's-Hertogenbosh

One of the few cities in the world whose name begins with an apostrophe!
But it is commonly referred to as Den Bosch. I went there for the afternoon with a colleague (25 minutes by train from Eindhoven).

This is another charming city of The Netherlands, with a rich historical heritage. It survived WWII better than most towns, so there are wonderful old buildings and windy cobblestone roads dating back to the 13th century. It really has the feel of a medieval town. There are canals running throughout the town, and the main attraction is the huge St. John's Cathedral--indeed, a very beautiful church, dating from around 1220.

We went to the Hieronymus Bosch Art Center (in what was an old church). He lived from 1450-1516, yet his paintings are quite different from the other works of that time period. He uses tremendous color, bold imagination, creative figures such as half-human animals, symbolism, humor, and yet honestly addresses serious moral and spiritual struggles of humankind, good versus evil, heaven versus hell, etc. He really draws the viewer in. The museum brought the characters to life, reminding me of Alice in Wonderland, and we took a tour that analyzed various paintings in details, their meanings, etc.

This was my first exposure to Hieronymus Bosch, and I must say I enjoyed his work.