Trains, Bicycles and Windmills

Shrekie and I watch some TV or should I say we had it on...very interesting how and what they think is art.  Anyway, after laughing through this weird show that appeared to be some sort of expressionist mime thing, the weather came on...yah, yah!  Well again we laughed because we couldn't tell a thing she was saying but we did get the gist that it was to rain significantly and in addition it would be cold and windy today.  Their weather people are better than ours because it was as she said.

Had we gotten up early enough...like before 10 AM, we could have gone to breakfast and it was dry but by the time we got showered and ready it was pouring rain.  There is an office building across the street from us and we could see people busy at their desks when we looked out.  Of course we arrived on the weekend and the building was empty until today.  We   also found out that the museums are closed on Monday but the church is open so after lunch we will go there.

It was miserable, cold and still raining but we took an umbrella from the stand in the lobby for hotel guests..nice touch.  We found a place for lunch and enjoyed the warmth and being dry was nice too.  I had veal croquettes which when I got it was another form of bitterballen which wasn't bad but I've had it the last two nights.  Kay had the quiche. We enjoyed sitting at the window taking pictures of the people on bicycles flying by in a collection of rain gear including completely enclosed compartments for babies to toddlers and others with capes, and still others flying by with umbrellas looking like Mary Poppins!

We went to the church which was right across the street from where we ate and just down the street from our hotel.  This church is huge and encompasses really about 3 blocks and is the anchor point for the city market area.  Because the steeple is so tall, all we have to do is find the steeple and we know which direction to head to get back to the hotel.  We haven't had a problem as it is much easier to get around here than in our little village of Ilmington.  We swore that people came in there and rearranged the streets every night just to confuse visitors.  Back to the church.  It is quite a huge place and has many interesting things about it.  The floor of the Bavo Church consists entirely of 1500 gravestones the oldest of which dates back to the fifteenth century.  Every night between 9 and 9:30 PM two of the small church bells ring a tradition started in the sixteenth century..it was a warning to the citizens that the town gates were about to be closed.  The organ in this church is one of the largest anywhere with 5,068 pipes...Mozart once played on this organ when he was only 10 years old and Handel played it as well...impressive!

The ceiling is all wood and these are the biggest organ pipes I've ever seen

This was the bread line where the poor were given bread

Brood is Bread

Model of the church

Ceiling of center with a clock.  This section of the building supports the bell tower.

After the church we started on a walk that would complete our step goals on our Fitbits for today.  We wanted to find the windmills.  We walked and walked and found the "red light" district...Hmmm just interesting that there were restaurants on the other side of the street and kids riding bikes on the opposite side too.  It started to rain heavier and we still don't see the windmill.  We get to the train station and the bus station and we are looking at our maps and Kay thinks it's one way and I think it's the other.  Shrekie is cold and we both have wet pants now but I'm being impressive and not whining about it.  We decide to check in the train station and see if there is a coffee shop where we can get out of the rain for a bit.  We see a Starbucks just past the train station and go in.  This is the first "normal" cup of coffee I have had since leaving home.  When you do get a cup it is the size of a play tea cup set and may hold an ounce.  Anyway, I got coffee and Shrekie got tea and I wrote out some postcards I bought to the kids while we warmed up.  The rain is not letting up so off we go again.  We did get some directions and after walking many more blocks we found the windmill.  It actually was a working one that is now a museum.  It was hard to take photos because I didn't want to get the camera soaked but I did get a few.  We walked back to the hotel and got out of our wet clothes and as soon as we did...the sun came out.  It was a mirage that lasted long enough for us to go and find a place for tea and a snack and we walked along the canal coming back.

We never did figure out what this meant

There was a red light at the end of this road and notice the hearts on the shutters

Child on bike across from all that...

Church around the corner for redemption

Pretty street away from red light

Haarlem's version of the park and ride at the train station

Yah, Yah we find the vindmill

Houseboats along the canal

We made it back to the hood!

Shrekie has been sitting on the sofa outside of our hotel door since she says the internet is faster out there.  I went out to ask her something and the door closed behind me and we were locked out.  Luckily we were dressed but neither of us had shoes on.  I went down to the lobby and got another key.

We have decided to have dinner next door to the hotel at the Italian place tonight and will make it an early night since the weather is supposed to cooperate tomorrow and we are going to take the bus to the gardens.  We had the tasting menu at the Italian and a bottle of wine.  It actually was very good and we enjoyed the leisure pace of it although the waitress wasn't too sure about us.  Kay needed to go to the teller machine and the girl at the front desk said a ten minute walk so we went there after dinner and just got back.  We have the info on the gardens for tomorrow and what bus we need to get.  Showers tonight so we can be up early and after gardens we are going to take the train to Amsterdam.....again well done us!