This is our fourth day in Haarlem and it's taken all of that time to get my head around being here. My first impression here was that we had landed in the middle of "The Truman Show" (the movie about a reality show in a 'perfect' city). Now you have to understand that we just left Italy and anyone reading my blogs knows about the drivers there. When we exited the Airport to find our bus we really didn't notice anything different. It was when the bus began it's journey that we realized it had it's own road.... no cars! Beside us was a bicycle road (yep, they have their own road too) and beside that is the side walk. Not just any sidewalk but a wide, clean flat (very very flat) walk with no cobblestones. Then on the other side was the road where cars actually stop at the lights. Heck, even the bicycles and walkers stop at their designated lights. It gets even better. When you push the button for the cross walk there is a series of beeps that get faster when it is time to walk and slow down when the light turns red. Then you notice that when the buses approach a cross walk (or cross bicycle?) they trigger yet another series of beeps to go off. It is so clean and so organized. Shane and I were walking from our hotel to the town center of Haarlem in silent (which is hard for me) amazement. Shane broke the silence by pointing out to me he saw a weed. Well it just goes to show no one is perfect!
My second impression here is that you feel safe. I think Haarlem could just be the perfect starting point for a trip to the Netherlands. It is clean (no kidding), quaint, friendly, has good food and it is small enough to walk around.
Haarlem dates back to the Roman times (those guys sure got around) when it was used as a settlement on the way to the Roman fort in Velsen.  In the 10th century it became kind of a country get away for the rich who built hunting lodges here. By 1245 the town had expanded and Count Willem II decided it was big enough to be called a city.  
Haarlem was, aparently, the place where the first tulip bulbs were brought from Turkey and flourished in the sandy soil.  It may no longer be the hub of flower growing but the Saturday market was a kaleidoscope of beautiful spring colour.  
There is also a distinctly Flemish influence here.... though I'm not smart enough to distinguish it yet.  The Flemish fled here from Belgium to avoid persecution from the Spanish. They arrived with many skills, capital and lots of business contacts... things necessary to help Haarlem become an important center of the times. So, with the Flemish influence, this town produced renowned architects, artists, and business men.  
Now with all that history you will understand why this town has some of the most interesting architecture in Holland.  The wealthy could afford to build stately homes and many of them are still standing.
The houseboats are new but no less interesting. Quite a few are two levels with the basement being partially under water. Guess the don't get big waves in the canals because many of them have their windows open. Cute to see the houseboats with gardens on the road side and little bicycle parking garages as well.
The main market center is next to the biggest church in Holland.  The row housing is so quaint.  In most cases there is no yard yet some people put in the cutest postage stamp sized gardens or manage to grow healthy plants out of a square foot chipped out of the pavement.  
Now I loved getting lost in Rome but here... well it's different... but I really love getting lost here. Just wandering down the narrow streets you can't help but get an idea of how they live here. It's impossible not to look in their windows. Flowers, lace, pottery and traditional furnishings in most of the houses but it's not unusual to see a budha and a hooka pipe in the window of the house next door.
Went to the Frans Hals Museum to see some stunning examples of Dutch Artists. The museum itself was a treasure. Built as an old man's home (for single men over 60 who weren't allowed to take more than one tankard of beer to their room at night and must be in before the doors were locked at 7PM) it became an orphanage for a number of years before being turned in to the museum.  As well as the artworks we saw there was period furniture and the most amazing doll house I've ever seen.
Took a trip to Amsterdam for the day. Another place we visited 39 years ago though all I remember of that visit was the Heineken Beer Factory and the Red Light District. Not much has changed though now they charge you to go through the Factory.... and the Red Light District, well, guess only the toys in the windows have changed there.
So today we wander around in Haarlem again to see if we can get lost.  Eat some more amazing food and re pack our bags. Tomorrow my sister arrives and the three of us head off to Belgium.