Leeuwarden
For our day in Leeuwarden, we found parking at an
underground parking structure right in the middle of town. (Later we
found out that Elizabeth's second cousin had been a store owner in Leeuwarden
and had been instrumental in having the city build that strucure.)
In the city center we saw the Waag, a 1598 building which was used until 1880 to weigh the butter and cheese. ![]() Another landmark in Leeuwarden is the Oldehove, a
massive leaning brick tower. It is part of a cathedral started in 1529
that was never completed because of the instability of the ground.
![]() We went to an excellent ceramics museum, the Princesshof,
which had 4 stories over 2 buildings, from early Chinese pottery to the modern.
It also had English and European ceramics and, of course, a lot of
Delft china, pottery, and tiles.
![]() ![]() We also went to the Fries Museum. Their paintings were mostly of Frisian artists,but they did have a portrait of Saskia by Rembrandt. In vaulted rooms in the basement they had exquisite silver cups, bowls, plates and other silver objects. There was a tunnel under the street to a a late 18th century home of a former aristocrat. It had a number of interesting rooms, beautifully decorated in the style of the time. ![]() No visit to the Netherlands would be complete without a visit to the bakkerij, with its many examples of Dutch baking. ![]() |
On to
the Frisian Countryside.