Gouda Illuminated

Every year at Christmastime in Gouda portions of the city are festively illuminated.

The city hall is picturesque medieval affair with a funny little clock from which parading court members pop out every half hour to tell the time. The Sint Jankerk (Saint John's Church) is lit up from inside. A group of artists is selected each year to design something, a projection, or an artwork someplace, all things that I've glanced at for the second consecutive year.

The entire old center of Gouda is slowly sinking away, so who knows where it will be in fifty year's time, but if you want to pay a visit to the cheese market, or visit during the holidays, I'm sure you have at least a few years left to make your decision. :-) We like the Christmas lights, but have never made it for the cheese market.

This year, there was an outdoor ice-skating rink next to City Hall where a group of people were engaged in an amateur hockey match.

We visited the St Jankerk, the longest church in The Netherlands, where a 500 year-old tree told stories about its age, and how things have changed in the city since his youth. Across the courtyard, a 450 year-old retirement home for men talked back to the tree about its age. The library, and an old school house chimed in from across the street. In the schoolhouse, a child received an old-fashioned lashing, and was forced to praise the Queen. We were also told by a recorded Dutch voice in a German accent about the occupation, and what a heavy toll Gouda paid during the war.

The kids enjoyed the illuminated, "talking," buildings, especially when smoke poured out of one of them. That was funny.

In the courtyard of the medieval library, there was a plexi-glass pyramid about 6 foot high, with glass pigs sticking out of it, lit up a sickly yellow hue from the inside. There must have been a deep and complex meaning or theory behind its construction which I was incapable of imbibing.

We tried visiting a museum courtyard where they sold hot chocolate milk and Gluwijn (sweet, warm wine) last year, but they weren't serving anything. The stand was closed up, and hanging above it was a sign that read, "Kalm nou maar. Geen zorgen. Alles komt goed." (Remain calm. No worries. Everything's going to be fine.)