AMSTERDAM: The Hague and the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery; Tour of Leiden

Good morning family and friends! (Post for April 8) This morning we took the train out of town again. Today, we were travelling to Den Haag (The Hague), the third largest city in the Netherlands. The Hague is the seat of the government of the Netherlands. It's also home to the Royal family. It is home to numerous government ministries and embassies and is the headquarter of the International Court of Justice.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to The Hague from Amsterdam. It was quite a pleasant journey looking out the window as the train rolled toward the city. The fields were green and lush. On our way, we passed the bollenstreek (bulb growing region) which lies mainly between Haarlem and Leiden. We could see dense concentration of flower fields which appeared to be in long strips, containing tulips, hyacinths, narcissus and daffodils. I could only dream about the fragrance...

When we arrived to The Hague, it took about 10 minutes to reach our destination. We made a special trip to this city, because of one of its splendid art galleries called the 'Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery'

Here is a picture of the Gallery, which is famous for its Old Masters from the Dutch Golden Age.

We went straight to Room 15. There on a green coloured wall, was one of the most breathtaking oil paintings in the world. It is called "Girl With A Pearl Earring" painted by Johannes (Jan) Vermeer in 1665. We had the privilege of being alone in the room, with this wonderful work.

Beside the painting, was a brief explanation of this work (which I quote), "Girl With a Pearl Earring is Vermeer's most famous painting. It is not a portrait, but a 'tronie' - a painting of an imaginary figure. Tronies depict a certain type or character; in this case a girl in exotic dress, wearing an oriental turban and an improbably large pearl in her ear. Johannes Vermeer was the master of light. This is shown here in the softness of the girl's face and the glimmers of light on her moist lips. And of course, the shining pearl." Jan Vermeer was born in 1632 in Delft, Netherlands. He is one of the most highly regarded Dutch artists of all time. Vermeer was known for his unique style and the luminescent quality in his work.

While Vermeer enjoyed some success when he sold his works to a small number of local collectors, he was not well known outside of his community of Delft. In his final years, Vermeer struggled financially. He was deeply in debt when he died in Delft on December 16, 1675.Although he is admired today, Vermeer left behind only 36 paintings. The Mauritshuis Gallery has several of his paintings. Over the years we have learned some important things when it comes to visiting galleries, which contain art that we really want to see. The first tip is to always buy museum entrance tickets on line. The second tip is to be the first in line when the door opens. The third tip is to know the layout of the museum, and go directly to what you want to see first. You will beat the tourist hoards every time! We carried on through the gallery, looking also at some works by Rembrandt. Here are two of his self portraits. One of his earliest painted in 1629 and one 40 years later painted in 1669, the year he died.

After looking through the museum, we were back on the train heading towards Leiden to spend the afternoon with a friend of Ron's, named Robert. He was waiting for us at the train station. He was a nice looking, exuberant young man. He seemed friendly, and I liked him right away. He was happy to see Ron and vice versa.

Robert was a work colleague of Ron's in Calgary, but had to return to Leiden due to the economic downturn in Alberta. He hopes to return to Calgary. He loves the blue skies and says the people are very friendly. It's funny because we thought the Dutch people are some the friendliest, outgoing people we have ever met. He suggested that we first go for lunch. It sounded like a good idea. He told us he had a tour planned for us, and seemed proud to show us the sights of Leiden. We stopped at a restaurant called Grand Café Van Buuren. The café is named after Armin van Buuren, who was born in Leiden and is a famous music producer, DJ, remixer, musician, pianist and songwriter. We visited over lunch for about an hour. Soon Robert said it was time to start the tour. (I could tell this wasn't necessarily Robert's forte, but he was a good sport about it). I couldn't help but think of my own two sons, guiding someone else's parents on a walking tour. It made me smile. He started by explaining the story of Leiden. The coat of arms/crest of Leiden consist of 2 crossed keys. The keys are the symbol of the patron saint of the city Saint Petrus (Peter). It is a symbol taken from the Bible, Matthew 16:19, when Jesus said to Peter, "I will give you the keys to the City of Heaven". Once this was pointed out to us, we noticed the keys can be seen frequently on buildings, doors, and even on gates.

Robert took us to many of the notable places in Leiden, and although I would like to talk about the history of every place, it just isn't possible! So, first we went by the 'Molen de Valk' - a mill which was built in 1743. Up until 1925, it was used to grind grain. Now it's a museum. Then we walked by the Morspoort, one of two city gates which still exist in Leiden. He pointed out the Leiden University (Albert Einstein once taught here) and the Webster University. Next was the Hartebrugkerk, a church building erected in 1825. Then to De Waag (weigh house), a national monument, where for centuries merchants came to weigh and trade goods. It's now a high end restaurant. We walked over the Koornbrug bridge. On this bridge, corn was traded for centuries.

Next came the De Burcht - part of the old city wall which protected the people of Leiden from outside enemies. We also saw another magnificent church, called the Hooglandse Kerk, dating back to the 15th century.

We stopped off at a small pub for drinks.

We left the pub and stopped by the Heilige Geesweeshuis (Holy Ghost Orphanage) of 1583. It housed many orphans, and they came from other cities as well, such as Aachen and Liege, to learn a trade. The textile industry made good use of these children. Orphans were still living here up until 1961. Here is a picture which was posted on the wall.

We had a great time with Robert. Leiden is another really interesting city! Someday, we hope to return and spend more time looking around.

Soon we were on the train back to Amsterdam. The task of packing to leave awaited. Our holiday had come to an end. We have had the most amazing experiences over the last month! The wonders of the world that are experienced through travel. What a fascinating world we live in. So this post wraps up the story of our vacation. Thanks for joining us on our travels! Good night, and God Bless... Karen

...and one last image. The little red car that parked on the side walk every evening, just down from our apartment!

AMSTERDAM: The City of Delft - The Oude Kerk (Old Church), The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), and Westerkerk in Amsterdam

Good morning family and friends: (this post is for April 7) Today we took the train to Delft, another historic city in the Netherlands. We had heard that it was a charming Dutch city with a medieval town centre and canals and we didn't want to miss it. It is also known for its beautiful blue pottery, called 'Delftware'. As we walked the 10 minutes from the train station into the streets of Delft, it was like stepping back in time. If only it were possible to have a momentary glimpse into the past!

This very large exquisite building was once the private and luxurious home of Jan de Huyter around 1505. Since 1645 it's been the seat of the Dyke Conservancy Board of Delftland. (Does anyone know what that is?)

As we walked toward the Oude Kerk (Old Church), we could see it looked quite odd from a distance. It appeared the bell tower was tipping forward! In fact it does - the 75 meter high brick tower leans two meters from the vertical. During its construction in 1245, the foundations weren't strong enough to support the building. The soil around the canal near the church was soft, and that's also why the church started to lean. Fortunately the tower has been stabilized and is now closely monitored.

Apparently the Great Fire, weather and the explosion of the town's gunpowder store in 1654 took a huge toll on the old church and much repair work has been necessary over the years. Here is a picture depicting the fire which occurred in Delft in 1536. It was actually the steeple of another magnificent gothic church called the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), which was struck by lightening. This is how the fire started. The fire was fanned by wind, and the west part of the city was burned to the ground and eventually three quarters of the city was lost. Many people were killed also.

Here's a picture depicting the gunpowder explosion of 1654. 90,000 pounds of gunpowder was stored in the former "poor Clare's Convent". Roofs caved in and windows smashed in at least 300 homes. An additional 200 homes were raised right off the ground. Once again, there was a huge loss of life. The stained glass and walls were torn away in the Oude Kerk. In the Nieuwe Kerk, all the stained glass was destroyed and there was a large hole in the roof.

The old church now has over 27 vibrant, stained glass windows. Here is a picture of the exquisite stained glass.

I never get tired of walking around in these majestic buildings from so long ago. They are so breathtaking! This old church was no exception. There are approximately 400 people entombed in this church. I want to mention three of the most notable people. The first is Johannes Vermeer (1675) - he is now recognized as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. (I will go into more detail about Vermeer tomorrow, as we are visiting his greatest masterpiece called 'Girl With a Pearl Earring', at the Mauritshuis Museum at The Hague (another city in Holland).

Secondly, Anthony van Leeuwehoek (1723) - he was considered the father of microbiology and was the first to observe and describe microorganisms.

Thirdly, Regnier de Graff (1673) - a Dutch physician and anatomist who made key discoveries in reproductive biology (Ron thinks he was the first to use a skin Graff).

Thank goodness we have these wonderful, historic churches, buildings, paintings, and tombs which reveal so many fascinating secrets of old to us! After this church visit, although it was chilly and raining a bit, we attempted to walk through the market. Look at the cheese wheels!

Ron found a shop selling all kinds of fish. The fluorescent lights didn't help the look of the fish, but it really did look fantastic!

One product which selling was called 'kibbleing' which is cod, battered and deep fried. Since this is a Dutch favorite, and especially because it's fish, Ron wanted to try it. I don't care too much for fish myself, but I did try a little and found it quite tasty. (I could barely taste the fish!)

After this we walked the short distance to another spectacular gothic Protestant church called the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). I don't know why they call it new. It was started in 1396 and completed in 1496. I guess it's newer than the old one.

This church has a tower which is the second highest in the Netherlands. It cost 7 euro 50, to climb the extremely narrow, winding medieval staircase to the top. I counted 376 stairs. Here is a picture of the beginning of the climb. Of course it always looks easy when you first start...

At one point on the way up, we stepped into a small room which held a mechanical clock.

Also in this room, you could see 13 bells which are no longer in use.

When we finally reached the tower, we stepped out onto a very narrow walkway which surrounded the tower. We could inch our way around to take panoramic photographs of the city. (Ron doesn't enjoy heights. I don't know why he pushes himself like this. The pictures from the tower would have been fantastic if the sun had been shining!

So, after carefully descending the 376 narrow steps without tripping or falling, we stepped out into rain and wind. We decided to find a place for lunch. Fortunately we saw a nice bagel shop called 'Bagels & Beans' and escaped from the weather. This turned out to be a good choice. I had a tastey goat cheese salad, with a spelt bagel on the side.

Ron had a smoked salmon bagel with creamed cheese, capers, and shredded cabbage. Doesn't it look delectable?

We had a very pleasant time in the bagel shop. Seated next to us, were three older Dutch people. We struck up a conversation about travel. Soon we finished our lunch and said our goodbyes. There was a sudden burst of sunlight, so we hurried out the door to try to get a few photos in the sunshine. I was able to capture a picture of the bell tower (which we had just climbed):

Alas, as we crossed the market square, we came across a Stroopwaffle shop. Remember Stroopwaffle? It's the amazing thin waffle with syrup between the layers. How can anyone resist this? It's so delicious. I bought one to share for our dessert.

After this, we walked to the train station and started back to Amsterdam. There was one more place we planned to visit today. It was the beautiful, old church called 'Westerkerk' in central Amsterdam. This church was completed in 1691. It is very close to the Anne Frank house. In fact Anne mentions it in her diary. The clock face on the tower could be seen from the attic room in which she and her family hid during the second world war. She also mentions the chimes of the church bells as a source of comfort.

One thing that I would like to mention: Rembrandt van Rijn, the great painter, was buried in this church in 1669. The exact location of the grave is unknown; the number of his grave was lost. Because he was poor when he died, he was buried in a grave owned by the church. From this grave, his remains were removed and destroyed after 20 years. Here is a plaque which honors his life:

As I continued my walk around this breathtaking structure, I came across a large, brass, stunning piece of art. It looked like a tree top, with beautiful brass leaves. Within the leaves were burning candles burning in memory of loved ones:

So this ended another wonderful day despite unpredictable spring weather. I still wouldn't trade the experience of being here for anything! Tomorrow is our last day in this wonderful country. Tonight I close this post this picture from the bike culture of Amsterdam. Here is a picture of bike parking gone bad:

Good night all! Karen