Day 2 Haarlem & Waterland Tour
*When you see photos displayed as you see above you can click on the thumbnails to bring that photo up. You can press play and they will scroll automatically. You can also use the arrows to scroll through pictures.
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Before the Sun Comes UpThis morning started early, much too early for my liking. We went to bed around 6 and I woke up around midnight and was unable to get back to sleep. So then I decided to work on my journal! That took up a few of those long, dark hours. During this time I also made up my mind that I wanted to go out just before sunrise and capture that beauty since I was awake already. Not long after I decided I would go out mom woke up enough for me to run the idea by her. She decided to accompany me on my adventure, for which I was thankful. So around 5:20 she and I were in the elevator and heading for the lobby. The front desk clerk urged us to be careful and be aware of our surroundings. Ultimately we had no problems. After walking around for a few minutes outside we both agreed that it was actually nicer and safer to walk around in the early morning. At this time there are very few crazy bicyclists and drivers on the road. We had the waterfront to ourselves. Also, much to my excitement, the canals were placid. It was a bit of a chilly morning, but the product and the beauty of the scene was so worth it! Press play on the slideshow to see all of the photos!
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Grote MarketOn Saturday Haarlem has a market in the Grote market place. The market was set to open at 8:30. Both of us were feeling a bit chilled after our morning walk and ended up settling into bed. A nap set us back to 10:00. We hopped out of bed, eager to explore the open air market just down the street.
It was exactly as we had hoped for. There were a variety of stands featuring breads, fresh fruits, berries, and vegetables, cheese, fish, flowers, arts and crafts. It was so beautiful! Our first stop was the bread shop where we purchased a beautiful loaf for sandwiches which they cut for us upon request. After that we wound our way around to the cheese shop. There were an assortment of many different kinds of delicious cheese (sample cubes were provided)! We sampled a few and finally decided on three kinds: Cheese from Haarlem, Soete Liefde Pesto (My personal FAVORITE!), and Tynjetaler. Prior to purchase we tried the Haarlem cheese and the Pesto cheese, however we did not get to sample the Tynjetaler. Mom asked the (very cute) salesman if the Tynjetaler was Swiss cheese to which the man replied, "No, it is Dutch!" Mom, Emily and I could not help but laugh. We don't know if his response was serious or more joking, but it struck us as comical since we have no other name for our beloved "holey" cheese in the US. In addition to bread and cheese we also picked up a container of little strawberries (bliss!), a bunch of grapes (firm and juicy), a couple figs (figgy), carrots (sweet and crunchy), and some bananas. We found a spot on the steps of the court house. We put together our sandwiches, feasted on strawberries and devoured a couple carrots as well as the figs. It was lovely, exactly what we had been waiting for! Again press play to see all of the photos in the slide show. If you happen to be in Haarlem on a Saturday I would highly recommend this market! |
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Grote KerkGrote Kerk is a grand building on the inside and the outside. I had not anticipated getting the opportunity to explore this great building, however we all decided to check it out before going on the Water Land tour. We were all thankful that we did. For the small price of 5 euros each we entered the church. The first thing you notice when you walk into this church is the HUGE organ against the wall. It is tall enough that it practically reaches to the heavens. It is decorated with intricate and beautiful statues as well. As we entered the ethereal chords of the organ fill the space, filling one with peace. You notice how tall the ceilings are, and the beautiful crossing/flower like pattern on the ceiling. There were beautiful stained glass windows within the church, however they did not seem to be the main accent of the church as is the case with others I have visited. The floor consists of giant stone slabs with numbers carved into them, sometimes even names. We soon learned that bodies were buried beneath the church floor. Each of these blocks marked someone’s grave site. There are 1,500 bodies buried beneath the church floor. The church was originally built as a Catholic church, but sometime throughout history it became Protestant.
For me, though, the most magical or spiritual part of this incredible experience was admiring the sun shining through the stained glass windows. It was beautiful to see the colors and designs cast along the floors, gracing the resting place of those long dead. In the far distance we could hear the ghostly echoes of a choir practicing before the approaching concert (which we missed due to the next part of our day). It was in this church that we met the first Rick Steves group member we would be sharing the adventure with, Lisa - who I met in the Rick Steves forum pages. We got acquainted, happy to have met someone from our group, before parting. We had much more planned for the day ahead! |
After exploring the wonders of the great church (whose bells we frequently hear ringing through our hotel window and while out in the city) we followed the directions the desk clerk gave us to arrive at the Haarlem train station. It took us a moment to get our tickets to Amsterdam and back, and then to figure out how to use them. You need to scan your card entering the station as well as leaving. The train ride was fast, taking around 10 to 15 minutes or so. The train was pretty full when we got on, so we started out standing before finally finding some separated seats.
Once at the bus station we located the ticket booth for the Water Land Hop on, Hop off bus. We jumped on the bus soon after and got to enjoy the beauty of the countryside that has slowly been claimed from the ocean. Much of Holland is located below sea level. By using water drainage networks they were able to create new land. Marken, for example, used to be an island. There is now a land path linking this charming town to the main land of Holland.
Once at the bus station we located the ticket booth for the Water Land Hop on, Hop off bus. We jumped on the bus soon after and got to enjoy the beauty of the countryside that has slowly been claimed from the ocean. Much of Holland is located below sea level. By using water drainage networks they were able to create new land. Marken, for example, used to be an island. There is now a land path linking this charming town to the main land of Holland.
VolendamOur first stop was Volendam (or as we have been calling it Voldemort), a cute little area with more adorable housing. We started off down a street, not really sure what we would find. We had spotted another open air market, and so we walked off in that direction. It did not take us long to find it. Of course the first stall we saw was more cheese! We knew we had some cheese waiting back in the room so we skipped over that stall. The next stall was a fish stand. This is the second one that we have seen so far. Pickled (Hollandse) haring is on our list of foods to try. When we got up to the table to order they said they did not have pickled haring, but instead salted haring. We ordered one and then three warm gebakkin kibbelings (or kibbelings for short. We tried to order using the whole name and got a quizzical look from the waitress. We held up a piece of paper with the order spelled out. She smiled and nodded, “Three Kibbelings then.”). I did not realize that the haring was raw until it was on the little plate before us. I tried half a piece hesitantly. It was, honestly, a bit raw for my taste, however it was good for an experience. The kibbeling was delicious though. I am glad that we each ordered a serving of the fish! Em and I washed ours down with an orange Fanta soda as well.
We also found a pastry/dessert stand where Emily and I purchased something sweet for the road. None the less it was fun to look at all of the exotic treats at the stand. Volendam also has an adorable little waterfront area (that also has a free WC (restroom). We walked around, enjoying a couple of the souvenir shops along the way. We took a break on a grassy area to watch a Blue Heron eating an eel and enjoy the sun and boats in the harbor area. It was windy though, so after a bit we packed up and wondered back into the very crowded streets in search of the Volendam Cheese Factory. We found it in the most touristy part of town where every shop in the surrounding area displayed cuckoo clocks, wooden clogs, and a variety of other souvenirs. The cheese factory was very nice. There was an area you could go down to inside to see the process they go through to make the cheese. It was similar to the Tillamook Cheese Factory but on a much smaller scale. Beautiful! Mom had a blast at the Cheese Factory and got a couple souvenirs of her own! Once we were done at the Cheese Factory we decided to head back to the bus to go on to the other town we were looking forward to seeing. In the process of finding the bus stop again we found ourselves lost within the maze of quaint little homes and stagnant canals (beautiful but rather dirty). Finally we found our way back to the bus. |
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MarkenTo get to Marken we had to catch another bus line. In the process one bus dropped us off at a stop with no other explanation for what needed to be done. The next bus that came along gave us directions to walk to the next bus stop so that we could catch the appropriate bus to reach our destination. We arrived at that bus stop just after the bus left (we watched it drive off from the head of the street) and so there was a thirty minute wait for the bus to come by again.
So finally, after a good amount of waiting we were on the bus and cruising toward Marken. Marken is a more traditional town and much more like an open air museum. We noticed the change immediately as we saw fields of sheep (along with newborn lambs) leading up to the village. We hopped off the bus, eager to go and meet the baby lambs. We stopped and watched them for a few minutes. In particular we watched a little newborn boy prancing and bleating. He still had his umbilical cord hanging off his belly! We watched till he ran off towards the other sheep calling, "Maaaaaaa!" We immediately fell in love with Marken. They have a clog factory here. They were closing down as we arrived, however they still let us come in, look around, and purchase items. On the outside they had clogs with beautiful pansies blooming. The canals in the town held many beautiful birds. They also use the canals as a fence to keep their sheep and cattle in their fields. Walking through the streets was a thing of peace. They had bunting decorating the streets. It was just a very soothing and comfortable town. We all would have liked to have spent more time there. We assumed that the bunting was for the upcoming Remembrance day on the 4th. We never made it to the waterfront, however we loved seeing the young animals throughout the town. We loved the lambs most of all! Due to our need to catch the bus back to Amsterdam we cut our adventures short. On the bus ride back I fondly looked over the pictures on my camera, as well as enjoying the beautiful countryside. Back in Amsterdam we caught the train back to Haarlem. Tomorrow is the big day, the day we meet our Rick Steves tour group! |