I am finally getting to part two of our trip the ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a historical City with modern vibe that we fell in love with. Part one ended with lunch, so after lunch we headed back to the boat dock for the canal tour. The boats are small, and only seat about 16 people, and there is a good reason for it. The canals lead under buildings in long stretches and are very narrow in places and ceilings are low enough to touch. It was a serene experience, compared to the busy canals of Amsterdam, at ‘s-Hertogenbosch is completely different – peaceful, quiet and mostly removed from the hustle and bustle of the lively City. The canals are actually restored old sewers and you can still see the inlets from the buildings. Only about 3.5km of the original 20km remains, and only one company is licensed to use it commercially.
Part of the tour takes you under the City walls, which were fortified defenses for the City, once you emerge from the tunnel in the river, all the sudden you are in a countryside, looking at a big wall and can imagine how intimidating it would have been to any would be conquerors. After that you head back into the narrow canals under the City. The tour takes about 50 minutes and is definitely worth the time and trouble. The only downside is that the tours are offered in Dutch only, they give you an english summer to read, but we could tell the guide was telling a lot of stories and provided details we did not get to enjoy:-)
We could not leave ‘s-Hertogenbosch, without visiting the Hieronymus Bosch Art Center, dedicated to it’s most famous citizen. Hieronymus Bosh was born Jheronimus van Aken, but was signing his work Bosh (meaning forest), the City’s commonly used nickname. Reminders of his artwork are everywhere in the City, and there is a statue of him on the main square, but the Art Center has a comprehensive collection about his work, his influence and a little about his life, even though not much is known.
The reproductions are full size, colored and high quality and you can see the amazing details of his work. Moreover, many sculptures are scattered through the building, which bring his fantastical creatures to life.
The building itself is beautiful too, it is a former church and you can visit the tower to see the city from above. In the basement is a stylized worksop with the painter himself as he would work there.
After that we were pretty tired, so we had some gelato and headed home, for some dinner and beer in a pub just a block away from our house. It was a great trip, there are so many small historical cities with so much to offer, but don’t get mentioned as prominently as the big ones. Maybe it is better, so you have look harder to be rewarded and it limits the number of tourists to put up with:-)
family M adventures 