Netherlands...Haarlem

My next stop was Haarlem. I won't make this a long post because I have got a little behind and want to catch up. I was only there for two nights and it is not a big town so to have basically two days with no museums (they are closed on Mondays) gave me plenty of time to explore and rest. My hotel was on the main square so while it was a pain to drag my suitcase there from the Hauptbahnhof, it was brilliant when I arrived. I just missed a jazz festival but they assured me it was a good thing because most of the residents had trouble sleeping because of the noise. I was surprised to find something so cheap in such a good location but it was because it was pretty basic which suited me because I was out most of the time. I did a self guided walking tour that only cost 1 euro. I know it was a good tour because I saw interesting things and only got lost once! It is a very pretty city with small cobbled streets and lovely houses and of course everyone riding around on bicycles. I met a range of different people - the first night I had dinner with a local and the second night had dinner with a couple from Queensland - which was fun. 

A highlight was visiting the Corrie ten Boom house on the last day of my stay. For those who don't know, her family hid various Jewish people during the war. It was fascinating to learn more about her and see the house. I have a photo below of me in the hiding place and I got to know a Canadian girl who was also doing the tour and we agreed that it was probably inappropriate to be smiling in the photo but then to look serious would look strange! I opted for smiling. 

By the end of my stay they had cleared the main square of all the Jazz Festival equipment and I loved seeing how big the square actually was and see all the tables and chairs spilling out into the square. Having the square cleared also highlighted how huge the cathedral is. It is also massive inside and at the end sits a big organ which Mozart played at the age of 10 when he was travelling through the town with his father (fun fact!).