Had to rest up in Haarlem, with my respiratory and immune systems going a bit crazy. Stocked up on meds from a local GP. Did a bit of supermarket shopping for fruit and cup-a-soup. Drove myself around appreciating various neighbourhoods, especially those flanking the delightful meandering Spaarne river. Once a major North Sea trading port surrounded by a defensive wall, Haarlem retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets and gabled houses. Famous for its outlying tulip fields, art museums and hofjes (almhouses built around leafy courtyards).

I came across Hofje van Noblet in a walk from my hotel…20 little houses were built on the property in 1761 from the legacy of Leonard Noblet and his sisters. 10 for women from Haarlem on the east side of the hof, and 10 women from Amsterdam, on the west-side. And they still serve an accommodation function for single women – have to be at least 50 yrs old, and a member of the Dutch Reformed church.

Came across the beautiful Kenaupark – lovely area with stately homes, lots of interconnecting bike paths, and a kindergarten with an awesome walkway built over a canal.

A short visit to the Cathedral to appreciate the amazing leadlight; formidable 19thC statue building entrance architecture; the canal reflections – of the last remaining city gate (of 12) built in the 14thC; floating cafes at the river’s edge.

Had to visit the Dutch Cheese Museum in Alkmaar, as you do, and learn all about the history of gouda and edam cheese production, farming culture and dairy trade. The museum is in the historic ‘weighing house’, at the river’s edge. Fun facts – cheese-making has been around for at least 7,000 years; travellers from Asia brought their technique of cheese making to Europe before the Roman Empire; the recipe for gouda dates back to 17thC; 10 litres of cow’s (9.5 litres goat’s and 6 litres of sheep’s) milk makes 1 kilo of cheese; the Dutch eat an average 17 kilos of cheese each year (Aussies 12.5 kilos)… and produces 800 million kilos of cheese a year.

I drove to see the impressive Zaanse Schans collection of historical windmills, but as I arrived, noticed the BUSLOADS of people, and honestly didn’t have the energy to find a park and walk however many kms to the site. Tulips were beckoning. (Thank you to Paulo Gallo for this next image).

Well 46 kms further south, I pulled into the vast carpark No 1 of the Keukenhof estate, had a visual of one of the entrance gates to the temporary tulip exhibition park and thought, ‘this is doable’. There’s a 17thC castle and 200 hectares of property, with the spring-flowering bulbs occupying a relatively small area of the estate, but what a lucrative business – 1.4 million visitors during its 8 week season, some 25,000 people a day, with 80% of visitors being international. Despite the crowds, had a lovely time wandering and surveying the brilliant varieties and colour combinations.