The city I live and work in

[pieter]

[pieter]

[pieter]

[pieter]

The old Arnhem which disappeared.

[pieter]

The extreme bravery of the Polish soldiers around Arnhem Bridge in 1944, to save as many English soldiers as possible. Many lost their lives.
Only a few years ago, they were at last officialy recognised for their bravery. A big shame forever.
Not so for the Arnhem people. The very respectful and heartwarming applause for Mr Kochalski, accompanied by his son, when laying his wreath at the Arnhem Bridge monument, shows that they never will forget what the Polish did.


I got goose bumps from this great militairy band when I filmed this a few years back. This is a video made by someone else It's longer and of better quality than my own and that's why I post this. For me this is always an emotional ceremony and remembrance day due to the Poles who fought and died near Arnhem. One Polish uncle was dropped at Driel near Arnhem and surived the battle for Arnhem.



British soldiers buried in Netherlands, 54 years on

ARNHEM, Netherlands, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Family and friends of three
British servicemen killed in World War Two saw them buried with full
military honors in the Netherlands on Friday, more than 50 years after
hearing of their deaths.

Sergeants Lawrence Herbert Howes and David Thompson and Corporal George
Froud were buried at Oosterbeek Military Cemetery near Arnhem, taking
their place alongside hundreds of compatriots slain in what historians
have dubbed one of the war's bravest defeats.


If you look closely at the final part of the video you see the Polish graves in the front with the Polish eagle.

[pieter]

[pieter]

I have to say that the HAN manages to attract the most beautiful girls from all over the world. It is not a curse to film for me there I can assure you. I like the innovative, international and commercial climate of this pragmatic and excellent vocational university in Arnhem.

[pieter]

Teachers of my former department, Fine Art at the Arnhem art academy ArtEZ. The Chines looking guy with the dark glasses Tjoe Fang King is my former 3D teacher at the Fine Art department. He was my teacher for three years (1992-1995).



I interviewed students of my own old department. I hear myself and see and feel that I am very connected to this subject. I liked this young women and art students, because they study what I studied and I can understand them very well. They are from my world, my education, my profession and share my interest, contemporary fine art. This is were may heart lies. I was a better interview than normal. This subject interests me more than for instance a soccer match or some boring political subject, while I am a political reporter myself. I often find it very hard to listen to my own interviews. I have a tough cynical and ironical internal critic and sensor. He is a nasty fellow sometimes.

[pieter]

[JustJohn or JJ]

insert code here

Pieter, I really liked the  presentations you provided. The countryside reminds me of New Hampshire. You really should do more film shooting at the business school. I would be interested in seeing that.

[karl]

Pieter

Thank you for sharing with the material of your city, your work, and the historic events that are so important to the city of Arnhem, Netherlands and your self. For you are part of it with your work for RTV and your self as part of the city as an important resident for your contribution is a vital part of Arnhem.

The video of Arnhem Centraal as familiar, for some time in past, this was filmed and reported by the lady that works with you in Nov. 2015. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnhem_Centraal_railway_station For this is of such fine beauty and design as to be so inspiring.

I was not to watch the celebration over the Arnhem Bridge or John Frost Bridge for this brought some mixed conflicting feelings to my self, I think you will understand, for I mean no disrespect to you are to the Netherlands.

It was interesting with the interviews at The Arnhem Business School. The young ladies were very fair and pleasant. It was striking for they spoke such excellent English and, with an American Accent.

Thank you for sharing

Karl

[pieter]

Dear John,

It is funny that you say that. I just laid a new foundation of contact with the HAN business school during the summer holidays. I love the atmosphere there and filming there. The video's I showed over here are not mine. I love the innovative, international, corporate, technological, inspiring, fresh, dynamic and futuristic environment with modern buildings, modern communication and PR and a market oriented school of economics.

Dear Karl, I understand your mixed emotions concerning the war. And these historic celebrations are about a conflict in the past. Recently during the summer holidays my good old dad said that he held no grudge towards the present generation of Germans. That he has no problem with them and that they are normal and okay people. Mind you they live in a province and Peninsula with German mass tourism and in their daily lives they don't have contact with Germans. But it was a revalation to me. Few Dutch people have problems with Germans or hate them today. A problem though in my perspective though is that today less young people speak German than I do, my father did and my grandfather. It's the English speaking generation. The lack of interest and skills in German language is bad for the Dutch economy, export sector, Dutch trade with Germany and intercultural exchange. Young Germans speak English too in the Netherlands or Dutch with a German accent.

The Veterans are old, this year there will be only 20 or so, every week there are veterans dying and soon there will be no one left.

Arnhem is much more than Market Garden and a Bridge to Far. It is a city with a lot of parks (green), large woods in the North, a Rhine river landscape and farmland in the South, Industrial parks, older neighbourhoods in the center and new neighborhoods in the South. I don't like the South and prefer the North and city center for it's atmosphere (older buildings and more atmosphere and cosyness -or what is left of it-).

Arnhem is one of the bombed cities and therefor it was not rebuilt very well, especially the Southern part of the center part on the North bank of the Rhine river is ugly and boring. Nijmegen is a real university city with a lot of Southern Brabant and Limburg import of students and people who go to work and live there. Arnhem is a more North oriented city with a mix of Saxonian Eastern Gelderland people and import from the West ( a minority of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Haarlem people, import like myself, because I moved from Amsterdam to Arnhem). I can get along with the Saxonian people from the Achterhoek very well. I can get along with various people, but have noticed that most of my friends and social circle are import people too (other people from the Western cities I mentioned above here. It is strange how people stick to their own kind, isn't it?)

Arnhem is nice, because it is different than other Dutch cities, with it's hills, particular architecture and neighborhoods, it's space, it's city landscapes, parks, the Rhine river with it's lovely river banks. It is a great cycling environment. It is less fun driving by car or van. For my job I drive a Ford Transit of 2008 and I like the Ford, don't get me wrong, but I hate the difficulties with parking (lack of parking space), traffick jams in the city and that you constantly have to drive slowly. 30 km per hour here, 50 km per hour there, and occasionaly 70 there. But why should I complain, I have my job, I can film with my Panasonic camera, I can edit on my edit PC and I love the Ford. Due to that fact you can say I am a van driver. That's okay. And I love driving through Arnhem too, despite the low speed. I love to watch around while driving seeing nice city trees, plants, flowers, parks, gardens, buildings, old houses, pedestrians, cyclists, fellow car and van drivers. I like the human climate and to watch and to film people and subjects and edit programs. Coming monday I start again as political TV camjo and thus reporter. I love doing that.

Next to that I shouldn't forget to paint, draw and take photographic pictures in my free time, because fine art and culture are the joy of my life. I love to use copic pens to draw.





These are routes I cycle a lot, especially the second, last half of this video in Arnhem


Cheers,
Pieter

[Jaga]

Pieter, I agree with John and Karl. I like the countryside and I wish I could visit Arnhem once and see you there! How good to see Polish soldiers to be memorized there!

[jeanne]

Pieter,

Arnhem looks like a lovely place to live...you are very fortunate to live there! The countryside is beautiful...the city interesting and entertaining!

Jeanne

[pieter]

Dear Jeanne, Jaga and Karl,

I am privileged, humble and hounoured to live in this smaller city amongst the large Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Eindhoven), because it is beautiful, with a lot of green spots (parks, city trees, woods and landscapes, hills) and because it has it's own typical character. As the capital of the large Eastern province of Gelderland, with the provincial parlaiment, politicians and administrators, it's court, the office of Public Prosecution Service, important museums, thema parks and institutions it is a city like Düsseldorf in the German state North Rhine-Westphalia.

I like my city because Fine Art, Theatre, Music, Professional Dance, cultural festivals, historical events, tourism and international expats play a role over here. Yesterday I felt happy at the commemoration of 72 years of Market Garden, because I heard people speaking Polish, English and other languages next to Dutch around me where I was standing as a tv camera man to film it. Karl is right when he says that I am part of the city with my with my work for RTV-Arnhem and am part of the city as a resident who reports on it's politics, culture, education, entrepreneurship and city news. I am part of Arnhem as being a member of one of it's media/press organisations. Humbly next to the provincial Omroep Gelderland , provincial broadcast corporation, the Provincial Gelderland newspaper and Arnhem Direct (news blog).

I have my foundations in the South-West (Vlissingen) and West (Amsterdam and The Hague), but have settled here in the East for more than 20 years now (since 1992) and have become part of the city indeed.

Cheers,
Pieter