Sunday, April 24, 2011

Wednesdy, April 20 -Gouda, Kinderdijk and Breda

While Gouda is known for its cheese, the name is usually mispronounced. It is "How-dah". Its marketplace is the largest in the world. They were getting ready for a major Passion concert for Easter and see can see the stage in the background. This building is the Stadhuis or Town Hall. The Gothic structure was built around 1450 and was originially surrounded by a moat. The statuates are counts and countesses of Burgundy.

This carillon on the side of the Town Hall plays music every half hour. The figures come out from behind the door and show figures acting out the granting of the town's charter in 1272.

Flat Stanleys in front of the entrance to the Stedelijk Museum. The building use to be a hospice or hospital.

This is the St. Janskerk, the longest church in Holland. While started in the 13th century, it was destroyed by fire in 1551.

Organ in St. Janskerk. We got to hear the organist play this  magnificent organ.

All but 3 of the 70 stain glass windows are from 1555 - 1603. The other 3 windows are called the Liberation Window which describe the horrors of World War II and the Netherland's liberation from the Nazis.

Flat Stanleys at Kinderdijk. These windmills were built in the 1700's to keep the land from flooding. People use to live in these windmills. Another use was for grinding flour and the miller lived in them. There are 19 windmills at Kinderdijk and is a World Heritge List of UNESCO.

We stayed ina traditional Dutch bedroom in Breda. The bed is in a large "closet"

This is the Spanjaardsgat.This is where the Dutch king signed documents selling New Amsterdam (New York) to the English were signed.

The boys couldn't figure out this phone in our room. The were no button or dial and you had to crank it.

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