BE A HAARLEM GLOBETROTTER
It features not just his grand work but also remarkable still life paintings that could almost be photographs, and a collection of modern art.
Anyone who thinks museums are boring can’t have been to the wonderful Teylers Museum, on the canal front, whose world-wide collection of curiosities and treasures range from fossils and specimens to Leonardo da Vinci drawings and an electricity-generating contraption that looks like it came straight off a Frankenstein set.
Said to be the world’s bestpreserved 18th century public knowledge institution for arts and sciences, Teylers rightly calls itself ‘a museum of wonder’.
In the company of guide Annelise Hoogland, we also got to see its upper library of vellum-bound volumes and a lecture hall where Einstein was once among those listening to the latest scientific thinking.
Haarlem is perfect for a minibreak, we thought as we joined the throng for lunch at the busy central Hofje café, while a beer-matched meal at Jopenkirk Brewery proved a highlight of the trip.
The city has a long history of brewing and the pairing of ales with a fine dining menu was a revelation.
Too soon it was time to head home. But in this case the journey is very much part of the holiday and we had plenty more to explore – and time to do it – during our return on board Princess Seaways, the sister ship to King Seaways which alternates on the route (and has everything but the commodore private lounge).
The word ‘ferry’ doesn’t do them justice. Operator DFDS describes them as cruise ferries which gives a better idea of facilities which include a cinema, casino, shops, games area and children’s activities such as North Sea wildlife spotting.
We dined in the extra-smart North Sea Bistro on the return leg, having sampled the buffet delights of the Explorers restaurant on the way out – where I ate herring and salmon en croute and found it hard not to be greedy given its array of quality worldwide cuisine.
Passengers get a discount if they pre-book meals and I imagine the latter, with its please-all options ranging from vegetarian to hot dogs, can become packed. But staff keep everything topped up, constantly replacing and replenishing.
By mid-evening, the bars and live entertainment were in full flow and, struggling to find a seat in the club area, we found a sedate environment in the lower deck Compass Bar.
And that’s the joy of the trip. If you seek them out, you will find areas to suit all moods. As the clubbers were working up their appetite for breakfast we were treating ourselves to a glass of champagne in the most relaxing of surroundings.
Haarlem, as it turned out, wasn’t the only surprise of our trip.