26 November 2006
A bagpipe on display in the musical instrument museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
The serpent is a brass-type instrument invented in 1590 in France. I want to try playing one.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
This crazy-looking instrument is a Monsterophocliede. It's a brass-type instrument with a wooden body and bassoon-like keys.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
A bass saxhorn. Adolphe Sax didn't invent the tuba, but he did work to standardize the tuba family.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
A bombardon is an ancestor to the tuba. It's shaped like an ophecliede, but has valves.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
This is a Serpent-like instrument.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
a sax-made early tuba.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
The tuba family.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
Early designs for trumpets with valves.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
This seven belled, seven horned beast was invented by Sax to be a chromatic horn. Each valve goes to a separate bell.
One problem of having valves in serial, rather than parallel, is that valve combinations tend to be out of tune. (On a modern horn, the third valve is tuned to a length which is based on a ratio of it's pipes compared with the rest of the instrument. If the player also presses the first valve, then the ratio of the rest of the instrument changes and the third valve pipe is too short). This is a clever way to solve the problem, although it seems like it would tend to be heavy.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
This seven belled, seven horned beast was invented by Sax to be a chromatic horn. Each valve goes to a separate bell.
One problem of having valves in serial, rather than parallel, is that valve combinations tend to be out of tune. (On a modern horn, the third valve is tuned to a length which is based on a ratio of it's pipes compared with the rest of the instrument. If the player also presses the first valve, then the ratio of the rest of the instrument changes and the third valve pipe is too short). This is a clever way to solve the problem, although it seems like it would tend to be heavy.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
A tree of serpents.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
A mechanical music box sort of instrument.
At the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
Sunset in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
Nicole reads a guidebook in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
God is coming in 20012, says this van. In order to save us from chaos and bring us heaven on earth. Sounds nice.
26 November 2006
Chocolate stores in the tourist center of Brussels all had Zwarte Piets, but unlike in the Netherlands, they had fewer of them than Santa and they tended to have them in discrete locations, such that you might not notice them unless you were looking.
26 November 2006
City hall in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
In the town square in Brussels, Belgium
26 November 2006
Candy stores in the tourist center of Brussels all had Zwarte Piets, but unlike in the Netherlands, they had fewer of them than Santa and they tended to have them in discrete locations, such that you might not notice them unless you were looking.
This one came in a bag full of holiday stuff. he was not listed in the contents and was misidentified as Sinter Claus.
26 November 2006
Chocolate stores in the tourist center of Brussels all had Zwarte Piets, but unlike in the Netherlands, they had fewer of them than Santa and they tended to have them in discrete locations, such that you might not notice them unless you were looking.
This one is to Santa's right.
26 November 2006
Manneken Pis
It's a statue of a boy pissing in Brussels Belgium, surrounded by the tackiest tourist shops on earth.
26 November 2006
Chocolate stores in the tourist center of Brussels all had Zwarte Piets, but unlike in the Netherlands, they had fewer of them than Santa and they tended to have them in discrete locations, such that you might not notice them unless you were looking.
28 November 2006
Even my school canteen is in the act. the saxophone is actually a beer tap. Zwarte Piet was attached a week or so ago.
28 November 2006
My school canteen has four Zwarte Piet images and two Sinter Clauses. It is typical for Piet to outnumber St. Nick in places where both are displayed.
29 November 2006
Zwarte Piet apparently lives in the candy shop a few doors down from me. they have many, many, many of him and have for months.
29 November 2006
Is Zwarte Piet an individual? There are a lot of Santas here too, but only one per frame.
29 November 2006
Burlap bags of candy featuring Sinter Claus and Zwarte Piet in a candy store in Den Haag
29 November 2006
Zwarte Piet adorns a chocolate letter in a candy store in Den Haag.
29 November 2006
Chocolate Zwarte Piets in a candy store in Den Haag
