The Abandoned Factory

I passed this old abandoned olive oil factory so many times and at every turn I thought: I want to make photos there one day. That Sunday afternoon in February I took my chances and entered the abandoned halls, collapsed buildings and distant spaces.
First of all I wanted to get some inspiration for my novell. One of the scenes of the book (in Dutch) I was writing is in an abandoned factory in Amsterdam. So I wanted to feel the gloomy, sinister atmosphere of this old dead monster of a building. Well, I can tell you, I wasn't disappointed! What a ruin it is! Old machines, pipes, huge rusty kettles, collapsing roofs, wonky stairs and rotten floors, it was all there. And his destruction was great, crossed my mind. It seems to be a shelter for pigeons, rats, dogs and demons.
Bizar enough I found many signs that it once, not long before I was there, was occupied by human beings, probably refugees from Pakistan. Here and there were some clothes, a broken microwave, some cutlery and other proofs of human beings. Most particular were the many writings on the walls of some of the rooms of the factory. Some walls were totally covered with spells and stories, most in Sanskrit, Arabic or whatever unreadable charachters. One of them was in English though, and it touched me: Never give up. I imagined this guy, sitting there in this broken chair, staring to that line, thinking: to write it, is more easy than to believe it.

The other reason was to make some photos of this once alive organism of the past. What happens to a building and its interior when it is left behind and anbandoned for decades? I was curious and so I took my camera with and went inside. Below you can watch an impression of the complete chaos that's left of this old Olive Oil factory.

One thing to keep in mind! Do not enter the factory. It is a very dangerous environment, getting more risky every day. It's not worth it to spend the rest of your holiday on Corfu in the hospital with a pair of broken legs...