Friendship, food and music -- what else does one need?

Yesterday we took the train to Haarlem with Mario to see Susana, an online friend who I've known for nearly 10 years. Susana met us at the station, and we had a lovely day of walking and taking in little concerts in the gardens at the hofjes (small complexes of public housing built in the 17th century for the elderly and infirm). We had lunch in a little restaurant with a great view of the city, and connected with her husband Juan, daughter Vera, and friend Gonzalo.

Lively conversation, more walking, a beer in a local brewery located in an old church, and a wonderful dinner at their place later filled out the day. I'm so glad we were able to meet these lovely people -- I hope it won't be the last time.

Vocal ensemble Diogi, from Haarlem

Haarlem is small, and the pace is a lot slower than in Utrecht. We walked all over -- it's a wonder people have cars at all, as the city is so walkable, and certainly very bikeable.

The highlight of the day was getting to make virtual friendships a reality. Another highlight was the organ of Sint-Bavokerk (Grote Kerk). It is one of the world's most historically important organs. And not only did we get to see it, we got to hear it. It simply started playing while we were admiring it!

The sound was incredible. And I was moved by the fact that I was listening to the same instrument that had once been played by Mendelssohn, Händel, and the 10-year-old Mozart, who played it in 1766.

It was built by the Amsterdam organ builder Christian Müller, between 1735 and 1738. When it was finished, it was the largest organ in the world with 60 voices and 32-feet pedal-towers. In Moby-Dick (1851), Herman Melville describes the inside of a whale's mouth:

"Seeing all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about, would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes?"