Hanging Out In Haarlem -- Outside of Amsterdam

 

Why Haarlem?

Just sitting next to one of Haarlem's
many canals is a pleasant afternoon break

The first thought when you’re planning your trip to the Netherlands is staying in Amsterdam.   

While we wanted to see Amsterdam, on a day-to-day basis we are much more comfortable in a smaller town.  We didn’t plan to rent a car, but we did want to visit several towns outside of Amsterdam so finding a home base near a train station was important. 

After a bit of research Haarlem seemed to be the answer.  Twenty minutes by train from the station in the center of Amsterdam, Haarlem has a charming old town, lots of shopping, and plenty of restaurants but smaller crowds and a more compact center.

While there are hotels in the center, we ended up renting a small house right on a canal from an Airbnb host.  The little two-story townhouse was perfect for us as a couple.  Downstairs there was a small but fully equipped kitchen and living room with a large sliding door that looked out to the canal.  Upstairs was a nice size bedroom with a large comfortable bed and a sleek bathroom that included laundry facilities.

The location was perfect:  a ten-minute walk to the train station, a four-minute walk to a nice grocery store, and a six-minute walk to the historic town square with the cathedral surrounded by cafes and restaurants with both inside and outside service.

Haarlem's old town square on a quiet morning

 

On the side of the cathedral
shops have been added over the years

 

This canal house was just down the
street from our airbnb

It’s interesting that when you visit other countries what seems ordinary or common place to the resident is fascinating to the visitor.  For us, a simple walk along some of the side canals was a time to observe all the different canal side houses.  We were amazed at how irregular the older buildings were.  Upper stories leaned out at strange angles over the bottom stories.  Windows weren’t in a straight row but inches higher or lower that their mates.  In some cases, it seemed a wonder that the building was still standing!  Just down the street from our temporary Haarlem home was a house dated back to 1692.  Things must get out of true after 300 years or so.

The door proclaimed the house was built in 1692

 

Like Amsterdam Haarlem had its own red-light district.   We found it around the corner from our canal house.  We knew it was the red-light district because there was a building with a light that was, well, red.  Other than that light shining at night the area seemed very low key and quiet.

And, like Amsterdam and probably every town in the Netherlands, Haarlem had its coffee shops.  You have to learn the difference between a coffee shop and a koffiehuis.  The coffee shop is where you can buy a coffee AND a joint.  The koffiehuis just has the coffee.  We visited several coffee shops in Haarlem.  One that was close to the historic square had two outside tables and good internet service.  I know this because I am terribly sensitive to all kinds of smoke, so I was happy to sit at the outside table and download books to my kindle while my significant other sampled some of the wares.  

Haarlem's windmill