Exploring the old city of Gouda

28 May 2022.

Although we missed the weekly Thursday cheese market in Gouda the general market has been in full swing and Saturday generated a large crowd.  We had hoped to see a bit more of it than we did when we schlepped our bags through it yesterday and we were not disappointed. 

After breakfast in the hotel we walked across the street and stepped into a lovely tiny park between Saint John's church and our hotel. The sign read Tuin van het (garden of) Willem Vroesenhuys but below it was another sign informing the passerby that the philosopher and theologian Erasmus was born in Gouda where he lived for a number of years and attended the nearby church of Saint John.

The tiny, old canals that wend their way through and around the neighborhoods make this one of Gouda's more interesting features.

Just a few meters away from our hotel was the Museum of Gouda. Susie wanted to check on the museum cafe and their "high" teas options. (We learned later that the cafe is owned by the same couple who own the hotel where we are staying.)

entrance to the museum

Having the info on the teas in hand, we left the museum cafe and made our way to Sint-Janskerk. After paying the entrance fee and picking up an audio guide we enjoyed the next hour or so learning about the various panels and altarpieces that once decorated the church. I was also struck by the large number of ledger stones, most of them with eyelets for hooks to lift them up -- a unique feature in my limited experience.

Originally a Roman Catholic church, it became Protestant in the 16th century and has remained so ever since. Its congregational layout reflects that Protestant orientation.

pipe organ

Our ticket also included the Museum of Gouda where we ended our tour. 

We then walked over to the main market square, dominated by the old city hall, and drifted every which way among the waves of tourists and locals striving to find just the right thing to buy. . . Food, fruits, cheese of course, vendors selling just nuts, sweets, sausages, and clothes, lots of clothes along with trinkets, souvenirs, and just general bric-a-brac.

Our specific goal was to find the tourist information office. Located at the edge of the market we popped in and bought two tickets for the last canal cruise of the day. (The cruises wouldn't resume until the following Thursday, by which time we would be long gone.)

With directions in hand for where to pick up the boat, we thought to check it out since it was a short walk away from the center part of town. We passed along a part of the city canal system that, unbeknownst to us, we would be traveling on later that afternoon.

After our dry run we returned to our room and relaxed until it was time to head for the boat. 

There were only eight of us tourists on the boat and we had a most enjoyable hour or so on the water. The crew consisted of two men, well into their golden years. 

The man at the controls was a retired Gouda policeman who was enjoying life and having fun at the tiller of a canal boat. 

The other fellow, whose background we never did get, was our guide; he explained things in Dutch for the other six passengers and kindly repeated nearly everything in English for our benefit. He was engaging, funny and incredibly passionate about Gouda history.

the start of the cruise 

Warning! The following video clips are intended for serious canal buffs. As always, viewer discretion is advised.

The man carrying a donkey.

apparently part of the Gouda Cheese Experience is riding a little boat on one of the canals

nearing our final destination

leaving the boat

It was a short 5-minute walk back to our hotel. We grabbed a spot in the courtyard and enjoyed an aperitif, taking in the sun and listening to Norah Jones in the background.

We had some time to kill before dinner so off we went strolling the neighborhood once again, passing a  Raoul Wallenberg plantsoen (park). The inscription above the arched doorway reads:

Gy allen die voorby gaat aanschouwt toch en ziet of er een smart is gelyk aan de smart die my getroffen heeft

"Look, all you who pass by, and see if there is a sorrow like the sorrow that afflicted me" Lamentations 1-12.

Nearby is t-Kaaswinkeltje, one of the more well-known Gouda cheese shops in town. . . Unfortunately, they've been closed every time we've walked by. We hope to change that next week.

Down one of the many tiny alleyways is Bij Ons, one restaurant we tried to get into without success. The restaurant scene in Gouda appears to be busy, busy, busy. We'll try again next week.

The main market square is ringed with restaurants seemingly occupied by locals and tourists alike.

But for us, it was back to Chaplin's for another dinner -- this time Susie got to watch the kitchen choreography. And this time I had the mustard soup and . . . .

Tournedos in a Madeira sauce

Susan went for a fish option . . . .

Grilled redfish in a crayfish sauce

Supper was another relaxed affair but not just for us. In the two-and-a-half hours we were there only one other table left the restaurant. 

Sunday we intend to stay low-key, feeling generally tired as a result of our itinerant life style these past weeks. In any event, many shops are closed on Sunday throughout the city so we may just stroll a bit, get some fresh air and otherwise hang around the hotel.