AMSTERDAM: Our visit to Haarlem and the Corrie Ten Boom House; Frans Hals Museum

Good morning Everyone! (This is the post for April 5th) We started our day by hopping on a tram which dropped us at the Sloterdijk Station. From there, we took a 10 minute train ride to Haarlem, a city outside of Amsterdam. Everything went smoothly and very soon we were walking the streets of Haarlem.

I must say I was taken with Haarlem right away. There was an air of peace and quite a pleasant small-town feel. Compared to the busy, and hectic city of Amsterdam, I knew I would enjoy a different pace today. There was minimal bike traffic, and we almost felt safe crossing the street! The first stop we made was for coffee, before going to our booked 10:00 a.m. tour of the Museum Corrie Ten Boomhuis. After this, we walked down to the Ten Boom home located on the corner of Bartelijorisstraat and Schoutensteeg (don't you love the street names)?

It was an incredible feeling walking up to this home which was the base for such an incredible story of love, survival, and deep faith in God. In case anyone is unaware of what I am referring to - it's a story called 'The Hiding Place', and the story started here. The Ten Boom family had a watch/clock repair shop at the front of this home.

Here is a picture of the side door:

The Ten Boom family were Christians and dedicated to doing what they believed was God's will - helping and hiding Jewish people during the Nazi occupation of Haarlem in 1942. They built a tiny room, (big enough for 6 people to stand upright in) behind a book shelf in the bedroom of Corrie. This small area was called "The Hiding Place". Many times the family successfully hid and smuggled Jewish people to safety. One day however, they were tricked by a neighbor who brought the Gestapo to the door. They stormed the house, demanding to know where the Jews were hiding. That day, sixteen people were sent to concentration camps, including Corrie, her father and sister, Betsie. Corrie was the only one who survived the Ravensbruk concentration camp. The six people hiding in the small, narrow place that day were not discovered. They hid for two days without food or water until it was safe for them to crawl out. When they emerged, the Ten Boom family was gone. That is a brief overview of the story of the Hiding Place. At 10:00, our guide Betty, appeared at the side door (the same one the Gestapo had entered many years before), and we were invited into the kitchen area (where Corrie's sister, Betsie had been visciously interrogated that terrible day). This is a picture of our tour guide Betty:

Betty started the tour by telling us the only place we were allowed to take pictures was of the actual hiding place. She then gave us lots of history about the Ten Boom family and the events which led up to their arrest and imprisonment. She took us up four narrow, winding flights of stairs to a tiny room, which was once the bedroom of Corrie. It is difficult to put into words how overwhelming it was to be in this room, but I know each person's thoughts drifted to what had taken place here. In this picture you see Betty explaining the hiding place. A portion of the wall has been removed. Each of us got the opportunity to step into the hiding place:

You have to think of six people who were in the house that day. Suddenly a buzzer went off alerting them to hide. Imagine 6 adults running up those narrow, winding stairs in terror to hide as fast and as quietly as possible - knowing their lives depended on it. When I saw the size of the room, and the space they each had to crawl through, it's difficult to comprehend how they even managed this. Imagine, Corrie was sick in her bed that day when the Nazi's crashed into her room, dragged her out of bed and demanded to know "Where are the Jews?" In the following picture, you see the bookshelf to the left in the room. At the bottom of the shelf is the space in which the people had to crawl through and into the hiding place.

So, Betty took us through a few more rooms showing us letters and documents that pertained to the family. We even saw Corrie Ten Boom's old suitcase she carried with her on her travels during her years as a "Tramp for the Lord," in which she dedicated her life to sharing her story and bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in the gentlest of ways. So, that ended our time in the Ten Boom home, and it was an experience that will certainly stay with me always! After this, we walked through Grote Square (the central market square) and over to the immense gothic Grote Kerk (St, Bavokerk) Protestant church.

We walked in and it was very cold - as they always are. The church has been standing there since 1479. Here is a picture of the Christian Muller pipe organ which counts 5,068 pipes and is almost 30 meters high! It should also be mentioned that Mozart played this organ in 1766 when he was ten years old. Handel also played this organ.

And a picture of the beautiful, ornate pulpit. The bannisters are formed by two brass snakes which symbolize evil fleeing the world.

Frans Hals, the great painter of Haarlem, is buried in this cathedral. Unfortunately we could see the massive stone, but couldn't get close enough to get a picture due to a large, tourist group. In one far corner of the church is a small area called The Dog Whipper's Chapel. In the Middle Ages a dog-whipper's task was to discipline unruly dogs and to maintain order in the church. cage. Right next to the church which now is an archeological museum. In the middle ages, it was a meat and fish market. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do the building justice, as it was so cloudy!

After this, we had a nice batch of crispy, hot fries in a paper cone, with a dollop of tartar sauce on the side. Amazing what you eat when you're on holidays... What a beautiful place Haarlem is! I loved the streets and all the little stores and shops. Here's a cheese shop we walked by:

If ever we came to the Netherlands again, I would want to stay in Haarlem and explore the towns around Amsterdam.

Another primary reason for coming to Haarlem was to visit the Frans Hals Museum. The museum is so picturesque because it is situated in a building that was once the alms house for old men from 1609!

Frans Hals was one of the most innovative and famous painters of the Golden Age. He primarily painted portraits of prominent citizens and this museum has the largest collection of his paintings in the world. It was amazing to see the world famous group portraits of 'Civic Guard and Regents', and all five of them are here! I love looking at them because we are given a very clear picture of how the people of the day actually looked:

Also, there were captivating displays of tulips at the museum. This was called Tulip Mania! I have never heard of this, but in most rooms of the museum, were breathtaking displays of tulips arranged in the most beautiful of vases. This gives you an idea:

Here's a little tulip history. The Dutch tulip originally came from Turkey. At the end of the 16th century the tulip was imported from the Ottoman Empire. The word 'tulip' is derived from tulipan, which is Persian for turban. The tulip became immensely popular because of its intensely colored petals. These tulips began to appear in the gardens of wealthy citizens and enthusiasts. Around 1635, the trade in tulip bulbs skyrocketed and there was a huge outbreak of tulip madness - tulip mania! Ridiculous prices were paid for single tulip bulbs. Sadly - the crash came in 1637 and the trade in tulips collapsed. Prices plummeted and everyone tried to sell their tulip bulbs as fast as possible! Many people lost a fortune and were left with debt.

After visiting the museum, we boarded our train and came back to Amsterdam. It was chilly and there was a wind. Neither of us felt like looking for a restaurant, so we bought a small pizza and a schwarma from the neighborhood shop and came back to the apartment for supper. It was a great day, and a nice evening! Good night all! Karen