The story started in 1837 when Willem ten Boom opened a small watch shop at the front of his family home in Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem. Ten Boom family was known to be devoted Christians, inspired to help their community and active in social work around town. Their corner property along…
Amsterdam
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Grandfather Clock by Maarten Baas
After witnessing two mesmerizing art performance clocks, I had to see the following: The Grandfather Clock đź“ŤRijksmuseum On display between rooms 0.5 and 0.6; ground floor corridor connecting the Middle Ages halls and the Asian Pavilion. A giant 2-metre modern grandfather clock in real-time featuring a man ‘trapped’ behind the…
Haarlem
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Haarlem Red Light District
UPDATED 02/05/2025 The unsuspected Haarlem Red Light District towards the end of this street at Begijnhof. It is a small cluster of operations around Waalse Kerk Haarlem or Walloon Church Haarlem. Yes, a real church! The undistinguished pink building with red lanterns hanging outside is Het Poortje, a brothel in…
Amsterdam
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Levend Paardenmuseum | The Living Horse Museum
For a century and a half, the elite of ‘Amsterdammers’ have been riding horses at this manège. The Hollandsche Manege is the oldest riding school in the Netherlands, dating back to 1744. It is located right in the center of Amsterdam, a stone’s throw from Leidseplein, adjacent to Vondelpark and…
Den Haag
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The Murder of the De Witt Brothers
As I walked aimlessly through the halls of Haags Historisch Museum / The Hague Historical Museum, a loud painting caught my eye. “The Murder of the De Witt Brothers”, by Pieter Frits, 1672. Scene one on the left, De Witt brothers dressed in black and white being dragged out of…
Amsterdam
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Mozes en Aäronkerk
Every time I go shopping for bric-a-brac at Amsterdam’s oldest flea market on Waterlooplein / Waterloo Square, I would always look up and wonder about this imposing two identical 30-meter-high towers corner building called Mozes en Aäronkerk / Moses and Aaron Church. It is unmistakably one of the iconic buildings…