Strange urban places

The discovery of undervalued space

The Botlektunnel at night -
down there it's busy, up here it's lonely -
the Botlekbrug is just visible in the background.

Some urban spots have a lot of atmosphere, but they are undervalued. The place looks un-spectacular, non-attractive or it is outside the normal route. Sometimes access is difficult. But once discovered, it shows it's unique character. The attraction of these places is their loneliness. Maybe hundreds of people are driving over your head in their cars. Maybe several trains pass by carrying another load of people. But they are completely unaware of you. And they would never think of going where you are. It's just like on the top of a mountain, above the clouds. Steel mountains, concrete cliffs, seas of dirty sand and grass. I like to be in those places. It's a kind of meditation. Forgive me for being romantic.
Bridges	People don't often stop and look at a bridge. They're going somewhere and they don't have time to stop. And almost no one will take the trouble to look under the bridge. Only tramps and criminals do that ... A wonderful surprise under the Erasmus bridge - would you have guessed it was there ? West side of the van Brienenoordbrug - the side where you're not supposed to go A20 railway-crossing - Gouda - where the higway crosses the railway Van Brienenoord brug - Angelo walks the arch Hefbrug - All the way to the top
Just industry	I know it causes pollution and global warming, but heavy industrial sites are always exciting to look at. Brute force in action: First Duisburg expo in 2008. Our first visit to the Ruhrgebiet. It deserves a lot of return trips. The area around Duisburg is full of surprises, this was our second expedition in 2008
Islands in the city	These beautiful places are public secrets. They're accesible, but they're outside all the normal routes. You have to know they're there, otherwise you'll never find them. Take a look from an unexpected angle. Visit most of the parking garages of Rotterdam. Eiland van Brienenoord - Rotterdam - a romantic place and an old dock Stormpoldervloedbos - Krimpen aan den IJssel - wild nature and a sunken vessel De Zaag - Krimpen aan de Lek - a sawmill and very high powerline masts
Railways, Yards and Train Viaducts	Again, romantic places that are hidden in plain view: Ridderkerk - And how Ben climbed into the viaduct A road the city forgot - A romantic spot along the Rotterdam ring The railway artery - from south to north, connecting Europe with the sea Hofpleinlijn train viaduct - Rotterdam Center - a railway viaduct from 1902 and a neglected station Railway crossing - Gouda - a concrete structure in the fields
Ghostly places	Urban Ghost Hunting - powerplaces, positive and negative energies, burial grounds A trip through the harbour with Roberta - Bridges, birds and ghost ships The radar station along the A15 In the holidays we located and visited all the radio towers in our neighborhood. In the holidays we located and explored several unmanned dam infrastructures (and a castle).
Psychogeography	Trying to make an interesting story about a random urban bike ride. The Lüneburger Heide deserves to have spooklights. We didn't find the real stuff, but we found nice lookalikes. A first tentative list of entrances to the underworld in Holland. I tried to walk a straight line from the river to the south. See the "tree rings" of the city. During a visit in 2004 I walked (almost) all the rest of the Botic stream in Prague. Winter 2002 - A random drift through Prague, on foot and by bus. The second psychogeographic expedition in Rotterdam. Walking along an algorithm. Inspired by Guy Debord, organized by Wilfried Houjebek. Some impressions from the German city of Hamburg. Look at the underground tunnels and the metro lines.

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