Featured Illustrated Dutch Bible (1657-1646)

Haarlem is a lovely town, I always enjoyed going there. We used to have relatives nearby.

St. Bavokerk or Grote Kerk.

Depends on the type of loft, sometimes ladders, other times steep stairs.

 

Yes,Sint-Bavokerk I'll see if i can post the pics we took from our roof patio.Haarlem Frans Hals Museum-very old embossed leather wallpaper and some of the most beautiful flower arrangements outside of Keukenhof.
That trip I learned to love Hals as much as Vermeer-his quick brush,the spontaneous capture of life and breath,you look at those ancient faces and realize our ancestors and ourselves are not so far apart.Much Dutch art of Hals time was definitely not staid or chained to religious rules-people shi**ng in the bushes and for******ng at the picnic-a great love of life !
P.S.-and everyone speaking better English than most gringos i know,just wish the Belgian beer was cheaper here.
P.S.S.-And the bells of the Kerk rang 24 hours a day,at first i used ear-plugs but then got somewhat used to it

 

It would be nice if everyone could borrow an original Hals or Vermeer or Caravaggio to hang in their living room for a week to acclimatize themselves to the immediate impact of great art.The 10 thousand nuanced colors and shades of the original...or just avoid the Mall or Tiktok for an hour and visit a Museum.