Gouda- More Than Cheese

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Geo: 52.0167, 4.70833

It was a much better day for cycling today. Although still windy, it did not rain and at times the sun appeared. Our destination was Gouda. The ride was very picturesque, through the countryside and along the canals. We saw several farms raising cattle, sheep, and even alpacas. Most of the land is covered with grass for the animals to feed on since not much else will grow in the clay type soil which contains a lot of salt from the sea. Many of the homes along the way were beautifully landscaped with very unique styles.

We arrived in Gouda a little after noon which gave us plenty of time to explore the city. After checking in at our home for the night we went out for a snack. We chose a bakery with scrumptious dessert and chocolate candies. We had a whipped cream dessert with raspberry filling an apple strudel along with coffee and tea. Delicious!

We walked to the Markt Square. All of the historic sights are within walking distance. In the square we

saw the Town Hall which dominates the square. The Town Hall also has a carillon which provides music

every half hour for two minutes. Today it houses a magnificent wedding room, the mayor's office and council chamber. All around the square are shops, cafes and restaurants.

Sint-Janskerk was our next stop. It is the longest church in the Netherlands. The church has 72 stained glass windows known as Gouda Glass. From the outside the windows look dark, almost black, but once inside you see their true beauty. They were mainly made in the 16th century and depict historical and Biblical events.

Of course you couldn't be in Gouda and not stop at the Gouda Cheese Market which we did and also at 't Kaaswinkeltje which is a shop that exclusively sells farmhouse cheese. It is not pasturised , a feature

that preserves its special taste. Because only a limited production of farmhouse cheese is possible it is not available for export.

Strolling through these old historic cities takes you back in time. There is always something to stop and see and admire. An afternoon is hardly enough time but you try to cover as much as possible.

Dinner tonight was at Kamphuisen which was recommended by our hotel owner. It proved again to be good advice. They always recommend places visited by more locals than tourists. We each had the white fish with a basil sauce along with some stir fried vegetable and French fries. It was excellent.

Before returning to our hotel we took another stroll around the Markt Square which by now was quite empty. Most of these shops close up by 5 or 6 o'clock and the streets which were very busy in the afternoon are all quiet.

That stroll through the now quiet square was a wonderful way to end the day in Gouda.

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Photos

Markt
Town Hall

Comments

[Chris]

Beautiful pictures of Gouda. Is the St. Sint Janskerk church Catholic? You are really packing in a lot of interesting sights.

[Chris]

hello A. Linda, thanks for sharing your travels