To the surprise of all our friends, we never **stayed** overnight in Amsterdam. Instead we chose the laid-back city of Haarlem, a short 20 minute train ride away, as our base in the Netherlands.
Unconventional? Perhaps, but Haarlem turned out to be an excellent base for sightseeing around Amsterdam. First, our bed-and-breakfast was a short 5-minute-walk from the train station, saving us the time and expense of transferring through Amsterdam’s tram/metro network upon arrival and departure. Secondly, there are excellent connections to Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, and onward to our next destination of Kinderdijk/Rotterdam. Thirdly, Haarlem is such a charming place that we would have visited on a day-trip anyway had we chosen to stay in Amsterdam. And on top of all this, where in Amsterdam would you find a quality double room for 80 Euros per night in high season, including a filling Dutch breakfast, within walking distance of the train station?
Haarlem is also a smaller, relaxed and arguably more pleasant city to stay in. Say goodbye to tram noises and tourist crowds -- in fact we hadn't seen any organized tour groups in Haarlem during our stay. And its historical centre, while small enough to be explored on foot, has enough attractions to keep the avid sightseer occupied for a good full day, especially on market days.
We arrived on a Saturday afternoon for the lively open-air market in the town square, held twice weekly on Monday afternoons and Saturdays. None of those tacky keychains and wooden clogs here -- all you’ll find are groceries and authentic Dutch treats targeting local shoppers. Think handcrafted cheeses from Alkmaar and beyond, crunchy Tijgerbrood bread, organic local produce and fresh cut flowers. A healthy dose of local flavors under the shadow of the imposing Grote Kerk.
And here is our favorite culinary discovery in the Netherlands -- a neighborhood fish vendor known as Vishandel Jak. Previously I had only seen the Hollandse Nieuwe, or Dutch Soused Herring, on TV, where personalities like Rick Steves would grimace at the mere first bite of this legendarily intimidating delicacy. But as an avid Sashimi fan, I was ready to sample the authentic local flavors of yet another seafaring nation.
And it was intimidating at the first bite -- I can only describe the texture as a soft but firm flesh coated with a very thin layer of ... slime? But once you get past the squishiness of the flesh, it's simply great, great raw fish. Though the fish had been brined and marinated for at least a couple days, somewhat similar in principle to Kyoto’s Saba-zushi, it tasted amazingly without any fishiness or excess saltiness. It was just tender, soft and refreshing, and went exceptionally well with the chopped onions provided.
I originally ordered some Kibbeling, a Dutch version of deep-fried fish nuggets, in case the herrings didn’t please my wife’s tastebuds. That turned out to be entirely unnecessary as she probably loved the herrings more than I did. The Kibbeling, and the accompanied garlic mayo, turned out quite good though and served well as a late lunch as we wandered the open-air market.
And how could we leave the market without some fresh Stroopwafel? At 1 Euro for a gigantic waffle this was the perfect street snack for kids and young-at-hearts alike.
Bill for Two Persons
| Hollandse Nieuwe | 2.35 Euros |
| Kibbeling with Garlic Mayo | 2.70 Euros |
| Stroopwafel | 1 Euro |
| Croissant with Ham and Cheese | 1.4 Euro |
| TOTAL | 7.45 Euros (CAD$10.4) |
We ended up skipping the interior of the Grote Kerk as we hurried off to see Teyler’s Museum in the mid afternoon. Haarlem’s is just full of historical treasures that would take a couple days just to scratch the surface. Just the side streets of the historic centre were nice enough to wander for a day.
The main sight of the day was the only authentic 18th Century museum in the world, and Haarlem's stake on UNESCO's tentative list of World Heritages. The 230-years-old Oval Room at Teylers Museum is just as impressive as anything in its rambling collection of rare treasures.
The whole museum has a odd nostalgic atmosphere ... like walking into a laboratory in Isaac Newton's era. Many of the best exhibits aren't even behind glass cabinets, including the 18th Century celestial globes and archaic apparati for various physics experimentation.
We also happened to stumble upon someone's big day -- what a grand backdrop for wedding photos! I would love to send this photo to the lucky couple, though I'll have to leave this to chance.
A pleasant stroll along the picturesque riverfront connected Teylers Museum to Haarlem's most recognizable landmark. The De Adriaan windmill on the shore of the Spaane has been rebuilt according to the original functionality of the one burned down 70 years prior, and can still function as a flour mill.
On the way back to our B&B we also stopped by one of Haarlem's famous Hofjes, remnants of social housing established in the late medieval age. Pictured is one of the youngest, dating from only 1769.
For dinner we consulted the locals and found perhaps the best value restaurant in Haarlem. It was such an anonymous-looking place that we would have never discovered by ourselves -- dark, barely any store signs, and no menus displayed outside. On this evening we were likely the only non-locals inside this small neighborhood eatery known as Eet/Biercafe Bruxelles.
This is the place for great deals in a sit-down restaurant, if such a thing exists in the Netherlands. Everyday they put up two specials: a Daghap (dish of the day) for about 8 Euros, and an even cheaper "6 Euro Hap." You're probably having the same worries about the food quality as I did, but things turned out real well as we'll see.
But first we started with something not on the discount menu. My wife wanted some homey soup after the long flight, and my knowledge of Dutch was barely enough to spot Uiensoep on the menu (no English menu, but the waitresses could translate to a degree). While we came in with no expectations, this French onion soup for 4.5 Euros turned out surprisingly well with deep meaty flavors, good cheese (this is Holland after all) and an enormous amount of browned onions simmering underneath. We're starting to see why this place is a local favorite.
Then came the mysterious Daphap, a "Kipfilet" which came as a gigantic slab of breaded chicken breast larger than my face, with a side of green salad and a small bowl of Belgian frites. The crunchy frites were actually better than the nondescript chicken, but who can complain about the rock bottom price of 7.95 Euros?
But the distinction of best dish belonged to the unbelievably cheap "6 Euro Hap", which was a seafood lasagne on this day. Smothered under the rich savory sauces was a generous heap of fresh veggies, prawns, salmon and scallops. But the big surprise was ... the flavors were absolutely perfect! I don't think I can get seafood lasagne of this quality in Canada for at least 2.5 times this price.
Now you can see why this place is such a good deal. One could easily order the 6 Euro Hap and a beer and get a decent sit-down dinner for less than 10 Euros. Our meal ended up around 25 Euros before tips, even after a soup and two Lindeboom beers.
Bill for Two Persons
| Daghap | 7.95 Euros |
| 6 Euro Hap | 6 Euros |
| Uiensoep | 4.5 Euros |
| Lindeboom Gouverneur Blonde | 3.5 Euros |
| Lindeboom Gouverneur Brune | 3.5 Euros |
| TOTAL before tips | 25.45 Euros (CAD$35.6) |
We spent two days in this pleasant small city, exploring its quiet canals and nameless squares. Our base here was Bed and Breakfast Mya, a neat little B&B in a historic (mid 1800's) row house run by a friendly local couple. Our room wasn't huge, but did come with a recently renovated bathroom and French doors that opened to a little courtyard. The kitchen was free for guests to use of course.
The room price also came with a huge breakfast of sliced ham and local cheeses (Oude Kaas!), muesli, boiled egg, hand squeezed orange juice, and filling Dutch bread. The best thing about this B&B though was its location -- a 5 minute walk from Haarlem Station, and a 5 minute walk to the Grote Kerk at the historic heart of town. If we ever end up in Haarlem again, this is exactly where we would like to stay.
