Sunday October 27

I will start today's post by telling you a few things that I forgot about yesterday.  Because I always forget something.  I tried horsemeat sausage in the market, and it was actually quite good.  I couldn't bring myself to buy any though.  The butcher told us that it is not eaten in other parts of Holland, but it is a regional delicacy here I guess.  We did buy beef sausage however, and cheese and breads so we could take lunches with us on our wanderings.  Our hosts presented us with a gift bag full of goodies - we won't have to stock up on sweets for awhile!  And they cooked dinner for us - homemade soup and croquettes.  Delicious!

On Sunday Rob, Imca and Thea took us to Den Haag (The Hague).  We went to Madurodam, which is a miniature city full of models of many of the famous buildings found throughout the Netherlands.  I was impressed with all of the hands-on activities to keep kids of all ages busy, or let off steam, from playing with small boats in a water trough, to operating a hand pump that sprayed water on a freighter to put out a "fire", to kicking a soccer ball around in an enclosed area.

Right around the corner from Madurodam is Interpol.

We drove past the Peace Palace.  It contains the International Court of Justice of the United Nations and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

We saw the main square, Het Plein, where I had the freshest mint tea I've ever seen in a restaurant.  There are many embassies, consulates and government ministries around the outside of the square.

Next we visited the Dutch Parliament.

And lastly we drove along the beach.  Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of the surfers in the water.

To end the evening the five of us went out for tapas.

Saturday October 26

Saturday is Market Day in Haarlem!  This was only a small sample of the goods available for sale.  The breads smelled heavenly, and the Stroopwafels were to die for!  A very thin waffle sandwich with syrup or honey in the middle to hold it together.  Crispy and warm, fresh off the griddle.  Yum!

The market is held just outside the church.  Interestingly, low buildings containing shops have been attached around the outside of the church walls.

We had another little stroll around and outside the town.

There were a couple of tall ships berthed in the canal.

Brad at the edge of the old town with the traffic barrier in the background.  The centre pole just behind his left elbow retracts into the ground for authorized vehicles to pass.  All deliveries to shops and restaurants must be completed in the morning hours.

Rob, Imca and Thea picked us up and we drove up to Zaanse Schans for the day.  It is about an hour northeast of Haarlem.  This is us crossing the Noordzeekanaal (North Sea Canal) on the ferry.

Zaans Schans is like a pioneer village at home.  Several working windmills and other buildings were moved here to preserve them from destruction in the 1960's.  All the mills have names and are still working today.  'De Kat' is a paint mill that was built in 1664 (it also grinds pigments for paint, chalk used at the local linoleum manufacturer, and oil, also for paint).  'De Zoeker' (The Seeker) was built in 1610 and is a vegetable oil mill.  One of the mills is a sawmill, one grinds cocoa and another grinds spices.

You know that wooshing sound the movie superhero makes when he flies across the screen?  That is exactly the sound the sail of a windmill makes when you are standing next to it.  From a distance is looks like it is moving slowly, but when you are beside it, it is fast, and it makes the whole building shake.

The inner workings.

We took a short canal cruise and got to see some more homes right on the water.

My new obsession.  In Scotland it was chimney pots, in the Netherlands it is the symbols in the windows above the doors.

We also went to the clog workshop and learned how a block of poplar becomes a wooden shoe.

A last look at the pastoral Zaanse Schans, a land of farms and industry.

Friday October 25

After we collected our suitcase at Schiphol Airport, I finally got to meet Thea, Rob and Imca.  Thea gave us this beautiful bouquet of wooden tulips to welcome us to the Netherlands.

We went to their house in Haarlem for a visit, then they drove us to our hotel, the Amrath Grand Hotel Frans Hals (Frans Hals being a painter who lived from 1582-1666 in Haarlem).  The hotel is in the old city centre, which is only accessible by foot or by bicycle, although taxis and delivery vehicles have a special pass to allow them past the barriers.  This is the view out our hotel room window.  In the background is St.-Bevokerk, also known as the Grote Kerk (Big Church), built in the 1400's.

After we got settled, we went for a walk around the old city centre.  This is the church (which is huge!) from a different angle.

Some examples of the architecture.

After dinner we strolled around the town some more, taking in the sights.  These bicycles were parked across the street from our hotel, in front of the new courthouse.  We learned to watch out for cyclists, they are silent, they are everywhere, and they move very quickly!

The view from one of the bridges just outside the old town.

The weather was great, crisp and fresh.  We had an early night, as it was a long two days.

Thursday October 24

We got up very early for the ride to the airport (thank you Ryan!).  We booked an early flight because if the weather was uncooperative, we would have had to rebook the flight or, in the worst case scenario, catch a ferry.  We were lucky, the weather was fine, but it meant 10 hours at YVR.  So we took a selfie.

After breakfast and several hours of lounging, reading and wandering, I went outside for some air.  I discovered that just past the Fairmont, there is a beautiful path through the forest.  On one side is employee parking, on the other is the road in to the airport, there was construction and of course planes constantly taking off and landing, but even so it managed to be still and peaceful among the trees, just myself and a rabbit.  I don't know how far the path goes, I only walked in for 1/2 a kilometer, but it was a nice solitary break in the fresh air.

We were able to check in and check our suitcase just over 3 hours before our flight (since we were flying on two different airlines, our luggage was not checked through).  We learned that Brad's gold card for KLM would get us into the SkyTeam lounge, which he had never visited before.  They were very friendly there, and we had a drink (or two!), a snack, and were able to charge our phones.

Finally we were on board!  We had upgraded slightly to seats with more leg room, so we were right behind the first class bulkhead and could stretch out a bit.  The map shows the first part of our flight - to Greenland and beyond!

Countdown

T minus 39 hours.  Packing has commenced, I still can't believe it, 31 days in Europe, here we come!