Canal Walk, Indianapolis

On the final day of Gen Con, the convention closed at 4 p.m. That is, the convention center closed at 4 so everyone who didn't have official business had little to do inside. Since my shuttle to the hotel was scheduled for 7 p.m., I decided to see some of the city. The most interesting feature posted on the helpful little maps downtown is the canal. It wasn't far away so I went for a canal walk.

The Indianapolis Canal Walk

By the NCAA Hall of Champions

View of a Marriott Hotel

The canal was built as part of the early 1800s canal craze sparked by the Erie Canal. The plan for the Indiana Central Canal was to connect the Ohio River to the Wabash and Erie Canal, a distance just under 300 miles. A financial crisis in the 1830s wiped out the funding for the canal, so only parts of it were completed. The Indianapolis part of the canal (about eight miles) eventually became the property of the city. A 1980s project rebuilt the downtown portion of the canal, making a pleasant walking path.

Walkers enjoying a getaway from downtown

Reminds me of Venice

Side view of that Marriott building

Walking isn't the only mode of transport on and around the canal. A boat rental agency has paddle boats, canoes, and kayaks.

Ship merchant

A fountain people went around but not in

Another rental agency rents foot-powered cars, almost like Fred Flintstone!

Foot-mobiles

In action

The walk also includes various works of art. Underneath one bridge is a delightful mural.

Cool and refreshing on one side...

...hot and exciting on the other

A few museums line the canal, providing some more impressive works.

The Eiteljorg Museum

Outside the Indiana State Museum

Indiana Steam Clock (also outside the State Museum)

In the canal is a three-part work of art called the Vessel series. It was made by William Dennisuk in collaboration with the Herron School of Art and Design. Dennis says, "The project draws attention to our relationship with water, and stands as a metaphor for how we might interact with the extended environment. The open-frame structures, together with their reflections, tend to intermingle and mesh with their wider surroundings; suggesting an inter-dependent and more collaborative partnership with our environment." [quoted from signs on the canal walk]

The first part is Pulse, which "refers to the rhythmic fluctuations we find in nature and in ourselves; the recurrence of vibrations, undulations, waves and the simple beat of the heart." [also from the canal walk]

Pulse

The second part is Valence, referring "to the relative capacity of a person or thing to unite, to react with, or affect another in a special way, as by attraction or the facilitation of a function or activity." [from the canal walk]

Valence

Spin is the final part, referring "to a fundamental movement that can be found in nature and ourselves; the spinning planet and angular momentum of elementary particles, the winding of fibers, throwing clay or the dance of the whirling dervish." [from canal walk]

Spin

The canal walk is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours on a sunny day!

Another fountain

Another patriotic bit

Arriving in Gouda, The Netherlands

One of our stops in The Netherlands was Gouda, where we did some sight seeing and ate some cheese. Our hotel was near the highway and did not provide a promising view of the town.

View from our hotel room--two big box mattress stores!

At least we had a canal

Canals are a big part of Gouda. The old town section is basically surrounded by a canal which makes driving tricky. We tried to drive into town to get dinner and went over many different waterways, some more than once. Our guidebook recommended a little cafe on an alley just by the main church. We parked at the church and found Eetcafe Vidocq and had a really great meal. The food was good and the atmosphere was nice, with lots of posters from movies on the walls as well as the menu (which was indecipherable to us). The table servers were very helpful.

The next day we parked just outside the main canal and walked in to the old area. We were greeted by a cheese lady who was nice enough to pose with us, though she was too shy to talk.

J wasn't shy!

We came upon the canal and saw a fascinating bridge. Soon we were onto our adventures.

The main canal

Bridge for pedestrians and bikes only!

More on our adventures in the next post!

Delft, The Netherlands

Delft is one of the most popular cities for tourists to visit in the Netherlands. Typical tourists go for two things here: Delftware factories (which produce the blue and white ceramics named after the town) and Johannes Vermeer, the seventeenth century painter who lived in Delft. We were atypical tourists. The children aren't interested in ceramics or the paintings of others, so we walked along the canals, visited the Market Square, and some churches.

We parked near the train station and walked along a canal towards the Oude Kerk or Old Church.

Canal with Oude Kerk in the distance

The canal had plenty of fancy buildings along it. We saw a gate with the likeness of Antony van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), local scientist who is the father of microbiology.

Gate with van Leeuwenhoek

Further down the street is a more elaborate house.

Fancy digs

Details from the wall

We went into the church (which has its own post) and then walked over to the Markt or Market Square. We saw some more fancy buildings along the way.

Reminds me of Bruges

Impressive lintel

The Market Square is fairly large and lined with the typical tourist shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Market Square shops

More of the square

A place to buy shoe-veniers

The State House of Stadhuis sits in the middle of the market and has a fun, busy exterior made in 1618.

Stadhuis front

Stadhuis side and back

Across the canal behind the state house is the cheese-weighing house which we identified from the decoration.

Nuovo and cheese-weighing house

Close up of the identifier

Bruges Wanderings in May 2013

After getting off the boat and riding the charter bus to the Bruges train station, we walked into town to see some sights before our afternoon train to Brussels (where our hotel was). The sights start right across the street from the train station, as we immediately discovered one of the many waterways in Bruges.

L on the first of many bridges

View on the water

The area is called Minnewaterpark and is located near what was the southern defenses of the town. One medieval tower still stands--the Powder Tower, originally built in 1398.

Powder tower

Us with the tower in the background

The park is at the south end of town, so we walked north and soon discovered some of the charming houses built on the canal's edge.

Looks like a normal Belgian house...

but it is really...

ultimate waterfront property!

The canals were a common form of transportation, though now only tour boats motor along.

Swans on the canal

Tourists on the canal

The other popular form of tourist transportation is horse-drawn carriages. We saw dozens of them in the morning. They seemed to follow a regular route through the town, sharing the road with pedestrians, cars, bicycles, etc.

Traveling in style

A horse fountain!

The presence of little shrines over doorways and at corners still amazes me. The Christian faith has certainly left a strong stamp on the town.

Someone's door

Detail of the door decoration

We also discovered a small community, Godhuis St. Jozef, built in the 17th century. It was an almshouse built by a rich family as a residence for the poor and the elderly. Inside is a massive garden with little homes circling it. The garden even has it's own well (which didn't seem functional anymore) and a resident cat. The kids loved petting the cat. A small, church-shaped building at one end is where the poor and elderly would pray for their benefactors.

Outside the community

Inside the community

The well

The cat

The church?

The area also has its share of tourist traps, including this tempting location. At least, it was tempting to me.

Ultimate souvenirs!

We had a nice lunch of waffles and french fries (and beer) and were soon on our way to a playground for the kids to have some fun.

Not the healthiest lunch, but maybe the tastiest!

More later!