Holland is just a 30-minute drive from South Haven. Our plan was to stop at the Kruizenga Art Museum on the campus of Hope College to briefly look at the exhibits, ask about parking options on campus and downtown, and use the bathrooms. One side of the gallery was Mongolian Buddhist art which didn't interest us. The other side had permanent pieces from the college's collection which are rotated every term. A guest exhibit, Shin Sawano's photographic art, which according to the web site was to open August 30th was already up. I am glad it was displayed as I found it quite intriquing. He mounts some of the nature photos on thin bamboo, and pastes a background of gilded gold or silver which shines thru the image.
Friday the 23rd turned out to be a bad day to visit the campus of Hope College. Many streets were barricaded so new students could move into the dorms. We did not explore the campus; we will have to return another time. We did get excellent advice from the museum receptionist about city parking. Hope College is just a few blocks from the central business district.
Once we parked in a public lot on 7th Street we set out to browse the shops on 8th Street.
Lots of shady trees and benches made the area inviting; it didn't hurt that we had ideal low-humidity weather. The downtown area is a well-kept pleasant venue.
The bank had a table outside with give-away gifts and information for Hope students to entice them to open an account.
The first shop we entered had lots of kitchen gadgets and household items. Noticeable displays of wooden items made in Holland caught our eye.
These cutting boards by Cento Anni were made just a few blocks away. Of greater interest to my husband were the bowls made by Holland Bowl Mill. The clerk told us they offer tours at the mill. We decided to go another time, not on the 24th.
Another fascinating shop is the cuckoo clock place. It also had nut crackers and wooden Scandanavian "pyramids" that rotated from the heat of candles.
There were plenty of restaurant options for lunch, but I had in mind Crane's in the City which I think is related to Crane's Pie Pantry in nearby Fennville.
I had a cup of snert (Dutch split pea soup) and a slice of rhubarb raspberry pie.
My husband had a turkey reuben sandwich and though he ordered the same pie as me, he was too full to eat it so asked for a carry-out container. The restaurant is fairly small, and the outdoors tables few in number. Many other restaurants have better and bigger outdoor eating sites.
The last store we browsed was the Peanut Store.
Though there were shelled peanuts and roasted peanuts to buy, this place reminded me more of Wakarusa Dime Store with "penny" candies (no wide selection of jelly beans however) and gourmet chocolate pieces priced by the pound.
After the Peanut Store, we headed back to our car and toward Kollen Park on Lake Macatawa. The Boatworks restaurant nearby would have been a nice outdoor choice. It seemed busy.
We walked the path some and sat and watched some boats.
We had brought books to read, but instead just enjoyed sitting in the fresh air watching the "world go by".
We definitely want to return to Holland.
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