Friday 10 – Monday 13 November
The crew had found me a great spot in central Haarlem, on the River Spaarne, away from land noise like busy roads and railway bridges (which were just around the bend), with just enough passing traffic to stop me feeling lonely while they went off ‘touristing’ this beautiful city: an occasional barge carrying a variety of loads, the odd brave yacht unwilling to call an end to the sailing season, rowers, kayaks and paddleboarders, and a couple of trip boats carrying a few hardy passengers.
We had just about every kind of weather over those few days: windy gusts and flat calms, sunny spells and raging hailstorms. In between showers, my people strolled the city streets, dodging bicycles and soaking up the atmosphere. They visited the Grote Kerk of St Bavo, during a second-hand book sale, which didn’t enhance any sacred atmosphere the church may usually exude. They were able to marvel at the enormous organ that fills the West end of the interior with pipes soaring to the roof. It has known the hands of Mendelssohn, Handel and the ten-year-old Mozart, but was silent during their visit. They wandered through the bustling Saturday market in the main square, and found a selection of interesting shops and the organic street market around the Botermarkt on Friday.
For Mate especially, one of the highlights was a tour of Corrie ten Boom House, now a small and very evocative museum. During the Nazi occupation of Holland during the Second World War, the devout Christian ten Boom family sheltered Jews and worked with the Dutch Resistance to transfer them to places of safety. Corrie’s story is a powerful witness to her faith. The only member of her family to survive a German concentration camp, she wrote a number of books about her life and work, living to celebrate her 91st birthday in 1983.