Gouda...

I check with one of the rail attendants at Station Hollands Spoor about the correct platform for the train to Gouda. I say 'Gooda', like a good New Zealander, from the front of my mouth. She looks at me and makes a sound I recognise from China - of someone drawing it up and preparing to spit. I just don't know how to write it phonetically. It's a bit like the 'ch' in the Scottish 'loch', delivered right at the back of the throat, gutturally. I make a pathetic mumble and look at the attendant apologetically. I like it that they at least try it correct my pronounciation. I grew up with Dad trying his hardest, on a daily basis, to eliminate my New Zealand accent - it never worked.

Anyway Gouda, of the cheese and the spit is charming. The old town is bounded on all sides by water. The old buildings, both the grand and the humble, are splendidly preserved and a significant number seem to date from the 15th and 16th centuries (with periodic restorations, additions etc). Today (Saturday) there was a market filling the open area in the town centre. On this old map of Gouda it is that empty area around the Stadthuis...

Because of the market I couldn't get a good photo of the stunning Stadthuis so I have borrowed someone else's.

Other random shots from around Gouda...

Entrance to the Gouda Museum

Clock on the Stadthuis with moving figures

Stained glass in St Janskerk

And, finally, a preview of the next post...

A day in Delft...

Delft is about 15 minutes by tram from Rijswijk. I spent several hours there the other day and the best way to 'describe' it is through a selections of photos...

Tower of the Oude Kerk (13thC) - yes that lean is for real!

Along the canals...

Stained glass in Oude Kerk...

Vermeer's memorial stone

Hehe - Burberry!

Above the entrance to a school

A Delft downpour - the awnings cover stalls in the antique market

Stadthuis (Town Hall)

It is worth stating the obvious however - that the camera lies. It is so easy and seductive to photograph the picturesque, the traditional vision of Delft (or The Netherlands in general) that we all subscribe to. Beyond these selected shots lie the the outskirts, the industrial areas, the visually 'unappealing' aspects of city life. There is an extent to which the tourist industry is one big lie - and I need to be more mindful of this in the blog...

Den Haag - buildings and art...

Well the last two days I have seen a little of Den Haag. Already so much I could write...


Wednesday, my first full day after Lauren and Merel's departure, I decided to visit the Gemeentemuseum, the main art museum in the city. A tram and then bus ride from Rijswijk across Den Haag to this surprising building...

Het Gemeentemuseum

Surprising (to me) because, although it looks 'modern', it was in fact built in 1931-35, designed by the Dutch architect Berlage. (An aside - I am constantly surprised at how modern 'modernist architecture' still looks, as though we are yet to experience a real architectural sea-change). The museum houses the largest collection of Mondrian/De Stijl artworks in the world and I spent some time with this collection learning more about its philosophy and practices. It was interesting to see Mondrian's early and very conventional - though quite lovely - paintings and his progression towards abstraction. (There is also a strong De Stijl influence in the interior design of the building). 


Then to the 'old masters' rehoused from the Mauritshuis (the Royal Picture Gallery) as it undergoes restoration. Although it loses much in reproduction, the Holbein portrait below arrested me. Such a strong, verging on slightly cruel, face and such a gentle, protective gesture in relation to the bird.

Hans Holbein the Younger - Portrait of Robert Cheesman (1485 - 1547)

From the Gemeentemuseum, back into the city centre to find the tourist information area housed, I discovered, next to the library in this building (only a very small proportion of which is shown in the photo)...

Stadthuis, Den Haag, designed by American architect Richard Meier

While I'm not sure the building did much for me (and yes, I probably have to modify my previous statement about modernist architecture - this is qualitatively different from the Berlange), I love contrasts and surprises and as I ventured further into the interior of the Stadthuis (the equivalent of our City Council I think) I discovered an unexpected display about the work of Isaac Israels. I knew the name but no more, and have subsequently found that there is a city-wide exhibition of his paintings across five different locations. More of this in another post...


Despite the photo above, Den Haag is overwhelmingly a city of brown brick buildings. I don't recall being in a city of so much brick;  the brownstones in Boston come to mind, but here it is the monumental as well as the residential buildings that are in brick. I assume little wood or stone was available.


Another surprise - there seem to be few tourists. The museums are relatively quiet, and what one would expect to be tourist 'hotspots' aren't. Nice :-)