The roads here in Holland are often lined with gorgeous trees on each side and not a lot of traffic. It's a slow very scenic drive

But now all of a sudden?? MOooooooom you promised NO big cities............I'm keeping the promise she said.

Oh really !!!! when I see seven-lane roads wide enough to land a 747 I know it means big city

We're not stopping Mom says, we're just getting around it

Mom has been to Amsterdam before so she sees no need to now....................puuuh

They have what Mom hates the most here, a 3km. long tunnel............... 

We stopped in a town named Gouda
In the Middle Ages, a settlement was founded at the current city's location by the Van der Goude family, who built a fortified castle alongside the banks of the Gouwe River, from which the family and the city took their name. The area, originally marshland, developed over the course of two centuries. By 1225, a canal was linked to the Gouwe and its estuary was transformed into a harbor. City rights were granted in 1272 and the name of the town is Gouda

 We were going to visit the cheese market which takes place every Thursday. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time  (it ended at 3)so this is a borrowed picture from the web.

Still not a waste of time because this town has many beautiful buildings and isn't so large it's easy to get around.

We parked by a chocolate factory ...yummy Mom thought, but as it turned out it's a library now, a great library we went there to charge the PC and were served a glass of vine.............

The world-famous Gouda cheese is not made in the city but rather in the surrounding region. It derives its name from being traded in Gouda where the city council imposes stringent quality controls

The economy of the city center is based on tourism, leisure, and retail.

It's a great town to stroll and there's read surface for pedestrians

And in one place there was a message for me Mom said..................I don't read or speak Dutch so I don't care but doesn't the picture tell you something? mom said

I don't poop on sidewalks, I know better ( unless I absolutely have to go)

In the middle of the town square, it looked like we had arrived at Disney 

The Gothic Goudse Stadhuis was already in use by 1450 but many alterations have been made through the centuries. Originally, the town hall was surrounded by a water moat but since 1603 the Stadhuis has been without barriers at the center of the triangular Markt, one of the largest market squares in The Netherlands.

The carillon with a story on the side of the building was added in the 1960s.(for the tourists we were told) The puppet play illustrates Count Floris V leaving his castle in 1272 to grand the people of Gouda a city charter. It plays two minutes after the hour and a half hour

We met a man with a cute girl poodle who lives nearby and he said he was tired of listening to all bells in town

The Waag was built in 1667 across from the Old City Hall, this building was used for weighing goods (especially cheese) to levy taxes. It now is a national monument. It currently hosts a small cheese museum

As we walked around Mom realized this town has the same feel as the much larger cities in Holland but is much more peaceful and cleaner. 

I say "Who needs the big city anyway?" 

Well, there are a couple must-see, Mom said...............oh no can't wait

Saint John's Church, dedicated to John the Baptist is the longest church in the Netherlands, is famous for its stained glass windows which were made between 1530 and 1603 and is considered the most significant stained glass collection in the Netherlands. Even in the 17th century, it already was a tourist attraction, the church was closed so w didn't get to see that

This is how kids in Holland get around, the same in Denmark 

Looks great to me, because from what I see most of them are sitting there snacking 

The Red Lion Windmill is a fine example of a working mill and stands proudly on the edge of one of the canal networks 

Although this windmill no longer produces flour, it still works and you can see the sails turn and the mechanical parts of the mill are on display.

Windmills are one of the greatest Dutch traditions and this particular windmill was constructed in 1727 and has been lovingly restored in recent decades.

Holland is covered with interesting flowers and trees (tulip season is over)

This is an unusual flower busch maybe a relative to Hydrangea?

We had a good night's sleep and now we're on to the next small village ............right Mom?

Well, Brussels is close by.............MOooooooooooooooooomm you promised 

ok ok ok ok but 2 more big cities are in the deal .......right? ...........says Mom

Life is great 

Henry