July 27 - More From Holland

(John) We left for Haarlem after a wonderful breakfast, served by our American expatriate hotelier. She was one of the few to serve French press coffee to her guests - which is always delicious.

Haarlem is a small city just 15 minutes from Amsterdam by express train. The Dutch are not nearly so focused on timely departure as the Germans are.

We visited beautiful Haarlem on an incredibly dreary day. I was in a foul mood because of the weather combined with homesickness. It was raining steadily and the atmosphere was dark due to the low misty clouds. I even found it a bit chilly. This type of weather is depressing. It makes photography difficult, even under the shelter of an umbrella.

My mood makes me overly sensitive, which means I bicker with Gene. He lets go of those moods faster than I do, much to his credit. But he has remarked that he's homesick too. We miss our schnauzer and all the comforts of our home. Sharla has remarked that the weather in Seattle has only recently warmed up.

Hmmm, I've spent more time talking about the weather and home than Haarlem. I'll leave most of that to Gene. Generally, I'll just remark that I like Haarlem's slower pace and smaller population. It has all the important things like cafes, shops and historic churches, but without the massive crowds and traffic of Amsterdam.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow. It would be nice to end our trip on a high note.

(Gene) Haarlem is jam packed with charm. Everywhere you look is postcard perfect. As John mentioned, it was drizzly and dreary. Therefore, not too many photo memories of this beautiful place.

Since this was a partial day trip we only had a few things on the agenda. One was the Grote Kerk. It was beautiful and loaded with lots of interesting historical facts. As we strolled around the church we listened to the magnificent pipe organ. The same organ, I might mention, that 10year old Mozart himself played on during a recital for wealthy Haarlem patrons. Handel and Bach a well. Speaking of those patrons, they are buried all around the church and their bodies smelled as they decomposed. Supposedly, the term " stinking rich" was originated at this church.

We also visited the Grote Market (town square) this is where I do have video proof of John eating raw herring, a Holland tradition. I had a few bites myself and it was quite tasty.

We visited the town's historical museum. It was small yet very informative. I especially enjoyed a special exhibit on the German occupation of Haarlem during WWII. We watched a 10 minute inter-active film on the history of Haarlem. Did you know that 40 years before Gutenberg invented movable type that L.J. Coster (a Haarlem local) is credited with inventing modern printing when he carved the letter "A" out of a wood block.

We ended our formal schedule by visiting Teylers Museum. This is Holland's oldest museum (200+ yrs) and certainly the most eclectic. We viewed scientific apparati from the 19th century, Renaissance drawings, 15th century coinage, fine oil paintings, a lumenesence room with glowing rocks, pickled extinct fish, fossils, dinosaur bones and even an exhibit on volcanism.

As we left this town I again wished it had been nicer weather. It was just too pretty to have the weather dampen our trip. When I get home I will look for sunny photo's on the internet to complete my visual experience.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Europe.