So, KVH sells navigation equipment, right?

Rather than wander Amsterdam all day waiting to get into the hotel, we hopped a train to Haarlem, a lovely old town perhaps 20 minutes away by train. Of course, we had to make it a challenge, getting off the train one stop too early – the conductor told us “second stop Haarlem” when we asked if we were getting on the right train so we got off at the second stop along the way, right across the tracks from a massive Ikea, a bus stop, and not much else. Apparently, the conductor might have been trying to tell us that we wanted to get off at the second stop in Haarlem. Of course, it turns out we got on the wrong train anyway. Our tickets were for the express which only stopped in the center of Haarlem, but we impatient Americans hopped the local instead. As a result, we got a lovely tour of residential Haarlem by way of the local bus.

So, which stop did we want?

Haarlem – source of the name of the section of New York City but nothing at all like it. Absolutely lovely, even in the grey and the cold, but even more quiet than Amsterdam at dawn. We joked that we felt like actors in some post-apocalyptic movie where we’re the only people left alive. Walking down these silent streets and alleys, it felt that way but not in a creepy way. More of a “wow, we get this all to ourselves” kind of way.

No, this isn't a movie set. Downtown Haarlem really was this quiet on Sunday

Jim and Ian dwarfed by the 600-year old Grote Kerk church in the center of Haarlem

The homes and canalboats along the River Spaarne

Of course, your intrepid blogger ended up with the guide book and when asked to point the way to the central train station so we could head back to Amsterdam, led us in entirely the wrong direction. Just for the record, I want it noted that I was operating on two hours of sleep, the guide book didn't show the train station, and we’d never actually been to the central station since we got off at the wrong stop the first time anyhow. I’m pretty sure I had us going back to the original stop so my new nickname “Rand McNally” probably isn’t entirely deserved. Besides, if I’d had a KVH TACNAV system I’d have been all set.