Harlem

A perfect day out in perfect weather.  I must admit that weather makes all the difference on one's view of a city.  And Harlem was certainly a pleasant surprise.   A city that appeared to hold lots of wealth, but still retained its character.   A mini Amsterdam without the drunken tourists. 

We left Houten early and managed to get to Harlem at 10.30 a.m., in time for a coffee at a pleasant cafe by the railway station.

Our first view of the wide canal.

A view up the main shopping street.

Beautiful gardens in front of a residential home for elderly people.

A line up of buildings with Dutch gables.

Another view of the gables, a bell gable on the left with a step gable further along.

The elaborate city hall, built in the 15th century after the original wooden building was burnt down in the 14th century.  In a small room at the bottom of the city hall there was an informative film on a continuous roll, which outlined the history of Harlem.   Also more information about the making of beer using filtered water that had come through the local sandhills. 

The Grote Markt in the centre of Haarlem, the historic heart according to the brochure, has the city hall at one end and St Bavokerk at the other end.

The crow-stepped gable on the Vleeshal (meat hall) built in the 17th century.

We followed a self-guided walk after we left the Grote Markt, which started in Koningstraat.

The first stop was the old bakery where there was still a sculpture of the baker.   The Dutch coat of arms on the wall between the first and second window on the first floor meant they delivered to the Dutch royal family. 

We passed many interesting small shops filled with art displays and second hand goods.   A very arty city.

This tiny house, built in 1670, was squashed between two new buildings.

A large number of streets were filled with pots and green shrubs and trees.   Competition between neighbours, I think.

A patchwork quilt, depicting Dutch scenes in traditional blue colours.    Not for sale though.

The old almshouses for elderly men, stand almost unchanged in design since the 17th century.   They were opposite the Frans Hals Museum, which was once part of the the home for elderly men.

The museum was named after the most famous Harlem painter of the Golden Age (CA 1582-1666), Frans Hals.   It was a fascinating museum, with lots of old paintings, including quite a selection by Frans Hals. 

The centre garden at the museum.   The museum also had a lovely cafe too.   A great place to rest for a while.

An interesting front door.                                           This building was once the first department store
                                                                                    in Harlem. It was built in 1899 by V & D.

The white Gravestenenbrug, a drawbridge.    The crow-stepped buildings, built around 1630, behind the drawbridge, once held a brewery.   For centuries Harlem was one of the major brewery cities of the Netherlands.

The Waag (Weighhouse) was built around 1598 and served as a weighhouse until 1915.   Walter has just told me this was actually a physicists museum.   The weighhouse was next door, on the corner.  no photograph sadly.

We continued on, although we were beginning to get a little tired by this stage.

At this point of the walk I misread the directions and we missed the last part of the walk.   Anyway we sat on the bench on the bridge and admired the view along the canal.

We took a short cut back to the Grote Markt, where we retraced our steps along the shopping street, and back to the railway station.

A magnificent cheese shop.

After a drink and a couple of Krokets on bread, we made our way back to Houten, via three trains, without any delays.   The Dutch railway system at its best.