Spring Break Day 5: Haarlem

We decided to spend Easter Monday just enjoying the city of Haarlem where we were staying. We left the car parked and just walked around the city exploring the sights. Brian had left us some brochures that featured different historical sights to see including a self guided almshouse tour. The almshouses of Haarlem were established by charitable organizations to provide inexpensive housing for the elderly and the poor in the 1600s. Eighteen of the original 54 alms houses are still in use today and are still committed to providing cheap accommodation for elderly ladies of modest means. They look similar to small cottages attached to each other built around beautiful well maintained courtyards. We did another self guided tour of important landmarks including a working windmill, the Great Market square where we saw the St Bavo Church and Town Hall. Many of the streets are narrow and not meant for cars, so perfect for walking. You can see canals throughout the city as well. As you can see in the pictures, it was a rather dark day but it reminded us of so many Dutch paintings.

Brian's front door on a narrow street not meant for cars


Below are five of the almshouses we visited:











St Bavo Church on Great Market Square