A Day in Delft

Sunshine today! This was a good day to get out of town to visit Delft, about an hour south of Amsterdam by train. We started with a self-guided tour of the Royal Delft factory, one of the last remaining in Delft and nearly 400 years old.

“Delft Blue” is decorated with cobalt oxide, which paints on as black but oxidizes to blue upon firing. Becoming a master painter at Royal Delft involves an eight year training process.

The town of Delft, a university town, is quaint and lively. Of course there are canals, and plenty of outdoor dining spaces (sporting much-appreciated blankets draped over the chairs!).

We even got to see our first Dutch windmill. Although it was closed on Sunday, it is a working grain/flour mill that dates back to the late 1600s (although it has been rebuilt over the years).Read more