STORY | HAARLEM

Two Sisters and a Sunny Afternoon in Haarlem

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Two sisters laughing on a low planter by the Spaarne in Haarlem, one leaning in close, the windmill De Adriaan soft behind them

Ava and Lily are two sisters who do almost everything together, so in Haarlem they quietly took over their own family session. Their parents had come from the States for a week in the Netherlands. They wanted the girls exactly as they are now.

Haarlem suits a family with older kids well: the river, the old center and quiet green streets are all a short walk apart. As a photographer in Haarlem, I plan that walk, so nobody else has to think about it.

Pointed Gables and a Windmill

We met on the quay at a quarter past three. Across the water stood a row of new houses with pointed gables. Everyone wore white and soft blue, and their mother added a little lilac. Then the girls sat down on a low planter, with the windmill De Adriaan behind them. Lily whispered something in Ava’s ear, and Ava burst out laughing. I never found out what she said.

Family of four in white and soft blue standing by the Spaarne, a row of new houses with pointed gables across the water — The Spaarne, a quarter past three

Younger sister whispering in her older sister's ear on a sunny quay in Haarlem, long brown hair falling over light summer dresses

Girl in a floral dress giving her little sister a piggyback ride, one arm raised high, a houseboat and new flats behind them

A minute later, Ava gave her little sister a piggyback ride, and Lily threw one arm in the air. Meanwhile, their parents had a quiet moment of their own on the same planter.

Mother hugging the father from behind as both smile at the camera, cheek to cheek in the sun with the windmill soft behind

Two Sisters Racing Along the Quay

Next, the four of them walked off hand in hand along the quay, their shadows long on the red bricks. Then I asked the girls to race each other toward me. They came running with their hair flying, and afterwards their father got a hug from both under the dark green trees.

Family walking away hand in hand along a sunny quay in Haarlem, long shadows on the red bricks and bikes parked by the water — On the quay by the Spaarne, 15:26

Two sisters running toward the camera on a sunlit quay in Haarlem, hair flying and summer dresses swinging

Father in a light blue shirt hugging his two daughters under dark green trees, all three smiling at the camera

Into the Old Center

From the river, we walked into the old center. We stopped in the middle of a quiet street, with the tower of the Grote Kerk at the far end. There, the sisters hugged as if they had not seen each other for weeks. On a bridge over a canal full of boats, their mother stood between them. A little further on, in a leafy street, both girls kissed her cheeks at once. After that, Ava held out her skirt under the leaves.

Two sisters hugging in the middle of a quiet street in Haarlem, the tower of the Grote Kerk rising at the far end — The tower of the Grote Kerk, 15:38

Mother and her two daughters on a bridge over a canal lined with small boats, trees and old houses along both sides

Two sisters kissing their mother's cheeks at once on a leafy street in Haarlem, climbing plants on the brick houses behind

Older sister in a floral tiered dress holding out the skirt under a green canopy of leaves, bikes parked along the street

A Bench, Two Sisters and Pink Hydrangeas

Each girl then had a few minutes on her own. Ava leaned against a black door framed by an old, twisting vine. Lily sat on a bench beside the parked bikes, chin in her hand, with the sun behind her. Their mother had her turn too, by a brick house with pink hydrangeas.

Girl in a floral dress leaning by a black door with a wrought-iron grille, framed by the thick twisting trunk of an old vine

Younger of the two sisters in a white dress on a bench beside parked bikes, chin in her hand and summer sun in her hair

Mother in a lilac blouse and white jeans by a brick house in Haarlem, pink hydrangeas and climbing plants around her

Lily was next by the hydrangeas, arms crossed and grinning. After her, it was her parents’ turn, side by side.

Smiling girl with long brown hair and her arms crossed, pink hydrangeas blooming against the brick wall behind her

Parents side by side in front of pink hydrangeas and tall windows, his hand on her shoulder on a quiet shaded street

For the last frame, all four sat down on the wooden bench in front of that house, at five past four. It is the picture their parents had hoped for: two sisters in Haarlem, still side by side.

Two sisters and their parents on a wooden bench in front of a brick house in Haarlem, the last frame of their family walk — Five past four, the last frame

Planning your own afternoon in the city? Start with my photo spots in Haarlem.

Traveling with your family and planning a day in Haarlem? Discover how I work as a photographer in Haarlem.