Seeing Haarlem, Netherlands

After leaving the Ten Boom home, we wandered down the street to a large cathedral calledc St. Bavo’s, Haarlem. Haarlem is the name of the town and it is actually the town the Ten Boom family’s home is in.

The original part of the church was damaged by fire in the 1300’s but in the 1500’s the church became what you see now.

It began as a Catholilc Church but became Protestant in 1578.

This organ is called the Christian Muller organ and has 5068 pipes. The longest pipe is 32 feet.

In 1766 Mozart, who was 10 years old at the time, played this organ and Handel also played this organ.

Would that be Russell there on the right trying a door?

I do believe it is! The lure of a closed door was too much to resist.

Frans Hals is buried in the church. He was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter who lived from 1582-1666.

I found this painting of his online at WikiArt.

Scenes of Haarlem, Netherlands.

The cheese in the Netherlands (Holland) is quite inexpensive and very very good. I don’t remember ever having cheese as tasty as what I sampled here.

And they know how to make the most beautiful of breads – to go along with that cheese, you know!

We left the town of Haarlem and started driving.

And I promise I’ll finish up our time in Holland next time. 🙂