Canal art 2016 in Delft

We had to do some shopping.... and stumbled into the Canal Art of Delft.

The reflection adding an extra dimension.

Colourful arrows pointing at themselves.

Are they painted or is it just the color of the water?

An ondulating mirror...

Today the weather must have been optimal for taking pictures of "reflections in canals". It was bright and the water was moving, but not to much. I love this picture.

       

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Sometimes there is to much wind, or the water is to warm and becomes restless. Until now I thought winter was the best time. When it gets cold, almost freezing, the water becomes a bit "slow"; that's ideal.

Deep, steep and narrow; the Corinth Canal

A canal through the Isthmus , the narrow land-bridge between the Peloponnese and the mainland of Greece, has been an issue since ancient times. The earliest plans date back to the 7th century BC. In the first century AD the Roman emperor Nero made a first attempt, by removing soil with a pickax. (see Corinth Canal)

It takes some adapting, the first time you look down the 90 meters. 

It is deep, steep and narrow. All that into extremes. The actual depth of the water is 8 meters.

The canal is now mainly used for tourist boats. The maximum width for ships is 17,6 meters.

 The view to the other side was blocked by the bridge(s) we were on. No way to cross.

A mirror with some ripples.

This grebe is probably not aware that he (or she) is floating in this amazing reflection. And that by floating there he makes it even more complex.














When the sky is blue and there is almost no wind a water surface is an ever-changing mirror.
Especially when there are just a few ripples in the water; hopefully in a nice pattern.
Just flip over the pictures (vertically) and a colorful under water world reveals itself.
These pictures were taken in the small Dutch town of Delft (famous for it's blue and white
pottery named Delft Blue).








































Terraces seem to float among the leaves of waterlilies.

Cars are parked underneath blue draperies .....



.......or in front of sketchy houses.




















































Reflections in winter are made even more interesting by snow and ice in the canals.

Ohhh, this "hanging tin" sure is a give away...

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Autumn on the verge of winter.....

The water of a canal brightly reflects an old bridge in the sunshine.

Going from November to December there is a major change in the weather.  The red and gold of autumn fades away to the black and white of winter. 

Many nights it rains. Everything is wet. At the building site there are also interesting reflections. What will they be doing with these stairs...  They look like giant hurdles. 

Overnight, the bags and iron hooks turn into a still life.

But the mornings get foggy. Sometimes there is already a thin layer of ice on the water.

When the fog gets thicker the world gets smaller and more quiet. 

Along the river the light is bleak.

And then we have the first snow. Early this year. Less trains, so longer waiting in the cold.

But in the city everyone prepares for Christmas. Canals are lined with lights. People are busy shopping. There is a festive feeling in the air...

 And in a few weeks we will have real snow, and maybe even a white Christmas.

May I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!