Haarlem, NL: Part 1

By now you know this about me:

I love Holland and I can't say it in 25 words or less.

Nor can I say it in less than 1000 pictures. HA! So, because this is a looooong one, I'll pretend I've saved you time and energy by splitting it into 2 parts. Actually, I'll publish the second part next Monday, a week from now, when we'll be in Norway boarding our mail-boat cruise of the fjords. But more on that later.

Our day's drive to Haarlem a week ago Sunday was on the spur of the moment. The sun was shining and we wanted to take advantage of it! Besides, when the Dutch see good weather, they are outside quicker than you can say Jack Sprat. Did I mention that I love Holland?! Haarlem is only 50 miles north of us and because the shops were closed on Sunday, we knew we wouldn't be bumping into its 150K inhabitants.

As you know by now, we always head for city center where the architectual action is.
And where we find a café for our koffie met appeltaart, to get us started on the right foot!
It so happens we liked this Stempels café/hotel so much, we went back for lunch later. It's a stone's throw from the grote kerk (= great church), which you can see through the windows.
Stempels used to be a printing company from 1703 - 1992. More on printing in a minute.


And there she is, the Sint Bavokerk, Haarlem's landmark since the 15th century.
And closed on Sunday! But her bell tower is seen both far and wide...never 'closed.'


Not to worry. There's something for everybody.
'A' is for Astrid. Everyone knows that!


Speaking of which, here's her wide-angle view of the church from the Grote Markt!


To the left of the church from Astrid's image above, on the Grote Markt (= Market Square), is Haarlem's famous Laurens Coster statue, c. 1370. Famous because he was believed to be the inventor of the printing press! Since the late 1890s, Haarlem has been willing to concede that perhaps Germany's Gutenberg printed earlier.
HA! The rivalies between the Dutch and the Germans! Don't get Astrid started.


The Vleeshal (= Meat Market) from 1603 also stands on the Grote Markt.
(Thanks again to Astrid for her wide-angle view in the top-right corner above.)


And last but not least, Haarlem's Stadhuis (= city hall) from the 14th century is also sitting on the square.
See how much room there is for a deep breath, especially when it's not too crowded.


Even though the shops weren't open, we had plenty of entertainment.
Always something to see...and 45 was a very good year!


On the Market Square we saw the sign directing us to the Corrie ten Boom Museum not far away.
I remember seeing in 1975 The Hiding Place movie about Corrie's part in saving Jews during WWII. The weird thing is that Astrid never heard the story till she went to the USA in her young 20s. There's no question Corrie ten Boom did more for her country in relation to the war than Anne Frank ever did, but Anne Frank's story has become the more famous.


Those of you familiar with European cities know that wherever there's a market square/city center,
the train station isn't far away...within walking distance.
Haarlem's train station is one of the two oldest in The Netherlands
and is a rijksmonument (= national monument).


Once entering a train station, you almost always have to climb up one floor to get to the tracks.
See the 'track' here at the side of the stairs. It's for your bike. How cool is that!
Usually it's a cement/iron track but this one is wood, the first I've seen thus far.


How's that for a train station! More like a functional museum.


I kid you not. "The art of can" Red Bull poster hung on the station wall.
And once outside the station, we saw the real thing.


Don't you just love how one thing leads to another.
Not far past that Red Bull poster we saw a cigar shop that reminded us of our Norwegian friends who, when asked what we could bring them, said Dutch cigarillos.
Notice the Cohibas which are Cuban cigars...not something you can buy legally in the States.
Romeo y Julieta cigars? Also from Cuba.

Enough already.

Next week I'll show you the most photogenic windmill of Haarlem's 7, plus the Amsterdamse Poort (gate house)...and all kinds of trivia images that make Haarlem special.

Till then, here's a parting shot at all the gevelstenen (= gable stones) I was able to capture:

Some cities are a gold mine! And this is just the tip of Haarlem's iceberg.

**********

A quick switch now to the Norway trip I mentioned at the beginning. Astrid and I fly to Oslo this Thursday night and will spend the long weekend with 2 sets of blogger friends I've known since my early blogging days here. Renny and Diane will host us the first weekend and Tor and Anna the next. We've both been to Oslo previously but expect to see it again with new eyes.

Then, from Monday to Saturday next week, we'll be taking the 6-day Hurtigruten mail-boat cruise from Kirkenes (north) to Bergen (south), along the entire Norwegian coastline, entering the fjords as the boat delivers mail and groceries/goods. It's a small boat, relatively speaking, at 500 passengers. No onboard entertainment/activities. Just good food and lots of sightseeing. We'll hop off whenever possible and will also have an excursion (Day 3, Wednesday) of the Lofoten Islands.

Then a cross-crountry train ride on Sunday from Bergen back to Oslo, 6 1/2 hours through spectacular scenery. Renny and Tor are so jealous. It's something they've always wanted to do...but you how those backyard things are! Vagabonde and Dutchbaby have done the cruise and are cheering us on. We'll compare notes later, of course.

So, next Monday Part 2 of Haarlem...as we board our cruise of the Norwegian coastline!