Ride: 40km; total: 1,774km
8-13deg, with sunny patches.
I settled into the little inner-city studio apartment
where I'm able to cook for the first time on this trip. I was hanging out
for some steamed veggies. Had some chicken in scrambled eggs and banana
with plain Turkish yoghurt and coffee for breakfast.
What a great place Haarlem is; situated about 20km outside
Amsterdam, with a great town square, basilica, 1628 town hall and some
wonderful old buildings dating back to the 13th century. A number of
largish and small canals run through the town which adds to the charm. A very
active live performance city by the look of the entertainment venues and
theatres. I liked it better than both Rotterdam
and The Hague. Haarlem is the capital of the province
of North Holland, the northern half of
Holland, which at one time was the most powerful
of the seven provinces of the Dutch
Republic.
Haarlem lies
in the northern part of the Randstad, one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. The city
is located on the river Spaarne, about 20 km west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes. It has
been the historical centre of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and
bears the nickname 'Bloemenstad' (flower city), for this reason.
First up in the morning I went for a ride to check the route
to Amsterdam
for Sunday and followed the different canals for a while. Then it was
back to the unit to ditch the bike and walk the couple of 100m into the town
square where there was a great fresh food market on. I could not help
myself, the smell got to me so I bought some lovely freshly cooked fish pieces.
It was then off to the Malts Motel, who run the suites, to use their wifi.
Although info on Booking.com said there was wifi, it was at the motel not
the suites.
Went on a long walk to the Basilica which was closed for
renovations, but the outside was impressive.
As I already had some chicken for dinner, I only needed
fruit and yoghurt so got that at the supermarket and walked back to the suite.
Had a nice cup of Rooibos (supplied in the room) and a read of my book,
followed by a nap. Was woken by Wens who was in Hong Kong with another 3
hours before her flight to Amsterdam.
It will be fantastic to see her again.
Cathedral of St Bavo
Windmill de Adriaan - now a museum
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