Haarlem - Amsterdam Bruges and Brussels - page 209

for science buffs: fossils, minerals, primitive electronic gadgetry,
and examples of 18th- and 19th-century technology. This place
feels like a museum of a museum. They're serious about authen-
ticity here: The presentation is perfectly preserved, right down
to the original labels. Since there was no electricity in the olden
days, you'll find little electric lighting...if it's dark outside, it's dark
inside. The museum's benefactor, Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, was
a very wealthy merchant who willed his estate, worth the equiva-
lent of €80 million today, to a foundation whose mission was to
“create and maintain a museum to stimulate art and science.” The
museum opened in 1784, six years after Teyler's death (his last euro
was spent in 1983—now it's a national museum). Add your name
to the guest book, which goes back to before Napoleon's visit here.
The oval room—a temple of science and learning—is the core
of the museum; the art gallery hangs paintings in the old style.
While there are no English descriptions, an excellent (and, I'd say,
essential) audioguide is included (€7, Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun
12:00-17:00, closed Mon, Spaarne 16, tel. [phone], www
.teylersmuseum.nl). The museum's modern café has good prices
and faces a delightful garden.
s De Adriaan Windmill — Haarlem's old-time windmill, located
just a 10-minute walk from the station and Teylers Museum, wel-
comes visitors with a short video, little museum, and fine town
views (€2, Wed-Fri 13:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed
Mon-Tue, Papentorenvest 1, tel. [phone], www.molen
adriaan.nl—in Dutch only).
Canal Cruise — Making a scenic 50-minute loop through and
around Haarlem with a live guide who speaks Dutch and some-
times English, these little trips are more relaxing than informative
(€10; April-Oct Tue-Sun departures at the top of each hour from
12:00-16:00, closed Mon; across canal from Teylers Museum at
Spaarne 11a, tel. [phone], www.woltheuscruises.nl).
s Red Light District — Wander through a little Red Light District
that's as precious as a Barbie doll—and legal since the 1980s (2
blocks northeast of Market Square, of Lange Begijnestraat, no
senior or student discounts). Don't miss the mall on Begijnesteeg
marked by the red neon sign reading 't Steeg je (“free”). Just beyond
that, the nearby 't Poortje (“office park”) costs €6 to enter. Jog
to the right to pop into the much more inviting “Red Lantern”
(window-shopping welcome, at Korte Begijnestraat 27). As you
wander through this area, remember that the people here don't
condone prostitution any more than your own community back
home probably does; they just find it practical not to criminalize
it and drive it underground, but instead to regulate it and keep the
practice as safe as possible.