Tuesday, August 19 , 2014

Tuesday - Hans and Jose (neighbors) invited us to go to Haarlem today. As these things go, we start with coffee. I think that is a very Dutch thing to do. We had to turn down the pastry because of the gluten and dairy. While we were explaining our dietary requirements to Jose it came out that she had planned to feed us a quiche for dinner. She always goes to great lengths to get everything right for us and our revelations were messing her up. We didn't realize that the day would end at their place for dinner but, she and Linda eventually worked out a plan.

It was a cloudy, rainy day and we decided to drive Kees' car instead of taking the train. There was a specific walking tour of old houses, churches, and museums that Hans had found and it started at the train station. After an initial pass and a loop back we found a parking garage across the street from the station. The problem was that the parking spaces were small which made it difficult to pull the car in. After try to wedge the car into one and deciding to look for a better location, I found one I could just pull straight into. Don't want to scratch or dent Kees' car.

We start down the streets and find two or three interesting buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. We found a door with a plaque on it. 

Opening it, we walked down an open air alley into a beautiful courtyard surrounded by former nun's apartments and later converted into an alms houses. Now, I believe, its private residences that probably are a little pricey.

The small fountain was the centerpiece of the garden but beautiful plants and bushes surrounded it. What an oasis.

Dodging rain storms, in and out of doorways, we made our way toward the center of town down one of the canals. 

At the Grote Markt, we stood under a tree for a few minutes and then ducked into St. Bravo's Great Church. 

I'm not really that fat - I was protecting my camera.

This inside of the church is soaring as a cathedral should be. The ceiling is wood and makes a nice contrast with all of the stone. Construction of the present church started in 1347. Who knows who St. Bravo was but he died in 653. 

Lunch was determined by cuteness factor and rainfall. The rain started again, so we ate. Charming little cafe that was warm. Very good. I had a plate of meats, Linda ordered an egg sandwich and Hans and Jose had an open-faced salmon sandwich.

After lunch, and checking the rain situation, we decided to start walking back toward the train station. We walked past several old buildings including the the Frans Hals Museum and the Teylers Museum. We'll need to check those out at a later date. We remembered that we had been here before on our own, but missed some things, that Hans and Jose explained. Very helpful to have Dutch around to assist you in your visit.

After arriving back in Soest, they treated us to wine and snacks. Then a non-gluten, dairy free dinner of melon and ham, and salad with some wonderful chicken. I think Jose purchased the chicken from the chicken-man who comes to Soest one day a week. I forget which day, but we're going to need to remember how this works.

It was a wonderful day visiting Haarlem with our friends, even though it was wet. Another Dutch adventure.