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Then and Now Take Two – Kaldi Cafe

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2023 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. Back then I had some time to explore the city and had a delightful coffee at Kaldi. In September 2025 I made a return visit to the Netherlands for a conference in Delft. Having a few hours before my flight home from Schiphol I went into the heart of Amsterdam for a walk and an explore. When, I was there I took the time to find Kaldi again and have a second coffee. I also took the time to take a similar photograph to the one I took two years ago.

This photograph was taken in September 2025 with an iPhone 13.

This photograph was taken in October 2023, with the same phone.

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Utrecht #50places2025

Utrecht

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2022 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. This time I was attending a conference in Delft and attending meetings in Utrecht as well.

Having spent a few days in Delft at a conference, I took the train back to Schiphol Airport where I had booked a hotel. 

I had some meetings in Utrecht which is just over 40km away, and was just over thirty minutes away on the train.

I didn’t have a lot of time to explore but I did walk around for a while. 

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Delft #50places2025

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2022 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. This time I was attending a conference in Delft and attending meetings in Utrecht as well.

So I flew from Bristol to Amsterdam and then it was a short train journey from Schiphol Airport down to Delft. After finding my hotel and checking in, I went for a walk around the heart  of Delft.

It’s a beautiful city with canals, lovely building, pretty churches and an amazing windmill.

I love how the main railway line through Delft was buried underground to improve the look of the city.  There are numerous cycle paths, as well as trams and buses, making it easy to get around the place.

I visited the Netherlands a few times in the early 1980s. I don’t recall the exact date of my first visit to the Netherlands, it may have been in the late 1970s. We went a few times, sailing from Aldeburgh down to Ramsgate, heading across the channel to Calais. The sailing up to Ostend and then up into the Netherlands. We would then sail back to Aldeburgh crossing the North Sea. 

In the 1990s, I was on two college trips to Amsterdam, one was a bit of a nightmare, but the other one was better.

The next time I was in the Netherlands was in 2006, but only as I was changing planes at Schiphol Airport on my way to Helsinki.

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Then and Now Take Two – Bristol Airport

This is a regular series of blogs about photographs of the same place taken years apart. The first of the posts in this series was of a council building in Manchester. I always thought I should give then and now photographs a go. However what I have started to notice is that I have been doing Then and Now photographs unintentionally over the years and have been taking photographs of the same thing or place from the same view o ar perspective years apart. Now this has come to my attention I have started to intentionally take photographs of the same place.

Over the years I have taken this view at Bristol Airport quite a few times, both unintentionally and now intentionally.

This was taken in September 2025 using an iPhone 13.

Here are the photographs from over the years taken of the same view.

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Why no helmets?

parked cycles in a cycle rack

It would appear that everyone in the Netherlands has a bicycle and cycles everywhere…

On a recent visit to the Netherlands I had first-hand experience of Dutch cycling. There are numerous cycle paths across the country and in Delft where I was staying there were loads.

One thing that really stood out for me was the complete lack of cyclists using helmets.  Alongside that was the huge number of cyclists as well, especially at peak hours, at some points it felt like the cycle path was part of the route of the Tour de France.

Now I am not saying they should wear helmets, mandate it, but the thought of crashing at 20kph would make me wear a helmet if I was cycling in the Netherlands.

So, why don’t they wear helmets?  Searching online, the key reason appears to be cultural.  This article from The Guardian explores the Dutch thinking.

When 42-year-old Myrthe Boss gets on her bike to go shopping in the Dutch town of Ede, she pops on a helmet. This act, considered essential in many countries, marks Boss out as something of a radical in the Netherlands, where helmet-wearing is rare.

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Canary Wharf #50places2025

I had already included London in my #50places2025 list, but London is a big place.

Recently I did another day trip to London, and this time one of the places we visited was Canary Wharf. In the past I would rarely visit East London, as it was such a trek from Paddington or the centre of London. However the Elizabeth Line now makes it really quick and easy to get to that side of London now.

Canary Wharf is a modern suite of tower blocks with food courts, shopping arcades, a sky garden, and lovely views of the Thames.

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32. Robin Hood: Prince of Cheese

…and I managed to get them all. This was the final one for me.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Wallace has arrived straight from the classic tale of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. This cheesy outlaw of Sherwood Forest is legendary for his generosity in distributing wealth to the poor. Peek into his teacup, you’ll see it’s filled with gold.

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24. Norbot

Looking as he is does in the recent film, is Norbot.

24. Norbot

24. Norbot

Straight from Wallace & Gromit’s latest escapade in Vengeance Most Fowl, the ingenious, Neat and Tidy gnome has brains, gadgets and a no-nonsense attitude. Combining die-hard determination and gnome-alone genius with a knack for handling everyday tasks with precision, Norbot is the epitome of British charm.

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6. Casperis

The Bristol Museum always has a lovely looking Gromit, this trail is no different with the beautifully Egyptian themed Casperis.

Casperis

Casperis

This latest Bristol Museum acquisition was found in a tomb from 2025 BG (Before Gromit). Casperis, the loyal hound of Ancient Egypt, was said to guard the Pharaoh’s secrets. We’re in de-Nile about the value of this priceless Gromit.