Since 2022 we have spent some time cruising with James, Julie and Colin on their boat Mimosa. Sadly all good things have to end. With James and Julie having now sold their boat we decided to head south from Amsterdam with them back to Haarlem, Leiden and Gouda. This was our last fling and the fun did not pale in the light of past memories.

So even though we were travelling through towns visited many times before, there is always something new to discover.

First stop was Haarlem. David and Helen Grodski would remember the lovely redhead girl with her delightful 3 month old daughter, who sported the same colouring. She directed us to visit the Huis Barnaart so with apologies to our previous guests, we finally made it! This house as well as the Bartolotti House that we visited in Amsterdam is run by the Hendrick Keyser Association. It was established as a private initiative in 1918 by a group of Amsterdam citizens. Its aim was to preserve the outstanding historical heritage of the city. Named after a leading 17th century sculptor it was soon active across the Netherlands with the mission to to take care of architecturally or historically important buildings. Pity we don’t have something similar in Australia. But tell me if you think we do, and I will join immediately.

So back to the house. Built by a wealthy merchant in 1805 it has one of the best preserved empire design interiors in the Netherlands. Built as a party house, it entertained high end visitors including Emperor Napoleon. The sad reality is that although the house was built for 400,000 guilders, (about $4 million USD today,) it sold when he owner died for only 16,000 guilders. Quite a discount!

This house was a highlight of our trip to Haarlem. Visits to other monuments in the city included the prison (no we were not arrested), and the JansKerk (the oldest church in Haarlem, now an archive, where you can research your family history).

From Haarlem we made our way down the canal to the city of Leiden. One of my favourite stops, this city was birth place of Rembrandt and the site of country’s oldest university. With sunny days we could spend more time exploring the highlights. Now here’s something new that I have discovered. When I arrive in a town or city first stop is always the tourist office to pick up the town map and find out what the local attractions are. For example”is there a market today?”. Most tourist information also provide self guided walking tour booklets in English, that can be purchased for a very small sum. So while you wander not only can you admire the monuments, but also discover a bit of the history

So booklet in hand off we went on our city walking tour of Leiden

The Burcht was a man made hill dating from the 9th century which provided a refuge for people and their livestock against any attackers. The stone structure was built in the 12th century.

Not only did we walk the streets but also visited a number of historical sites

The National Museum of Antiquities includes displays form ancient Egypt,Greece, Rome and the early Netherlands.

But our journey through time didn’t stop there. The next city walk we embarked on was the courtyards of Leiden. ‘Hofjies” or alms houses with courtyards that were built by well to do citizens who wanted to do good for the city and are a perfect example of social care in the Middle Ages. Residents could live there for nothing and were often provided with food and clothing. A pump in the courtyard was the water source and each facility had 2 pumps, one for rain water and one for ground water. Drinking water was from the rain water pump, as the ground water was often polluted.

Our 2 nights in Leiden had turned into 4 nights, as we discovered there would be bridge closures due to a NATO meeting being held in Den Haag. It was also an easy exit for Helen to catch the train to Amsterdam and then onto London on the Eurostar.

After farewelling Helen we made our way back to Gouda. This would be where we would farewell James and Julie for the last time, as they headed south, while we made our way north.