A spot of culture

In contrast to our frustrating day in Utrecht a week or so ago, today in Haarlem was thoroughly satisfactory. To begin with, no-one came to ask for a fee for mooring, so we didn’t pay anything. Always a plus. Then our three expeditions proved uniformly satisfying. First we set off to inspect the last remaining city gate, the Amsterdam gate. The city walls are no more, but this gives an idea of what they must have been like. From the inside:

And from the outside:

There was a piece of art close by, which we photographed without really appreciating the significance:

Then we headed off to the Teylers museum, which is in fact very close to where we were moored. The museum is the oldest in Holland, and preserved in much the same state as when it was founded.

Lots of dinosaur bones and fossils, shells and teeth, but also masses of early scientific instruments:

The central hall reminded Diana of Trinity College Dublin, and it is certainly impressive:

They also have an extensive collection of prints, which they exhibit in rotation, and at the moment it is a show of Hogarth: Marriage à la mode, Rake’s progress, and lots of political satire. Interesting to be reminded that the British were referring to the French as grenouilles even back then.

After Teylers, we pressed on towards the museum dedicated to Franz Hals – Haarlem’s most famous son. On the way we paused to sort out our internet problem yet again – yesterday’s triumph was short-lived. Apparently Vodafone Holland are unable to handle foreign credit cards – French, English and American all rejected!

Opposite the museum we came across this carved lintel:

Not clear whether the central figure is being carried into the Gasthuis, or out, after presumably catching some unmentionable ailment. Intriguing.

The museum itself is housed in a former almshouse:

While it does not have a vast number of Hals’s individual portraits, it has a splendid collection of the group portraits – usually groups of men having a good time at dinner:

The building incorporates some of the old almshouses, and also the original pharmacy:

And it is set around a peaceful courtyard, where you can observe an eager but exhausted culture vulture resting his weary limbs: 

After all of that we returned to the boat for lunch and a little refreshment, than headed off further north, eventually stopping at a marina – not sure where we are, but it is friendly and has WiFi and sells diesel, which is good, though it does seem to be under a Schiphol flight path. Tomorrow probably Zaandam.