The Bavokerk in Haarlem
Today I went to the main city for the Organ Festival, Haarlem. This may very well be the coolest place in the world!! There's shopping, organs, cafes, restaurants, fashion, art, and everything! The city center is massive.. maybe twice the size of all downtown Detroit. The city is also dominated by the huge Bavokerk. I have never seen a church this large!
I went inside and saw the world-famous organ. I wasn't at all prepared for that.. It's long been my favorite facade (the visible pipes), but I never understood the scale of it. Many organs are built to appear imposing, but may in fact be not very large. That was not the case with this one! I would estimate that the pipes you see on the Positif (the smaller set of pipes in front) are larger than a man. Then compare those to the pedal tower pipes...
A bit of history on the organ for you....
There was also a cute little organ in the church. That balcony is maybe wide enough for two people.
After that, I went walking around the city looking at shops. Some shops were very expensive, and some were more reasonably priced. I ate lunch at a small cafe. I still don't get how to visit a restaurant in Europe... I ate a croissant with a raspberry-orange smoothie. I also may have figured out how to use the trains in Holland! I think it's quite easy, if it works the way I think it does.
Now I'm going to go back to Haarlem, after having stopped back at Heemstede (5 minute train ride) to update my blog. I'm going to hear the Improvisation Competition at the Bavokerk and find a traditional Dutch dinner! Check back often!
A picture for my friend Jennifer
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