The Netherlands

After Amsterdam, we used Haarlem as a base from which to attack the rest of Holland's museums. Our hotel here was exceptionally nice, and a real bargain because of the time of year, but quite a long walk from the rail station. So we saw Haarlem after dark when we arrived and walked through again in the dark before dawn the next morning to catch a train to The Hague.

Mary in The Hague with the Binnenhof or parliament building behind her.

We had to kill a little time before the museums opened in The Hague, so we enjoyed the old streets and the exterior architecture of churches, guild halls, and homes. Unfortunately, English tours of the Dutch parliament building were booked well into the afternoon, so we enjoyed only the exterior of the Binnenhof palace. At Mauritshuis, the royal Dutch portrait gallery, we marveled at the work of many of the Dutch Masters, including Vermeer’s famous "Girl with the Pearl Earring."

Town Hall, Delft, 1620.

Returning to the rail station, we journeyed on to Delft, a beautiful little town that has so much more than porcelain factories. We may have liked it better than The Hague simply because it had stopped raining by the time we got there, and because we enjoyed some Dutch pastries for lunch there! In any case, Delft seemed to be more what these two tourists were looking for.

Haarlem Christmas lights match the shape of St. Bavo's tower. 

We visited the City Hall on the Market square, toured Oude Kerk (Old Church -- yes, every town has one by this name, it seems) and Johannes Vermeer's grave, and the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church -- this one, too, constructed around 1400) which included the Dutch royal family's burial vault, including a large monument to William of Orange.

The Oval Room, Teylers Museum, Haarlem

At the Prinsenhof (Princes' Court), now a museum, we saw more Dutch Masters' works, including a large exhibit about Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, an early 17th century painter who turned his studio into something of an assembly line, mass producing portraits of royals and other important people.

It's not just Danes who hang ships in churches! St. Bavo, Haarlem

We returned to Haarlem after dark once again, but finally got to see it in the daylight on Friday, visiting the interesting18th century mish-mash collection at the Teylers Museum (one of the oldest in Europe), the The St. Bavo Church with its famous pipe organ, the Town Hall, the home of Corrie ten Boom and its "hiding place," and the Frans Hals Museum for more Dutch Masters, including some contemporary ones.

Just a small segment of the great organ in St. Bavo. Mozart is said to have played this instrument(?).

After our flight back to England, some unusually lengthy scrutiny of our passports and visas reminded us that we aren't exactly "home" in Nottingham. But for now, where else would "home" be?