this is part of a mural on a playground in amsterdam. we were biking past it and stopped when we saw the mural. its really big and very well done! (this is just a small part). i just looked at the website underneath th painting, and it says that there are several large murals in amsterdam, and they all have something to do with amsterdam's golden age.
the above is the coat of arms of amsterdam, the official symbol of the city of amsterdam. the 3 x shaped crosses are the symbol of amsterdam since approximately 1419 (!). the 2 lions are the symbol of the netherlands, and were added in the 16th century, and after world war II the dutch queen added the 3 words to the coat of arms: "heldhaftig, vastberaden, barmhartig", which means "heroic, determined, compassionate, in recognition of the people of amsterdam that protested in 1941 against the persecution of jews by the nazi regime.
tim has some days off and we are trying to finally tidy up the apartment. the weather is very nice again too!! but the outdoor pool has closed... :( (they close at the end of august, buhuhuhuh). i hope tomorrow we finally can ejoy the sun a bit, before it will disappear for the remainder of the year....
