Blogs from Gouda, South Holland, Netherlands, Europe

Well, today isn’t yesterday. After a shower, I walked barefoot outside, and the hard ridges on the grey weathered timber deck dug into my feet and transmitted an instant message to my brain; it was cold. The rest of my body soon caught on, so I’m now sitting outside, wearing all the warm clothes that I brought, drinking coffee that has gone cold sooner than it normally would, and eating that old Netherlander breakfast favourite , muesli. I’m pretty sure they’d really start the day with a cooked breakfast. The cold breeze coming off the lake has done a 180 degree turn, and is now at my side, creeping down the neck of my jacket. I’m not freezing, but I’m not cozy. Still, I will stay out here, because watching the shimmer of light on the ... read more

Gouda http://www.heygo.com Located between the Gouwe and Hollandse Ijssel rivers, Gouda can trace its roots back to the 12th century when peat-harvesting was the main economic activity. A canal was built in the 13th century linking the Gouwe with the Rhine river in the north. In addition, a harbour was constructed at the confluence of the Gouwe and Hollandse Ijssel rivers south of the settlement. This created an era of prosperity for the city as it became an important shipping route between Flanders and France, and the rest ofHolland. Today Gouda is best known for its cheese, stroopwafels (syrup waffles), its gorgeous 15th century Stadhuis (Old City Hall) and stunning Sint Jan (St. John) Church. Dedicated to John the Baptist, this impressive church stands in the centre of Gouda, constructed in the 15th century, the church ... read more

When in Haarlem we had an opportunity to meet and talk with a Dutch couple who were heading out at the same time we were in the direction of Gouda (the “Gou" is pronounced like the word “how”). He told us that we should stop at a museum that was right on the canal. He explained it was an old pumping system that had been converted into a museum. He also explained that it was one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century. This worked well into our schedule because there was a highway bridge that had a very restrictive opening time farther down the line so we had a few extra hours. Less than an hour of travel time in the canal we came upon the museum, you can't miss it – it ... read more

Saturday So as I write this it's still raining, or rather it's raining again. It stopped for a while last night but has rained steadily all day. We dropped our bags off on the barge, which really is nicely outfitted and then ventured out for one more walk through the city center where we promptly got soaked again. Perhaps we will get all the rain out of the way before we begin riding tomorrow. I realized I left out a few important reflections last night; most likely because I was nearly exhausted while I was writing. Here is a glimpse that defines the difference between the two of us: while we were eating in the Van Gogh Cafe I was talking about the paintings and the connections between some of what we had seen in the ... read more

July 21, 2011. My destination: Gouda city, The Netherlands. Event: Cheese market every last Thursday of June until August. Time: 10-12 noon. Coming from Amsterdam, a two-way train ticket costs €20 with a travel time of 55 miinutes. From The Hague, it costs €10 with a travel time of 18-25 minutes. From Den Haag centraal I bought a two-way train ticket to Gouda and waited until 8:38 am for the inter city train to arrive. At 8:56 am, I got off at Gouda train station. I went down the stairs of the platform where I got off, turned right and followed the sign centrum. Within 10 mins walk, I was in the city square. Upon crossing the bridge, there are lots of shops. There is a bakery called Bakker Bart, La Panini from V&D mall, etc. ... read more