Gouda

Today we were much rested and ready to head out (thanks to missing the fact that the alarm was set for 8 p.m.) Although the weather turned very cloudy, we spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around Gouda.

The town hall dominates the market square.

The weigh house was an important part of the cheese industry.

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you, and no the buildings haven't settled - they were built with different angles to their fronts.

Sint Janskerk (Saint John's Church) is the longest church in the Netherlands, but you can barely find it because of the way other buildings were built around it.

That's a bust of Erasmus on the pedestal in this garden next to Sint Jans.

Sint Jans is known for its 64 stained glass windows, many of which date from the 16th century. They were all removed and hidden before the start of WWII so they survived the war.

This is an active Protestant (Reformed) church which continues to worship in this building - 2 services on Sundays. The pastor preaches from this raised pulpit. The organ is in the background.

My Dutch girl next to a canal in Delft - near a cheese vendor.

We were treated to an impromptu organ concert. First they were tuning individual pipes, then the organist broke out into some wonderful music. The acoustics in Sint Jan's are incredible.