managed to retain its natural character and meanders strongly . This stream valley area is part of the ecological main structure of the Netherlands . Several shorter walking routes have been set out here and you can also walk along the Tongelreep to Aalst and beyond. In the opposite direction runs the Airbornepad Market Garden , which leads from Lommel to Arnhem . In the Genneper parken are housed some of the most amazing landmarks which relate to the area’s flora & fauna.

The Genneper watermill (also called Gennepermolen )

It is a watermill in Eindhoven, Netherlands . The mill is located on the Genneperweg, along the Dommel in the Gestel district of the municipality of Eindhoven . It is located in the Genneper Parks . The current mill is an undershot mill with one water wheel. The function was flour mill , previously there was also a second wheel for an oil mill . It is a national monument that is owned by the municipality of Eindhoven. Volunteer millers grind the mill and assist visitors, and organic products and flour are also sold.
The mill was recorded several times in November 1884 by Vincent van Gogh. A windmill with two wheels can be seen on it. The Genneper Watermill along the Dommel is an undershot mill that was used as a flour mill. The mill was restored in 1963 with government grant; it was actually rebuilt for the most part. After a fire on February 11, 1998, the roof was replaced; the cover of the wheel is thereby undone. The mill was painted and drawn in the nineteenth century by the artist Vincent van Gogh . It is a national monument .

The Eindhoven Museum and Prehistoric Village:

Located in Genneper Park,’Prehistoric Village’ originated from experimental archeology . An attempt was made to reconstruct the construction of a house from the Iron Age,& subsequently a complete village from that time was set up. Later a medieval village was also recreated.(Visit to Museum & the Prehistoric Village I have already covered in my recent blog dtd 14th May,2024 on my site for my dear readers to explore virtually)

De Genneper Hoeve : An Organic farm in Genneper Parken:

DE GENNEPER HOEVE :

It is an organic mixed farm in the middle of the greenery of the city of Eindhoven that is open to the public with 30 red-and-white dairy cows, young stock, chickens and pigs, organic farming and a market garden with seasonal vegetables, a cheese factory & cheese dairy, a farm shop and educational programs on the farm. It is an urban farm where the public can experience the animals, the stables, the cheese making, the milking and the work in the cheese storage up close. The farm shop sells all products from its own company, as well as various products from fellow farmers in the region.

The Heempark Frater Simon Deltour:

Its a botanical garden that houses hundreds of native plant species on a site of three hectares which are grouped into twenty Brabant landscape types. This park has been managed by volunteers since 1983. The park is named after Brother Simon Deltour, a brother who was active on Eikenburg .The park consists of landscape types & elements from the Kempen and the Meierij with the plants that naturally belong there. The Heempark was created in 1983 by a volunteer working group in collaboration with the municipality of Eindhoven. It is named after a champion of nature and the environment .

 Environmental Education Center (MEC) was located next to the Genneper Watermill in Gestel. Until December 2008, permanent and changing exhibitions in the field of nature and the environment could be visited here. Projects in the field of environmental education were also organized here, for example for children. After years of vacancy, the building has been in use since January 2019 – by way of vacancy management – by Facet, a consultancy for sustainable development and the Gilde Sint Joris

Note :I am indebted to the Wikkipaedia for the invaluable information on the subject.

Recently on 26/5/24 ,we visited Evoluon museum of Eindhoven,Netherlands & were pretty impressed with the buildings’ architecture & numerous inbuilt facilitities encompassed within them.Although its impossible to predict the future but we can certainly imagine what it looks like!Visiting the magical instalations of Evoluon is like an expedition that fills us with feeling of nostalgia encountering the thrilling experience!Great experience for the young & the old taking us on an attractive ride to the distant future on the Merry Go Round, shoot at donor organs, swim like a virtual fish ,talk to a mussle or create a deep fake of yourself .Evoluon welcomes all to World of Space Farming which is believed to be the Future of Food!Team of farmers ,Scientists ,Enterpreuneurs & designers are already developing new foods finding innovative ways to turn into reality!Here I have posted almost an endless panorama of photos & texts of Evoluon museum for my lovely readers to “Enjoy the Future”

Evoluon’s History :

Originally a science museum, the distinctively designed Evoluon in Eindhoven,Netherlands is now a sleek, modern conference center. This famous landmark has secured the coveted Benelux’s highest possible rating, of ‘5 hammers’ and vaunts an events venue that can accommodate up to 1500 visitors .Frits Philips commissioned the Evoluon to commemorate the Philips company’s 75th anniversary in 1966 and gifted it to the public. The Evoluon was extremely popular, attracting over 500,000 visitors in 1970 with its thought-provoking science and technology exhibits that encouraged visitor interaction.

Museum :The building was used as an educational technology museum from 1966 to 1989 and attracted large numbers of visitors until the 1970s. This was partly because the visitors themselves were allowed to experiment and operate demonstration models. At the time, this was still new and especially attractive to students and other young people. Many schools traditionally organized an ‘Evoluon trip’ once a year. It was part of an NS day trip. Moreover, there were no competing technology museums in the Netherlands yet. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, similar technology-oriented public museums were also established in other cities, such as in Amsterdam. As a result, the number of visitors to the Evoluon decreased every year. The exploitation and updating of the set-up cost a lot of money and in the end people ended up in the red. Also with Philips (owner of the building) things did not go well in those years and the group disposed of many unprofitable branches during large-scale reorganisations. According to Philips, it became too expensive to update the exhibitions sufficiently. Despite much protest, the group management decided, after years of investing money on the Evoluon, to close the exhibition in the building and from 1989 it no longer had a public function.

Convention and Event Center :

Subsequently, several new buildings were completed on the surrounding site and since 1996 the Evoluon complex has been a conference and events center. From 2004 to (March 11) 2013, the Friends of the Evoluon Foundation was active. This foundation strived to restore the Evoluon as an icon for technology and progress. The foundation was re-established on February 27, 2018. Since the summer of 2012, Philips wants to use the building again for (temporary) exhibitions. In that year the kick-off was given with an exhibition about the human brain, in collaboration with Discovery center Continium in Kerkrade . More events will follow in collaboration with Continium, as well as with NEMO and Technopolis in Mechelen (Belgium).

New Evoluon:

In October 2013, the German band Kraftwerk  gave four 3D concerts at the Evoluon, each attended by 1,200 spectators. The room was personally chosen for this purpose by Kraftwerk founder Ralf Hutter , because of the retro-futuristic appearance of the building and its relationship with Philips . 3D animations showing the saucer section of the building descending from space were part of the song Spacelab .In the autumn of 2014,RTL 4’s Slimmer I Oen program was included in the Evoluon .In the film ‘The Slim Family’, the Inventicon inventors’ fair takes place in the Evoluon. 

A UFO Has Landed :

The Evoluon’s distinctive design resembles a UFO that has landed in the middle of Eindhoven. The building was based on an original idea by Frits Philip. The unusual design meant many calculations were needed to make sure the 77-meter concrete dome was properly supported. Concentric rings line the dome like circular balconies and are now used for events. In the late 1980s, the building was renovated and expanded to be used for receptions and conferences for the Philips company. Later on in the 1990s the Philips Hall auditorium, meeting rooms, and VIP suites were added. The Evoluon is now available for conferences, meetings, and events. At the beginning of 2021 it was announced that the Evoluon will once again become a museum (a so-called future lab ) for science and technology under the leadership of the Next Nature Network . Half a million euros will be made available from the Ministry of Education , Culture and Science , the municipality of Eindhoven and the province of Noord-Brabant will contribute another 5.4 million euros for the next four years . The permanent exhibition is expected to follow in about four years time.

Some of the amazing innovations of the Future Lab in the Evoluon Museum :

Its a must-visit museum to explore the exciting ‘World of Future’ imagining how it might look like! Its a Science & Technology museum also called the “Future Lab” I am truly indebted to Wikipedia & Evoluons Official Website for the invaluable information on the subject “Happy reading😁

We had reached Eindhoven,Netherlands to reunite with our son & daughter in law on 10/5/24 & visited the amazing Prehistoric village(also called Eindhoven museum) on 14/5/24! It was an enriching experience of a lifetime which I have put in words for my valued lovely readers :

At the Prehistorisch Dorp(Prehistoric village), lets walk back in time in the prehistoric & medieval village immersing ourselves in a historic adventure strolling over the paths, houses, homestead & the barns !Listen to stories of the villagers ,experience their daily lives & play various games & activities of the past !Lets have an idea how to throw a spear or control a woden canoe !The prehistorisch dorp in Eindhoven is the replica of a prehistoric & medieval village, complete with dwelings & demonstration of skills used by historic people!The open air museum recreates life from this and later eras !On your way you will meet hunters from the stone age farmers from prehistoric times and craftsman from the middle ages!Stop for a chat & be amazed by their stories about daily life in the past! Lets learn to throw javelin or make a fire ,learn to weave a tape or paddle in a trunk canoe !The vikings amongst us learn to shoot with bow & arrow or how to forge a sword! Visiting Prehistorische Dorp is experiencing life through an adventurous journey back in time !Experience what life was in times of hunters & gatherers ,the time of first farmers & feel astonished by the stories of the villagers & discover traditional crafts & skill !The Prehistoric village lies north of the recreational area called the Genepper Parken Eindhoven !

Following are the unmanned activities to indulge-in at the Prehistorisch village practiced by the inhabitants in that era:

1)STONE AGE <250000-5300 BC>(Age of hunters & gatherers)––Spear throwing, making music, building a hut.

2)BRONGE AGE & IRON AGE<5300-50BC>(Age of first farmers):Playing in the loam pit (Agricultural Soil-Pit), Grinding grain, Canoeing.

3)ROMAN AGE<50BC-500AD>(Native Roman era): Creating pegs(tent fasteners), Pulling raft, Loculus Puzzle(kind of mathematical games)

4)EARLY MIDDLE AGE <500-1000AD(Age of Franks & Vikings) :Mill Game, Dressing up as warrior, Swordfighting.

5)LATE MIDDLE AGE<1000-1568AD(Age of Trade & Cities) :Pillory(a wooden framework for imprisoning offenders open to public), Medieval pooping (getting rid of the body’s unabsorbed & undigested waste ) ,Writing with a goose feather.

6)EARLY MODERN AGE <1568-1648AD>(80 Years War)–Stiltwalking (wooden poles or structures to raise a person or structure above the ground) ,making a coat of Arms, Throwing pebbles !

About the Eindhoven Museum:

The Eindhoven Museum is an archaelogical open air museum in Eindhoven Netherlands, focusing on the Iron ages and middle ages in the province of North Brabant The museum is situated in the Genneper Parken area at the south side of the city. It focuses on the daily lives and routines of people in the time periods mentioned, through demonstrations and recreations of buildings, practices and routines. For example, there are demonstrations of cooking on open fire, of games played in the Middle Ages and groups of school children are allowed to spend the night in the stables. The museum has several distinct target audiences. Primary among these are school children, who comprise most of the visitors on weekdays. In the weekends and during holiday season the museum focuses on regular tourists. The museum features a lot of living history & exhibits as well as semi-historical re enactments. During holiday seasons extra activities are staged for children. The museum also arranges historically themed corporate and family outings outside of opening hours. Some 60.000 people visited the museum in 2005.

History of the museum :

The Eindhoven Museum was founded in 1982 by a group of teachers from the local teachers academy led by Anneke Boonstra; it was then known as the “prehistoric village”. The first ten years were spent slowly and painstakingly building an Iron Age village with help of many volunteers and local unemployed people. In 1995 the museum drew national and international attention with a life experiment. Officially called “For 2 Moons”, it involved a small group (including the director Anneke Boonstra) withdrawing from civilization for two months to live life as it was in the Iron Age. Towards the end of the 1990s the museum began receiving European subsidies, allowing it to double in size and add a whole new theme on the new grounds: the Middle Ages. The museum is one of the founding members of EXARC , the international ICOM affiliated association of archaelogical open air museum and Experimental Archaeology From 2006 to 2009 the museum was project lead of a European project of 8 archaeological open-air museums, liveARCH. This project was co-authored by Roeland Paardekooper ! Luc Eekhout became director of the museum in September 2010.

MY DEAR READERS, WAS IT AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL ADVENTURE STROLLING THROUGH THE ‘ANCIENT’ TIMES IN THE PREHISTORIC VILLAGE ?PL. OFFER COMMENTS ON YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE EINDHOVEN MUSEUM

Apart from our this 75-days visit to the amazing city of Netherlands,we have been to Eindhoven on two other occasions: August 2019 & August 2022 to explore its quite fascinating,refreshing & peaceful spots .Also we have visited about 9 countries keeping Eindhoven as our base for the fabulous trips to these countries!I had already posted blogs on them so very well supported & encouraged by my lovely readers! We will be posting some blogs on our local visits of the city in this period.

We reached Eindhoven on the 10th May for reuniting with my son Abhimanyu & daughter in law Akanksha & assisting them in delievery of their first child due in about a week’s time!We straightaway took up the responsibility of the kitchen & the household including purchase of the essential groceries! Akanksha was admitted to the Catharina Hospital on 17.5.24 & Abhimanyu, with his quite reasonable communication abilities in Dutch,did the job of admission procedures interacting with the Doctors & nurses!The medical treatment & care was of the highest order!We paid our hearty prayers to the Almighty for safe delievery & good health of the mother & child !

Finally the much awaited moment arrived when Akanksha gave birth to a very cute baby girl! The time of Birth was 19:15 hrs local Eindhoven time( 22:45 hrs IST)!Both the mother & child were quite healthy & doing very well! We gave her the name of “Taarini” –Taarini word means :Saviour, she who delivers from sin ,another name of Goddess Durga ;Goddess Parvati.

0n 23/05/24 ,Akanksha & Taarini are discharged from the hospital after final medical checkups of the mother & child by the medical team !Catharina hospital has rendered very efficient & expert medical services !It was such a nice experience at Catharina!

Vishakha Purnima :

Its a very auspicious day today being Vaisakha Purnima and we performed the Puja Rituals as per our Hindu traditions! Vaishakha Purnima is one of the most significant day in Hindu religion having a great religious & spiritual importance! On this auspicious day people offer prayers to Lord Vishnu and observe Satyanarayan Vrat! This day is celebrated by Lord Vishnu devotees with immense devotion & fervour visiting religious places & Ganga ghats to take a holy dip in the Ganga river .This day is also celebrated as Buddh Purnima as Lord Buddha was born on this auspicious day

On 23th May,2024,during the medical check ups of the mother & child in the Catharina hospital before discharge ,we got an opportunity to visit Henri Dunant Park in the neighborhood & had a great time enjoing the greenery & its scenic beauty !Lets take a short tour of the beautiful place.

Henri Dunant Park :

The Henri Dunantpark is a park in the north of Eindhoven located near the Catharine hospital in the De Tempel district. The park was constructed in 1972 and covers 22 hectares.The aim was to create ‘a piece of nature in the city’ that offered a peaceful atmosphere for family picnic & even have a barbeque. You can take a walk in long curvy paths and there are adjoining cycling tracks too.

We pass through forests with mainly native plants such as oaks, poplars, birch, alder, chestnuts, ash and willows. We pass playing fields. In striking places we encounter water cypresses and white maples. A water feature and swamp pond, where height differences have been created in the park with the excavated soil. A pinetum has been planted on one of the hills. Large parts of the park can be overlooked from the hills.

The pond in the park has been used since 2010 to drain rainwater from the neighborhood, to improve the quality of the water.There is beautiful fountain in the pond.This is how Eindhoven connects technical innovation with nature !There is a beautiful De Splinter park for the children.Also italian icecream is available here for people to enjoy during the picnic.

My readers may pl. note that while we will remain in Eindhoven for 2 months & not travel to any other destinations ,we may revisit some old spots of Eindhoven & rewrite some blogs with some additions or changes!Happy reading my dear friends💕

1. Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
2. You registered on WordPress.com 4 yrs ago.Thanks for flying with us.
3. Keep up the good blogging.

Yesterday I received this notification of my completing 4 years with WordPress.com & felt very happy achieving the milestone in my blogging journey. I am very very grateful to all my readers & 380 followers(WP.Com followers=377,Email=3) for extending the much-needed support making the journey till date such a memorable one.I will be hoping for the continued support in future too.

All-time stats:

Views=20,598

Visitors=7,670

Posts=109( 110 including the current one)

Comments=2,196

Followers= 380 (377 wordpress +3 mail)

All-time annual insights

Year	Total posts	Total comments	Avg comments per post	Total likes	Avg likes per post	Total words	Avg words per post
2019	5	134	26.8	66	13.2	4,572	914
2020	27	722	26.7	1,182	43.8	43,580	1,614
2021	22	654	29.7	1,276	58.0	11,071	503
2022	47	517	11.0	814	17.3	57,414	1,222
2023	8	170	21.3	147	18.4	10,579	1,322

Passion for travel and adventure : Right from my early childhood ,I had a passion for travelling to new places & indulging in sports and adventure !As I grew up I started travelling & exploring places as soon I got any opportunity being very curious about the way of life, language, culture & the religious belief of people !Having travelled to places I wanted to share my travel stories with people alongwith information on the places visited!After a bit of search I came across this beautiful site-Wordpress serving a great platform for exchange of invaluable information on diverse topics,Travel being one !Here I got associated with many great travelers & their great sites with a treasure of informative blogs !I am immensely inspired by their thoughts regarding ‘travels’ which I am putting into words here:

“Travel is an aspect of life like our journey through life. Traveling is like pursuing our goals in life. Exploring a new country is like a dream turning into a reality .To journey is to enjoy what is on the route: whatever our interests are: people, architecture, customs, history, weather, the local situation, their politics & the personal ups and downs of journeying. This is just like life. We expect life to run smoothly, often complain when it doesn’t, some of us even try to control life tightly in our fists so that we don’t face any unexpected situations. But if we let go and flow with life, we enjoy what is on route; it might not be exactly the way we thought it would turn out but it will be fuller & richer. My experience of life & travel is that it is much better than what I imagined it would be”  

Some of our requirements for life & travel :There are requirements; we can’t just sit back & hope it will happen. We need desire, vision, planning & research, good equipment, maps, money, a good support system, good advice, perseverance, tenacity, patience & courage to explore new situations & places. These are just a couple of things we need.

Choice is also a very important part of life and travel: We all have our own choices to make and should not feel bad for making them just as we can’t judge others for their personal choices. When traveling some people choose to do things on a shoe string budget and go camping or house swapping; others live lavishly in hotels and guided tours and some choose just to be comfortable. What is important is that we tailor our travels or our life to suit our interests and life style.

Travel challenges old stale ways and notions: It might even help us to become flexible, robust and resilient because it is easier to accept different scenarios in a place we don’t live; but I wonder if we set aside old interests, preconceptions and fixed thinking in our lives generally – could we be more open to new possibilities and situations. I find it a fascinating topic to be mindful of; each of us is going to be different on our journey in life and in travels because we are so unique.

By now I have posted 110 blogs & am overwhelmed with the lovely response of my dear readers.In these 4 years, I have written on many Indian destinations having visited most of the states (23 out of 28 states & all Union territories )and also on some foreign destinations having visited 10 countries.We visited Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam/Zanse Schans/Interlaken/Jungraujoch(Switzerland)/ Berlin /Lisbon /Barcelona /Rome/Pisa /Venice /Vatican city & Nepal .My son Abhimanyu & dear Akanksha(who are staying in Netherlands)have been instrumental in fecilitating & promoting our visits to foreign destinations making this blogging journey such a memorable one.My wife Anupama has always been beside me throughout this amazing journey.I will like to share a few photos of this amazing journey with my lovely readers !Happy Reading !

We tied our nuptial knot on the 18th November 1986 in

A place so beautiful as Narora (Bulandshahr) U.P.

I reminisce still so vividly

Whence, with the grace of God Almighty God

I and my beloved wife Anupama tied the knot, got married on this date today

My God! It is 37 years ago now! Time flies like anything as though it were only a few years ago

All the Seven Promises echo in our ears

Even today, we remember clearly the vows made by both of us

We’ve tried our utmost to live up to the vows

We had made to each other

And will try to stick to each one of them

Till our last breath( of course, together)

With the blessings of God Almighty.

May we both enjoy sound health and wellness

Till our last days together.

I vividly remember the wedding vows

To be fulfilled with utmost sincerity and honesty.

The Bhagavad Gita defines marriage as a divine union where two souls unite to support each other in thick and thin of our existence. It also speaks of relationship between spouses in two terms; horizontal  and vertical. Our vertical relationship is with Bhagwan Krishna and in essence fructify when we have indomitable faith and belief in whatever Karma we aspire to perform. Mutual understanding and positive attitude with attitude of forget and forgive makes the institution of marriage a lasting and sacred alliance.

With grace of Omnipotent God ,
Every marriage can go on without any hindrance
Life becomes a Heaven on this Earth so wonderful
When both the spouses tide over all the situations & conditions
With a lot of resilience & mutual understanding & belief.

When the grace of God is there on the spouses
When spouses bank on each other in happy & gloomy days
When we respect each other’s privacy
When together we can tide over the hard days with a lot of patience
When problem in the family is solved by putting head & heart
And with a lot of endurance When each day becomes a day to face challenges of our existence
When sharing and caring becomes a way of life every moment
Then every roadblock becomes a cake walk, a source of joyful living
When nothing goes amiss with each other’s assistance
When each tries to remain faithful to each other hugely
When both spouses obey the seven vows taken at the time of marriage

My hearty gratitude to the Almighty God for fulfulling all our dreams in life including enabling us to travel to many beautiful places on this earth & would like to visit some more till we are alive! A few glimpses I would like to share here!

Note : I ,wholeheartedly ,express my sincere gratitude to our motivational co-blogger Mr Harbans Singhji (Inner Thoughts) for his great inspiration in writeup of this blog.

Diwali: The Festival of Lights :

Diwali, or Dipawali, is India’s biggest and most important festival of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.

Primarily a Hindu festival, variations of Diwali are also celebrated by adherents of other faiths. The Jains observe their own Diwali which marks the final liberation of Mahavira.The Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal prison. Newar Buddhists, unlike other Buddhists, celebrate Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi, while the Hindus of Eastern India and Bangladesh generally celebrate Diwali by worshipping the goddess Kali.

Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that’s also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali as well.

Diwali 2023: Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. People around the world eagerly wait to celebrate this festival with great grandeur and fervor. Diwali is the festival to celebrate the victory of good over evil and triumph of light over darkness. This is one of the major festivals of Hindu which is celebrated on Amavasya in the month of Kartik.

The festival of Diwali brings family and friends together to celebrate it with great joy and happiness. This festival is celebrated for 5 consecutive days, starts with Dhanteras festival and ends with Bhai Dooj. The festival of lights is being celebrated on November 12, 2023.

Diwali 2023 Date and Time :

Amavasya Tithi Begins – November 12, 2023 – 02:44 PM

Amavasya Tithi Ends – November 13, 2023 – 02:56 PM

Pradosh Kaal – November 12, 2023 – 05:08 PM to 07:41 PM

Vrishabha Kaal – November 12, 2023 – 05:19 PM to 07:19 PM\

Diwali 2023: Significance :

The celebration of Diwal starts with Dhanteras festival and people are buying new things, idols, and decorating their homes with lights, diyas and rangoli. They are ready to welcome the Goddess Laxmi, Lord Kuber and Lord Dhanvantri at home so that they all will bless them with good fortune, wealth, health and prosperity. On this day, people light a diya outside their house dedicated to Lord Yama.

After Dhanteras, people will worship Lord Krishna as he and his wife killed the demon Narakasura and so Narak Chaturdashi will be celebrated after Dhanteras.

The most important day of Diwali is celebrated as Laxmi puja and people perform Laxmi Puja on this day. It is the day, when people worship Goddess Laxmi by every possible way to please her and seek her blessings. They decorate their house inside out and light so many diyas and illuminate their house. Rangoli is considered to be one of the most auspicious and creative activity and it is believed that Goddess Laxmi visit that home where it is made. It is connected with this festival religiously.

 Deepawali celebration significance:

1. Victory of good over evil:

It is believed that Lord Ram along with his wife Goddess Sita and brother Laxman returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and also after killing the demon Ravana, the king of Sri Lanka. The lighting of lamps is believed to symbolize the people of Ayodhya welcoming Rama with illuminated oil lamps.

2. Appearance day of Goddess Laxmi:

As per Hindu Scriptures, it was the day when Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity emerged from milky ocean when deities and demon where churning the ocean.

3. Victory of light over darkness:

Diwali commemorates the victory of light over darkness. the festival of Deepavali means the row of lights, festival of lighting diyas. People adorn their homes with lights, diyas, lamps and candles.

4. Laxmi Puja:

It is the sacred day of worshipping Goddess Laxmi and please her by various ways. People perform puja at their homes and offices and places are fully cleaned and offer prayers to Goddess Lakshami.

5. Goddess Saraswati:

Diwali is also associated with the worship of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Many people perform Saraswati Puja during Diwali to seek her blessings for academic success and enlightenment.

6. Festival of exchanging gifts:

The festival of Diwali is mainly celebrated with friends and relatives and they all come together visit each other’s home and give gifts as a token of love and respect. They show their happiness by giving gifts and sweets to their relatives, friends and neighbours. It is the festival of social gathering.

Diwali 2023: What to do on Diwali?

1. Wake up early in the morning and take a bath first before doing anything.

2. people first clean and decorate their house with rangoli (colorful designs made with colored powders), diyas (oil lamps), and flowers.

3. Bring the Puja samagri which will be used during the Laxmi Puja.

4. In the evening, people perform Laxmi Puja and seek Goddess Laxmi’s blessings.

5. Some people even conduct the Laxmi Puja through a qualified Priest or Brahmin.

6. Visit to relatives and neighbours and give them gifts and sweets.

7. Firework is also main part of the Diwali but due to rise in pollution, people should use green crackers an celebrate the eco friendly Diwali..

Laxmi Puja will be performed on the main day of Diwali celebration which is held on November 12, 2023.

When is Bhai Dooj in 2023?

Bhai Dooj will be celebrated on November 15,2023                                                                      Govardhan will be celebrated on November 14, 2023.

Ayodhya Deepotsav 2023: 11 Nov.2023: राममय हुई अयोध्या :

Ayodhya Deepotsav 2023: अयोध्या दीपोत्सव 2023 में नया दिए जलाने का नया वर्ल्ड रिकॉर्ड बनाया गया है. अयोध्या एक साथ जले 22.23 लाख दीये !पहले 18 लाख 81 हजार दिए जलाए जाने का रिकॉर्ड था

उत्तर प्रदेश के अयोध्या में आज दीपोत्सव कार्यक्रम मनाया जा रहा है. कार्यक्रम में शामिल होने के लिए यूपी के मुख्यमंत्री योगी आदित्यनाथ, राज्यपाल आनंदी बेन पटेल, यूपी के डिप्टी सीएम केशव मौर्य और बृजेश पाठक सहित कई नेता और 50 से ज्यादा देशों के राजदूत अयोधया में कार्यक्रम में शामिल हुए !

CM Adityanath with the Ram Darbar maintaining the religious fervor of Bharatvarsh

My hearty wishes to all my countrymen for a very happy Deepavali 2023 & I hope you experience more happiness in your life with this joyous celebration & wish you an abundance of love, joy, and lights during Diwali! Feel happiness with your loved ones and friends on Diwali 2023!  

JAI SHRI RAM JI