Netherlands/Berlin Trip - Alkmaar      16th July:

House of Spades (Inset: Baker's Spades in the Lower Centre of the Building)

    The chap who had directed us to the harbour master's office yesterday was quite right, this morning was definitely brighter.
    As Rex and I sat in the cockpit sipping the first coffee of the day we watched smartly dressed people going off to work. This city certainly seemed to be affluent, and so it should be since the outskirts were awash with industry.
    My mind temporarily flipped back to an era when I used to be up in the mornings and dashing off to work in smart dress, but my daydream didn't linger long, I was enjoying retirement. I was snapped out of this idle thought process by the appearance of a different harbour master, a jovial young chap, casually cycling around just making sure the boats moored up had tickets displayed in their windows. We exchanged hearty greetings in Dutch as he cycled by. Fifteen minutes later he reappeared, this time making sure how up-to-date the tickets were. "You have two days to go," he chortled across to us. "Yes, time enough for you to buy us a beer," I shouted back. He saw the funny side, and cycled of laughing down to the next boat along the quay.

Huis Met de Kogel (Inset: 1573 Canon Ball in the Top Left Handside of the Building)

    Meryl drummed up a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs on toast, followed by lashings of her superb homemade marmalade served up on more toast. That set us up nicely for the day, some serious marching was coming up.
    Sipping yet more coffee (my carers try desperately to make sure I drink enough liquids), we watched a number of boats leave the Luttik Oudorp at 9am; was it something we said, or did they object to my towel pegged out to dry on the guard rail?
    The bewitching hour of 10am approached when the tourist information office would open in the Waagplein. The young chap there was quite helpful, and soon we were off on a punishing route march around the oval shaped old-city, me clutching a self-guided walking tour.
    The earliest known reference to the town was recorded in the 900's. The little village grew and became wealthier through trade and agriculture, and in 1254 it was eventually granted a charter to become a city. The oldest part of Alkmaar lies on an ancient sand bank that afforded some protection from inundation during medieval times, though the city was always in a slightly precarious place, being only a few feet above the sea, protected from the sea by a line of sand dunes. It was also considered to be a very important place from a defensive point of view against the West Frisian's whose lands were close by.
    The city continued to trade and prosper over the centuries. In the early to mid-1500s a lake near to the city was the first lake to ever be reclaimed by having its water pumped dry by windmills. In 1573, in the Dutch rebellion against the rule of Spain, town after town fell to the Spaniards, until they reached Alkmaar. Alkmaar was put under siege by the Spanish. The inhabitants and the rebels, staunch supporters of the Protestant cause, repulsed each Spanish assault. The Spaniards were not invincible after all! "Victory begins at Alkmaar" became a byword. This victory was considered an important battle in the eventual breaking free from the rule of Spain.
    During these times Alkmaar grew into a very important market for all of the produce of the surrounding areas and became the biggest city in the north of the Netherlands. And the market that still runs in the city is a remnant of this. It was during the 1600's that the street map of the old town was brought into being, although much of the city's building were lost in the renovations of the 19th and 20th century. At the turn of the 19th century the city was briefly held by a combination of Russian and English forces, although they were eventually beaten in battle.

Waagplein and Waag

Striking a Deal on Their Cheeses

    In the early 1800's the city was given a boost to its trade when the North Holland Canal was dug, and in the later part of the century the city was opened up to even more trade, by the arrival of the railways from Haarlem and Den Helder. In the 20th century Alkmaar expanded into the city and municipality that it is now. With the expansion of both residential and industrial areas, Alkmaar absorbed the nearby towns and villages to reach the size that it is today.
    We headed up towards the Waag, passing the House of Spades almost at the top of the Luttik Oudorp. This building dating from 1609 had the most beautiful crow-stepped gables of Alkmaar. The gable stone with the fan of baker's spades reminded us of the time when this used to be the house of the Alkmaar pastry cooks.
    Just over the bridge at the top of the Luttik Oudorp, we stopped to gaze a while at the Huis Met de Kogel (House with the Bullet). In 1573, during the siege by the Spaniards, Alkmaar was being heavily bombarded by cannons. The story goes that a cannon ball passed through the window of a house of basket maker, Jan Arendszoon, and shattered a chair on which a girl was working on a spinning wheel. None of the seven people present were hurt, and the cannon ball was placed on the gable in memory of this miracle.

Luttik Oudorp, Duonita Furthest Boat on Left

    Once in the Waagplein, we took the opportunity to eyeball the Waag which dominated the square, and dated back to approximately 1390. It started life as a Holy Spirit House, that is a guesthouse for the reception of poor travellers and sick people. In 1582, after the re-acquisition of the weighing right, it was rebuilt into the Waag (Weighing House). It took two centuries for the square to expand to its current size.
    The Gothic windows indicate the building's previous ecclesiastical connection. On the front gable at the waterside, the maxim "S.P.Q.A. Restituit Virtus Ablatae Jura Bilancis", (Courage and strength again bestowed the weighing right on the administration and citizenry of Alkmaar), can be seen. This is really a reminder of the successful defence of the people of Alkmaar against the Spaniards in 1573, for which they acquired the weighing right by way of gratitude. In 1712 multiple maxims, such as "Vive memor leti, fugit hora" (Live remembering death, time passes quickly) and "Singulas horas Singulas vitas puta" (Consider each hour a separate life), were placed under the clock face.

The Leeuwenburg, the Crown and the Silkworm

    Crossing the Bathbrug, we took a stroll down the Mient passing a string of eating establishments. Standing on an arched wooden bridge over the waterway, we looked across at three buildings with impressive gables belonging to the Leeuwenburg, the Crown and the Silkworm. The Leeuwenburg was built in 1707 by Mr Leeuwenburg (strange coincidence that), a person of independent means. He intended to represent his name by placing two sandstone lions above the decorated eaves fascia. The odd sight we saw was that the lions were showing their behinds rather inelegantly to the Alkmaar city arms between them. Of course there is a story behind this. Mr Leeuwenburg did not have a very productive experience with the former city council. He considered he had had to wait far too long for his building permit, and he was not happy with the changes the city architect had made to the building drawings. Only after the fourth design did he finally obtain permission to build the gable. By then he was so incensed that he had the lions placed in this position. Planning permission rights the world over have not improved much since then. The Crown dated back to the 17th century, and showed a richly decorated front gable with a gable stone in which an imperial crown has been placed, and next to it the city arms of Alkmaar and Hoorn. On the left and right of the roof were the two female figures: Faith and Hope. The Silkworm of 1672 was owned by a silk trader.

Vismarkt

Synagogue - Former House of Cornelis Drebbel

    Turning left at the end of the Mient we stumbled across the Vismarkt (Fish Market). By the 16th century Alkmaar already had a fish market. Through the doors in the wall the freshwater fish were kept fresh in braided baskets in the canal. On the roof of the gallery on the canal side the small statues of a fisherman and a fisherwoman stood. An amusing detail regarding the Vismarkt was that on market days a stork would be present. This imperious creature was hired by the municipality to walk around with a real chain of office around its neck. Its duty was to eat up the fish waste. Having his wings clipped ensured he did not go flyabout.

The Wildman Above Entrance to Almshouses

    Over the canal and passing down a street or two we entered Hofstraat, where we came across a building with an intriguing tale to tell at number 15. This building was used as a synagogue from 1808 until 1942. Alkmaar was one of the first locations in Holland where Jews could freely establish and practice their religion. An example of early tolerance. Before World War II the Jewish community in Alkmaar amounted to 213 people of which only six returned after the war. In 2013 the building reopened as a Jewish multi-functional centre. The Hebrew on the facade is the words of the prophet Haggai:"the glory of this latter house will be bigger than of the former house".
    But the building had been around for a while before serving as a synagogue, it was once the house of Cornelis Drebbel (1572-1633), one of the most interesting citizens of Alkmaar. He was born in Alkmaar, the son of an upper class peasant family. He didn't receive university training but was an apprentice of the famous engraver Hendrik Goltzuis in Haarlem. Goltzuis was engaged in alchemy and was, undoubtedly, the person who enthused Drebbel. Cornelis was the inventor of, among other things, the mercury thermometer, the compound microscope and the perpetuum mobile, this was a clock that indicated the time as well as the date and seasons, without ever needing to be wound up. James I of England heard of the perpetuum mobile, and invited Drebbel to his court for a demonstration. He was highly impressed and commissioned Drebbel to design a submarine; this became his most spectacular invention. He performed the first "sea" trial in the pond of his former home.
    In his days Drebbel was a genius and he quickly gained the reputation of magician. He invented things that were far ahead of his times, and many of his inventions are shrouded in mystery. There is, for example, a description of a device that made Westminster Abbey so cold on a hot summer day that the king hastily fled from the building.

Standing on the Old City Ramparts

    We hiked east along Oudegracht to visit the Almshouses of Wildeman, one of the most attractive in the city. A stone statue of a wild man above the entrance reminded us of the generous giver. The last will and testament of the ship-owner Gerrit Florisz Wildeman (1627-1702) stated that almshouses had to be built from his assets. The first stone for the 24 houses was laid in 1713, and the first house was ready in 1714. The almshouses were meant for older women of various convictions, who had to be honest and peaceful and who had to originate from Alkmaar. In addition, they had to be unmarried or be widowed, and had to renounce "all activities with men". Hmmm ... I wonder what was going through that chap's mind, was he a saint himself? In the inner courtyard it is as though time has stood still, even though the women living here now are largely neither old nor needy, and nowadays male visits are allowed.

Mill of Piet

    Continuing up the Oudegracht, we turned left down the Baangracht, the name derived from the ropewalks that were located here. When we reached the canal that surrounds the old city, we turned right and walked along the grassy embankments, actually the Stronghold, the remnants of the old city ramparts. The sun shone brightly through the trees creating delightful dappled patterns of light on the water, grass and path we were following. In our minds we were transported back to 1562. At that time the city was surrounded by a stone wall, fortified by earth. The ramparts included twelve towers and there were five city gates, all of which were demolished in the 19th century.
    The path brought us to the Mill of Piet, named after the Piet family who have maintained it for a few generations. The original 17th century wooden mill was replaced with the current stone copy in 1769.
    Heading north, we sought out the Almshouses of Splinter. It was a job to find them. Meryl located the little green door we had to open in order to enter a covered alley which led to the almshouses. These almshouses were founded in 1646 from the inheritance of benefactress Margaretha van Splinter. It was established for eight unmarried women from a good family who fell to poverty. House rules were: be home in time, go to church and no men about the house. Such rules have been practiced in almshouses for centuries, and indeed in some the rules still apply.
    Over the bridge from the almshouses stood the oldest tavern of Alkmaar, the Gulden Vlies (Golden Fleece). It is located close to the former Kennerner Gate, and could thus be easily found by non-Alkmaar residents. Over the years the building has kept a hospitality function and a stage existed for performances.
    Near the Gulden Vlies, up a small alley, we found the statue of Rudi Carrell, a famous TV personality from Alkmaar. The bronze statue is actually located on the spot where the stage and dressing rooms of the Gulden Vlies used to be, and where he took his first steps on stage.

Gulden Vlies

    We followed yet another waterway, the Londergracht, onto Geest, and at the junction with Kanisstraat we discovered one of the oldest stone houses of Alkmaar, restored in the 19th century. The original settlement of Alkmaar had only wooden houses: brick and stone houses were gradually made compulsory in medieval towns, because of the repeated fires. The building dated back to 1540 and is a simple middle-class house, with a lower facade typical of those days with small windows, shutters and a porch. Previously the bottom shutters were also used to display merchandise and thus "sell from the living room". A little bit of history about the street name, it borrows its name from the Kanis, a flat basket worn on the back, with which many inhabitants of this street went begging for bread.

One of the Oldest Stone Houses

    Turning right at the end of Geest, we entered Canadaplein, which received its name in 1945 by way of gratitude for the share of the Canadians in the Dutch liberation. The City of Museum of Alkmaar is located here, but sadly we had no time to spend today for a visit.
    Also dominating the square was the Big Saint Laurens Church, built upon an embankment of an old sand hill. About the year 900 the first people of Alkmaar established a wooden chapel here, surrounded by lakes and water. The oldest remains date back to the 11th century when it housed a Roman peat stone hall church. In the second half of the 15th century they were working on a tower which collapsed with great force in 1468, killing two nuns. The construction of the present-day church started in 1470 and was completed in 1520.

Big Saint Laurens Church

    Heading east from the church along Langestraat, we came to the Stadhuis. Around 1500, with no means for improving the building, a number of church wardens proposed to provide financial assistance. Above the entrance, an inscription states that the work began in 1509. It was ready around 1520, and in 1694, after many renovations, it was decided to expand the Stadhuis. A large part of the building was destroyed by fire in 1890, resulting in the Stadhuis being renovated in 1912-1914, the start of a long series of renovations. Two statues at the entrance represent "Truth" and "Justice". Nowadays, some officials still work in the building, and weekly, bridal couples are seen climbing the stairs. Sadly it is not open to the general public.
    Just past the Stadhuis is the Moriaanshoofd, originally a large patrician mansion. It gets its name from a tavern that once stood here. Napoleon's brother stayed here on multiple occasions. In 1718, the Mariaanshoofd was purchased by Simon Schagen, one of the aldermen of the city. In the following year he had the house dramatically modernised. As with many houses of those days, he had the gable represent his profession, in his case a symbolic representation of "the good judge". The statues regard the virtues of the principal; such as wisdom, carefulness and vigilance. In reality Simon was not such an honest brother and his private life progressed none too smoothly. After the death of his first wife, he married a second time to a rich widow. She appeared to be a jealous and suspicious woman. The story goes that the bay window was rebuilt at her request so that she could watch her husband when he went out for a walk in Langestraat. She was so suspicious that she did not move her assets to Simon's house after their marriage, and so one night he stole her debentures. The case ended up in court, and this certainly didn't do any favours for the reputation of the man who had decorated his house with his good features.

Stadhuis

    From here we headed up to the Hofplein where we found the Court of Sonoy. This used to be the Convent of Saint Maria Magdalena. After the convent fell into the hands of the city in 1572, it was decided to house inhabitants here who were homeless after their houses had been destroyed for the benefit of the construction of the new city walls. After the siege the Court was sold to Diederick van Sonoy, governor of the Northern Quarter, who had lived here for a couple of years. In 1591, the lawyer Willem van Barbes purchased the Court and had a remarkable octagonal tower built. It had then served as a watchtower, but nowadays it houses a restaurant. Apparently the restaurant seats only four people, and bookings are taken a very long time in advance.
    Our tour of the historic city was brought to an end here, and quite appropriately we took a break in the garden area of the Court, which now functioned as a cafe and restaurant, and enjoyed hot drinks and apple cake with cream - very naughty but delicious. Meryl felt the need to do a spot of retail therapy at this point. Rex joined her, perhaps just to keep an eye on her purse.

Moriaanshoofd

    I headed up to the train station to sort out a schedule for our train trip down to Amsterdam tomorrow. We had planned to meet up for an evening meal with Richard and Angela, friends of Rex and Meryl. Transport between Alkmaar and Amsterdam is fairly good, with two trains per hour.
    I then thought I would circle the outside of the old city moat to discover a little of the modern Alkmaar. I passed large, colourful, modern buildings of unknown functionality, but they certainly were not offices. I walked past the small cul-de-sac where we had first attempted to dock, and crossed over to a very large design complex, comprising many large stores, each selling designer kitchens, furniture etc. Next to it was the Winkelcentrum Noorder Arcade another complex of modern shops, and believe it or not a Beatles Museum. Why is there a Beatle's Museum in Alkmaar you may ask. Apparently John Lennon's first guitar came from Alkmaar. I had no wish to enter, but I curiously put my head in, expecting to hear Beatle's music being pumped out. No, just total silence. I could see lots of books, posters, photos and guitars in glass cases, but I found it rather odd that there was no music.
    I continued my trip alongside the canal and recrossed it near to the park by Wageweg street, then hiked up to the Waagplein, where I sat in the sun, enjoying an orange juice, making my notes and people watching. That had been a very pleasurable walk around Alkmaar today, and a good stretch of the legs.

Court of Sonoy

    In the evening we returned to the same venue I had sat at earlier, and ate, bathed by the warm light of the setting sun. The restaurant seemed to be by far the most popular in the Waagplein. The only blight on the occasion was the proliferation of gulls wheeling overhead. Many were perched on top of the collapsible sunshades surrounding us. One of the waitresses definitely had a vendetta against them and shewed them off whenever she could. Not well enough though, one of the creatures, the size of a flying turkey, landed on an adjacent table and grabbed a chip or two, and flapped off, succeeding in knocking over a wine glass in the process. There was a mixture of mirth and astonishment on that table, and on surrounding tables too. The introduction of a hawk or two would not go amiss I thought.
    A thunderstorm threatened, so we headed back to batten down the hatches. It had been a most enjoyable day.