We sat outside at De Drie Graefjes (The Three Counts) Cafe. We didn't really undersand the name (once our waitress translated it) until we got our food. Jim had a very yummy croque: Roquefort met amandelen en bosbessenjam (blue cheese with almonds and blueberry jam). I had one with pesto and mozarella. A croque is a sandwich toasted with an egg batter - a Monte Cristo sandwich - hence the name! This cafe had the most extensive sandwich menu I have seen with very interesting combinations. All was good but Jim's sandwich was to die for! Our view from the cafe was the church, shops at the base of the church, and De Drie Fleschjes (The Three Little Bottles) Proeflokaal. The tasting pub 'De Drie Fleschjes' of Bootz liqueur distillery is to be found. Since 1650, little change has been made to the interior with its characteristic cask store (holding 52 casks) appropriately called 'drankorgel' in Dutch. The glass-fronted cupboard holds a collection of small quarter-litre bottles - so -called 'kalkoentjes' - with hand-painted portraits of the mayors of Amsterdam.
We continued our walk towared the Amsterdam Historical Musuem housed in what was once the Lucienklooster, a convent established in 1414. After Amsterdam converted to Protestantism, it was taken over by the city to use as the city orphanage. The gate was added in 1581 by Joost Janz Bilhamer. The gate is encrusted with renaissance motifs - the latest fad in the 1580s - such as imitation iron rings and horned lions' heads. The verse on hte panel below was penned by the prolific Vondel [We are growing fast in number and need; Our second fathers lament. Please do not pass by this gate Without contributing a cent.] Through the gate is the courtyard where the orphan boys once played, strictly segregated from the girls in the adjoining courtyard. The boys and girls quarters used to be separated by a narrow canal, which is now a wonderful gallery for the museum's civic guard portraits. You can walk through it like any normal street (when the museum is open). The museum cafe is called David en Goliath after two splendid wooden figures. These curiosities were constructed in about 1650 for the owner of a pleasure garden likely by the same sculptor who spetn 19 years on Nieuwe Kerk's pulpit.
We did not go into the museum because little boys don't really do well looking at art. So, we continued our walk to a little gate just past the museum that offers a glimpse, unexpectedly, into one of the most peaceful spots in the city. Amsterdam was just a small town when the walled Begijnhof was established here in the 14th century. The origins of this Low Countries institution date back to the Crusdades, when thousands of yound men perished in the holy Land, leaving behind a surplus of single women. Some joined a nunnery, but others, who preferred a less austere life, moved into a Begijnhof, where the rules - no hens, dogs or men - were more easily borne. It is still occupied by single women (though we saw a man reading at his garden table), each enjoying her own private garden. It has beautiful open courtyard and mature trees, even a "May Peace Prevail on Earth" post. They requested no pictures to respect people's privacy (though there were plenty of inconsiderate tourists snapping photos).
There is a nice little church built for them in 1419. Most of the houses in the Begijnhof date from the 18th century, but the Houten Huis at No. 34 is a wooden house built in the middle ages (1465). It really was a tranquil spot and fully closed off to non-residents. It must have felt quite safe back in the day. We followed a narrow passage leading us out to Spui, a nice square that was once water - a nice moat for the Begijnhof. This door is the unassuming entrance to the Begijnhof off the square. You would never know that it opened up into a separate world on the other side. The Begijnhof reminded me of the Hofjes of Haarlem but on a much larger scale. The Begijnhof probably contained 30-40 houses.
posted by Whitney @ 12:33 AM
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