26 = Gunday, June 1, 1997 = North Shore Nows

un)
a NB oT
ee

s from Haarlem streets

Charm

David

travel
talk

IPS sobering to stand
ina bar in the tee of
the 14th Grote Kerk of
St Bavo’s and enjoy the
screnity of an old
Dutcls city just a short
distance from the
hurly-burly of
Amsterdam.
This is Europe at its best,
_ cobbled streets quiet after a
busy market day, a full moon

high over the cowering spires

and a lingering look at the
Church walls still cradling a
cannon-ball from the Spanish
stege of 1572-73,

Later, in 1740 and 1780,
Handel played the magnifi-
cent, §068-pipe organ and
Mozart played it too in 1766
when he was 10,

; In its heyday Haarlem was

Holland’s biggest port but

that quickly changed in the
17th century when the

- Dutch East India Company

‘brought cargoes of spices and
tea to Amsterdam’s ware-
houses, Now it’s known for
museums and as the gateway

_to the spectacular bulb fields,

Frans Hals lived here, so
it’s appropriate that there is a
handsome muscum gallery in
his name: actually, a callec-
tion of old almstouses with a

peaceful garden in the mid-
dle. Eight of his militia com-
Pany portraits are here as well
as silver, ceramics, pottery
and furniture,

The Tyler Museum,
Holiand’s first public show-
place of its kind, offers an
absorbing but scattered selec-
tion of Dutch art, fossils and
scientific achievement as well
as drawings by Michelangelo,
da Vinci and Raphael. Like
maiiy an institution of its

north shore news

S

kind, stach as the Vancouver
Art Gallery, the building is

rhaps more interesting than
its contents,

South, and stretching to
the university city of Leiden,
are the biggest concentration
of bulb fields —- in April and
May enormous ribbons of
exotic colors that fascinate
tourists from around the
world. Tulips first came here
in the 17th century from
Turkey, and just as every
British schoolchild knows
about the South Sca Bubble
and future Canadian young-
sters will grow up with stozies
of Bre-X, people here are
familiar of the tulip mania of
1635-37, when tulip prices ©
soared and then crashed ruin-
ing many speculators.

We saw the bulb fields the
best way, by bicycle, starting
at Noordwijk, a typically

"WATCH FOR.IT JUNE, 8TH
‘Father's Day

RAVEL

a a a fe ee

SO CEebaniuamnierundia wameetuemeevanrar vi

Photo David Wishart

prosperous, tidy Dutch town

_ sheltering behind seaside

dunes sprinkled with rem:
nants of Rommel’s Atlantic

AT one polnt In time, Haarlam (left) wea the
biggost port In Holland, and played gracious

host to tho Ilkos of Handol and

wall,

Cyellng in Holland
Is the castent (bingy
fy the world beentine
the country bs ay Hit
asad paneake and
mast roads have a
dedicated bike lane,
Try to be here for
the flower parade
from Noordwilk to
Hanelem which
launches the bulb
SEASON,

And so we cycled
on country roads,
stopping constantly
to gize In awe at
the fields of tulips,
Only thing missing
were children selling
lemonade and color
tilmy they could be
Holland's next mils
lionaires,

. For just $25 you
ean rent.a good bike
and pedal to the
famous Keukenhof
Gardens, truly the
pot of gold at the
end of a rainbow of

800,000 people

‘come to Keukenhof every
_ year for its two-month season

of seven million blooming
bulbs spread over 70 acres.

Thomas Cook Travel
at Eaton’s Park Royal

“Visit us at our brand |
new location in Eaton's
Park Royal South”

at the south entrance - 2nd floor (opposite the elevator)

926-0555

“A TRADITION OF

EXCELLENCE

1997 ALASKA CRUISE

SAVE

50”

_ off brochure
rate for inside
staterooms

Pts
33.

rate for oceanview
staterooms

flowers, An amazing -

ozart.

dnl whncisag paths, steeds
and ponds, Every year the
drchitects come up with new
arden fayouta aid vardetles
of tulips, hiffouliy, marelssh,
hyacinths, dnsaryliia, ortnts
mental onlans, sumer
showthikes as well as trees
offering welcome shade,

I you want to see where
iNost flowers end up you
must go to Che equally sur-
prising Aalsmeer tlower auc:
Hon, a hangarlike hall eqptal
to the size of 40 or 100 foot:
ball fields depending on who
one talks to, but you get the
idea, From here, the world’s
largest Hower auction, roses
(the biggest seller), bulbs and
other varieties are rushed to
nearby Schiphol airport to be
at flower stands in London,
Paris and Berlin the same day,

Our days usually ended

* with a good meal in one of

Haarlem’s restaurants, often’
ina building rich in character,
Then a stroll in the evening
air, perhaps to the terrace of a
cate where we could sit with
a glass of Oranjeboom and
agree that it was all blooming

~ marvelous.

Getting there: KLM flies
non-stop from Vancouver to

Amsterdam,

aN ret te ett eprint

Noth) Shoee’s
Rest Dares to
SOUTH
ATRICA
& TURKEYS
Call Elsa ve
TRAVEL
EXPERTS |
92648511,

NEWOREGON
ADVENTURE TOURS
WA thaea Hata Card, Cokantia Gory, Laxods Cty
Sone Formers Coon

Sot woctinns, Bako, Bago ond mayabcunt sonny

Re ey 4.21/28 hr! 240/0

HOA vevevacnnagea aca ree octaengaetdunaenaaaaaenene

LINCOLN CITY REGULAR TOUR
May 26, dome 10, 16, 23 fen '20907/01

RENO - GET OUT OF
THE RAINI

trom 1 79PP/Depending on Tour

eis

Wsovercicn

ecoacH rours

Les écoles
Balmoral

June 16, August 18 and September 1:
*s_- Vancouver + Inside Passage « Juneau * Skagway:
° " Giacior Bay + Ketchikan « Inside Passage * Vancouver.
“itching to Cruise? _
SCRATCH and Save up to “1,000*
‘shais le tect io! cay 12. time of booking. Offer is not
- combinable any other discounts,’ of shipboard cradks ‘
Keep your eyes open for
our annual tribute to
fathers and their sons.

TRAVEL WITH SOMEONE YOU TRUST rc.)

PARK & TILFORD PARK ROYAL NORTH
North Vancouver West Vancouver
990-1546 268-5650

Conseil
scolaire
francophone
de la Colombie-Britannique

Conception par Scénrie Design