Staalindustrieweg 43
2952 AT Alblasserdam
Tel: 078 - 681 85 68
Fax: 078 - 693 36 68
Email: info@ritmeester-bv.nl
APPELFLAPPEN, APPELFLAPPENTOCHT LANGS DE LEK
APPELFLAPPEN - DE APPELFLAPPENTOCHT
Traject/Route:
ALBLASSERDAM - KINDERDIJK - NIEUW LEKKERLAND - STREEFKERK - GROOT AMMERS.
The Apple Pastry Tour: The Appelflappen Tour.
After our completion of the 'concrete sign project' for the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium (see: http://www.ritmeesteralblasserdam.nl/categorie/566.html.) I decided to treat our colleagues and the staff of Betoncentrale De Lek Beton (the best concrete production company of the Alblasserwaard and surroundings!). For this treat I ordered freshly baken 'Appelflappen' at Bakkerij Stam, Kinderdijk (see: www.kinderdijk.com)
So if you visit the Windmills: treat yourself also to Dutch Appelflappen at Bakkerij Stam. They are delicious!
And if you wish a Dutch Concrete Sign: we create it and ship worldwide.
I would like to present a 'foto tour' to you of these beautiful surroundings so that you can even enjoy it form your iPad. After collecting the Appelflappen I toured to Groot Ammers which is some 15 miles along the river Lek. Wonderful!
I wrote the texts at the pictures in English so that you can also enjoy the explanation. And if you like a personal guided surprise tour: just drop us a line or send an email. We will show you around in our beautiful region.
For information:
T: +31 6 22 33 75 17 (GMT office hours)
Wanneer je uit een Limburgse familie met historie in de horeca komt is het bijna vanzelfsprekend dat je met het ‘gebaksvirus’ besmet bent. (Dat is iets totaal anders dan het ‘gemaksvirus’ maar dat terzijde). Lekker genieten van Limburgse vlaaien en andere heerlijkheden zat er bij mij dan ook al vroeg in.
Een van mijn spreuken bij Ritmeester BV in Alblasserdam is dan ook: ‘De Liefde van een Meubelmaker gaat (ook) door de maag’. En dat geldt voor alle medewerk(st)ers bij Ritmeester in Alblasserdam en zeker ook voor de mensen van De Lek Beton in Groot Ammers.
Daarom besloot ik zowel de medewerk(st)ers van De Lek Beton alsook alle collega’s hier te tracteren na de afronding van het betonproject voor het Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam met niemand minder vereeuwigd dan Johan Cruijff. Een verslag van dat avontuur vindt u onder:
Appelflappen en Bakker Stam
Bakkerij Stam Kinderdijk: 'world famous' in these surroundings for its pastry.
Bakker Stam in Kinderdijk staat bekend om zijn appelflappen dus bestelde ik hier een flink aantal. En omdat ik deze streek erg mooi vind reed ik naar Groot Ammers via de route langs de Lek. Dat is vanuit Kinderdijk ook nog de snelste weg. En bij het schitterende vroege voorjaarsweer (wij genoten er elke dag van) een prachtige tocht!
This is Annet of Bakkerij Stam and as you can see:
delicious specialties.
Bread and wood... Of course we like wood
at Ritmeester Alblasserdam....
We call these 'Appelflappen' and I can recommend them to you,
also when you are visiting the world heritage site of Kinderdijk
Appelflappen for everyone of De Lek Beton and our colleagues...
With Annet's big smile
After collecting the ovenfresh Appelflappen I drove along the Lekdike
Ik laat u graag even meegenieten van wat ik onderweg zag.
A few hundred metres further on the left you see this beautful church.
It has a very interesting hstory since it was a gift to the people.
See: http://www.deweekkrant.nl/pages.php?page=2901519
http://epaper.bdu.nl/klaroen/epaperarchive/2007/02-28/epaper/3531528.htm
Mr. Leendert Pot spent NLG 40.000,00 to build it. (Sorry the articles are in dutch)
http://epaper.bdu.nl/klaroen/epaperarchive/2007/02-28/epaper/3531528.htm
Mr. Leendert Pot spent NLG 40.000,00 to build it. (Sorry the articles are in dutch)
Enjoy the architectural details of which the building is full.
Driving along the dyke you see the famous windmills on the right.
A wonderful place to be and to realize how it was... some 250 years ago!
Another picture, snapshot from the car. The light is changing constantly.
The old pump station building.
You can see that we are in spring: nature is coming to new life on trees and grasses.
It is unusually warm, spring 2014.
Close to Nieuw Lekkerland we meet these -quite ugly - power cable trees.
They are so high because the power cables cross the river Lek.
These spoil the beautiful landscape unfortunately...
Offering you another graphic perspective: seen from the bottom center.
(I didn't try to offer you a look from above.... ;-)
And opposite of the power cables you can meet
with this lovely little 'power station' which
is carefully embraced by overgrowing plants.
Then we see another lovely windmill in reconstruction on the right.
The new wings of the mill are ready to be mounted.
For more information about Mill 'De Regt' please visit:
On the website you can see
that this mill is not for milling water out of the polder
but for grains.
A few days before the new wings are on top!
Entering Streefkerk on the right we see a modern house, designed by
Architect-Inhabitant Ir. Arie Gelderblom. The kitchen and living room are 'upstairs'
and as you can see the view around and towards the river
is wonderful. The offices are in the basement.
And: the VOLVO 245 All time classic perfectly fits to the house.
The Yacht harbour of Streefkerk with another modern building.
It houses a well known restaurant:
mmmm....
And then, one mile further down the road another.... windmill!
These dutch were ahead of their time.
High on the dike.
This is Windmill 'Love' (De Liefde) and you can even
celebrate your marriage here!
De Liefde... LOVE!
As you can see: These Mills are Alive and Kickin': combined with QR codes
you can learn a lot about history in this area.
Early spring... and flowers all over!
In the building an office of the SIMAV is located.
See: www.simav.nl
This foundation takes care of all the windmills
in this region.
As you will understand: it costs a fortune every year
to keep these Grand Ladies in Perfect Shape.
One example of hundred of old farmhouses.
These 'lean towards the dike: in the past 20 years
Holland had to raise the dike to protect the low polders.
The result of this was that at a number of
old buildings the basement is not on dike level any more.
For more information about these old farmhouses in this region you visit:
We drive further down the winding road:
Between Streefkerk and Groot Ammers you can find another example of
'River Oriented Architecture' in this modern house.
A little old white house was its predecessor.
It is all about the views: towards the river on the north
and towards the green flat polder on the south.
The roof design adds to the overall picture (to my opinion).
Seen from the other side.
Horizontal and vertical lines.
Look at the detail of the internal rainwater pipes
not interrupting and spoiling the design of the cladding.
Less is more.
Less is more.
And then we see another example of 'circular economy': local reed is used
to cover the roof of this farmhouse.
This beautiful grand old lady receives a new reed wig.
The inhabitants were lucky: we had an all dry spring period.
And high temperatures: 20 Centigrade early spring.
Close up of the reed.
It is growing on the other side of the street...
Thes old farmers were innovative:
no long roads to collect it.
No CO-2 emission
No CO-2 emission
No waste or pollution.
Long lasting.
We can learn a lot from these old times...
Just opposite the ferry to Bergambacht there is another
farmhouse; more than 350 years old.
Most of all...Most of all...is built to last!
(Enjoy the song also)
Built 371 years ago... How about sustainability?
This lovely farmhouse is 'the complete opposite' of plans like
Sky City of Broad's Group Mr. Zhuang Yue.
Which type of building will be 'the future'?
Also visit: www.treehugger.com
Also please have a look at the little tree of life which is in the small window
above the front door.
This reminds me of a lovely adventure.
A few weeks after I made this trip we planned to mill on CNC an absolutely stunning
tree of life after a design of Mr. Gustav Klimt for a young student of the CIBAP in Zwolle:
Height: around 140 cm.
The CNC milled 'Life tree' to a design of Mr. Gustav Klimt.
Material: birch plywood.
This required 'a lot of hours' CNC milling
on our machine.
Detail.
I will tell you more about this project in another article.
We continue the trip and drive to Groot Ammers.
Before entering the village on the right
there is a special spot - in winter- :
In winter this is a beautiful ice skating rink.
In the evening it is magically illuminated.
Like a fairy tale.
For lovely pictures during winter time please visit:
The Groot Ammers Church and tower are impressive.
Built just after Columbus discovered America (!)
around 1500.
See it, feel it, touch it and admire the masonry.
Lovely little flowers enjoy the sun as I do as well.
Here a number of commemorative stones can be seen.
Lovely craftmanship
1852....
Spring shows its beauty also in the center of Groot Ammers
('Great Ammers')
I always enjoy nature.
We continue driving towards ' De Lek Beton' (Concrete manufacturing Company)
and see another example of a lovely little old house
with typical proportions of the facade
Then we arrive at De Lek Beton.
The building is a new development and you can read more about
the development on:
www.architektenbureau-bikker.nl
and more about the background:
http://www.architektenburo-bikker.nl/utiliteitsbouw-bedrijven/betoncentrale-de-lek-beton/
Soft and rounded forms in concrete... at the entrance of the Design(ed) Factory.
Every detail received attention and a good portion of design.
Sign of Quality!
Another Sign of Quality and Care:
Cleaning the cement mixer carefully!
This view always reminds me of 'Cape Canaveral'
Houston.
Four (x2) Saturn V rockets ready for lift off... ;-)
But instead of a voyage to the moon
these stock Dutch Cement
Silo 1 - 8: ENCI: First Dutch Cement Industries (E N C I )
Matching flowers near the entry
Sign of quality into detail...
At the entry: The staircase in stainless steel and concrete
logo of The Lek Concrete (the flow of the river Lek)
in each step!
See:
Close Up.
Mr Arie Pols, MD.
His office has lovely design pieces
such as the meeting table in wood and with concrete underframe
See the lines of the logo engraved into the table top.
Concrete Feet...what else?
The lines of the logo engraved into the table top
Design in every detail
Concrete framed. See:
CView from Mr. Pols office
across the river Lek
towards 'Silver City'
Schoonhoven
A must see....
On the left the water tower
and on the right the church tower
in the center of this lovely
little town.
And the we enjoyed the 'Appelflappen': delicious!
En de appelflappen? Ze waren heerlijk en smaken naar ‘meer en vaker’
Op de terugweg koos ik voor de route langs de Alblas. Een foto van een zojuist omgezaagde boom:
On my way back a picture of a sawn down tree.
Delicious smell....
Delicious smell....
Along the little Alblas river several beautiful examples of modern architecture
can be admired. a new construction as an example.
Also visit: www.bongersarchitecten.nl
En ook hier zijn er verschillende mooie voorbeelden van moderne architectuur te bewonderen naast de traditionele boerderijen.
I hope you enjoyed the trip as much as I did!
Ritmeester BV
T: +31 (0) 6 22 33 75 17