Day 46 – Fri 25 Jul 14, Haarlem
Forecast: 17-21 deg C, cloudy with showers and thunderstorms; no riding Just because we did not need to get up early, we were both awake before 6am, so had a cuppa in bed and then went downstairs for breakfast. It was another good spread, but for a 4* it could have been a little better, ie. it could have a bigger selection of cereals than only 2. There was a good selection of meats and cheeses though. The bikes stayed in the bike park today as we explored on foot. After brekky we caught the train to Alkmaar to watch the world famous Friday Cheese Market in the 'Weighing Square'. It first started about 400 years ago and the tradition has continued to this day, albeit with some theatrics for us tourists. Judging by the enormous crowd it is a very popular spectacle. In short, a whole stack of cheese is carried onto the square on a shoulder slung platform by blokes dressed in traditional kit. The buyers then negotiate a price with the selle...