The Historic Dutch City of Haarlem
Haarlem, which gave its name to that other Harlem in New York
City, lies barely half an hour away by public transit from Schiphol
Airport, and yet most international travellers think only of
Amsterdam when flying via The Netherlands. From Schiphol there
are frequent trains to Amsterdam, and thence to central Haarlem,
so why not spend those first or last days there for a change?
The
old city centre of Haarlem still lies within the canals that
follow the old city walls; it is a veritable rabbit warren of
narrow streets, open courtyards, historic monuments, museums,
galleries, shops, restaurants (of many ethnic cuisines) and
bars/cafés. Ten minutes on foot from the station will bring
you to the central square, the Grote Markt, with the Great Church
of St. Bavo's at its heart. Construction of this magnificent
church began in 1370 and was completed by 1538. In 1735-1738,
the Christian Muller organ was built, with 68 registers and
more than 5000 pipes, the longest 10 metres long. In 1766, the
ten-year-old Mozart played this organ to his heart's content;
later, Handel had his turn. There are regularly scheduled concerts
from May to October, but if you visit in the winter, particularly
late afternoon, you may be lucky enough to hear the current
organist in an impromptu concert.
There
are three museums on the square itself, but the most important
one is perhaps ten minutes walk away, the Frans Hals Museum
featuring paintings of Holland's Golden Age of the 17th century.
You will find eleven paintings by Hals himself (he is buried
at St. Bavo's, by the way) as well as paintings by Ruisdael,
Jan Steen, and others. Just around the corner from the Grote
Markt is the Corrie ten Boomhuis (free admission) which tells
the story of a family who helped hundreds of Jewish families
to escape capture during World War II. A bit further afield
(just outside the canal, behind the station) is Het Dolhuys,
a museum of psychiatry. Reduced price tickets for the major
museums can be obtained at the VVV, the tourist office adjoining
the central station.
There
are two character hotels right on the Grote Markt, Hotel Carillon
(www.hotelcarillon.com,
tel: [011 31] (0) 23 53 10 591), which we can personally recommend,
and Hotel Amadeus (www.amadeus-hotel.com,
tel: (0) 23 53 24 530). Both have narrow steep stairs leading
to small, but very clean, rooms on the upper floors, with private
facilities; the Carillon has no elevator, but the Amadeus does,
after the initial climb from the lobby. A double room costs
from €63, including breakfast. As the Grote Markt is basically
closed to automobile traffic, you can be guaranteed a quiet
night. If you have a car, you should know that there is no on-street
parking in the heart of the city. There is an underground public
parking garage within five minutes' walk where the overnight
charge is only a couple of euros, but that will mount up quickly
if you park throughout the day.
Much
better to hand in your rental car and use public transit to
get to the airport! The train will cost less than €10, even
a taxi will cost about the equivalent of another day's car rental.
If you think of something else you would like to do in Amsterdam
during your stay, it is only a few minutes away by train, so
make a day trip out of it. For general information on Haarlem
and its neighbouring seaside towns of Zandvoort and Bloemendaal,
including other accommodations, consult the regional tourist
centre at www.vvvzk.nl.
And
while waiting for your plane at Schiphol Airport, there is more
to do than shopping or eating. The Rijks-museum Shop is located
between Areas E and F in the departure lounge. Upstairs, above
the shop, is a mini-museum whose theme changes every three months.
While you will not see any of the great masterpieces of Rembrandt,
you will see an assortment of paintings, etchings, drawings
and more from the collections of the renowned Rijksmuseum. It's
well worth some of your time, and the shop too is not the run-of-the-mill
airport money grab. If you have several hours to kill here,
the information desk can also arrange tours - watch for the
sign as you exit your arriving flight.
Ted and Judy van der Veen
Campbellville, ON
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