We made it to Haarlem yesterday after a long train trip. It was made even longer by a mysterious "logistical problem" that caused our train to be cancelled just as we crossed the border into Holland. So, that caused us to be about 45 minutes late.
Then, we had the great misfortune to be making our way to Amsterdam just as Ajax soccer team won some sort of championship. The fans' idea of celebrating involves setting off the emergency brake of the train, meaning no one can go anywhere (you're getting an idea of how strange Dutch people can be...I've been saying it for years.) ;-)
So, that happened THREE times. By the time we got to our rental in Haarlem it was around 8 PM! (We left Luebeck at 10:12 AM)
But this place is quite lovely- it's in a quiet, historic neighborhood in the center of Haarlem, about 10 minutes from the central marketplace on foot. The house itself is beautifully renovated and furnished in a very cool style- the owner's boyfriend, Barend, met us here and showed us around. He's a very friendly guy!
To my relief, so far no one has responded to me in English when I speak Dutch- that's a good sign! That means my accent hasn't gone down the tubes entirely!
By the time we had dinner it was 9 PM- we went to a small cafe right near the house, and were delighted to find a vegetarian option on the menu- we both had a delicious vegetable curry with chick peas. And this being Holland, it was served with fries! :-) Boy do they do a good french fry here!
We just had breakfast, and now we're off to The Hague to spend the day with Jim's friends Baher and Carla.
No comments:
Post a Comment