Netherlands
Delft

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    • Day 59

      Early morning last look at Delft

      November 11, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      After a good nights sleep we were up pretty early. We had a delicious breakfast at the Hotel - another big tick as the options for breakfast were huge and it was all fantastic. As we had some time we thought we would do a little bit more of a wander around the town. I had discovered a few squares and areas while looking at the Christmas lights, so we returned to some of these areas and discovered some others. Next time I would like to spend at least 3 days in Delft and see it all.

      After checking out of the hotel we headed to the train station, a whopping 5 minute walk! On arrival we discover there has been an accident car vs train and so there is pandemonium as so many trains have been cancelled or delayed. Luckily Brigitte went to speak to someone who advised us to get to Rotterdam and then jump on a train to Brussels MIDI which is what we did. Our tickets seemed to work so all good.

      There was a couple sitting in front of me who was talking about getting off the train in Antwerp to see the station, but because of the accident trains were being diverted around Antwerp Centraal. I told them that this was the case and then Donny and I chatted for the next 2.5 hours whilst his husband slept. He was a lovely guy from Florida and he and his hubby are hoping to buy a place in Valencia, Spain and retire in the next 4-5 years. They were just doing a side trip to Brugge before heading back to Amsterdam and then flying to Valencia to spend a couple of weeks there to experience life in “the hood”.

      We exchanged email details so maybe one day we will catch up somewhere, I suspect that they like to have a good time.

      We arrived in MIDI a little after 1.15pm and caught the train out to Ottiginies where Stef picked us up. We had a late lunch of cheese sandwiches which was great. We decided to go out to the local brasserie in Wavre where we both had steak - my first one this trip and it was fantastic and we both had an early night as we were exhausted after our week of travelling.
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    • Day 6

      Delft

      February 15 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      We headed out into the early morning rain in Rotterdam, and decided on a tram to the station over being soaked! A relatively short hop saw us unto Delft, a quintessially beautiful Dutch town, more reminiscent of Ypres with canals than the urban sprawl of Rotterdam. We meandered canalside to the leaning church and the windmill, before heading to the Royal Delft museum via the market square and Oostpoort. The museum was well worth a visit, exploring the history of Delft blue pottery and some beautiful items. The Picasso exhibit wasn't terribly exciting but that's likely more personal preference than anything else. We rounded off Delft in the Delft Brouwhuis for a flight of local beers, before hopping on a train to Leidan.

      Oh...and everyone goes everywhere on bicycles in the Netherlands!!
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    • Day 26

      Oude Kerk (Old Church), Delft

      April 19, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

      Thankfully the sun was shining this morning so we hit the streets to see as much as we can before the rain starts again. First up this morning we visited the Oude Kerk, the Old Church, founded in 1246 and located in the old city center of Delft. Nicknamed Oude Jan (Old John) and Scheve Jan (Skewed John), it is a Gothic Protestant church most famous for its seventy-five meter high leaning tower and is the oldest church in Delft. In 1654, the church windows were destroyed when a nearby gunpowder depot exploded in the city.

      The thing we love with these old churches is how unique they all are, the history, and amazing architecture, the ancient artworks, and so much more. What is striking about this church is how unadorned the walls and ceilings are, with its plain white walls and wooden ceiling giving the church an expansive and empty feel. The floor is scattered with old tomb markings. It actually feels quite serene in its “plainness”. Against the plain walls the twenty-seven stained glass windows and three pipe organs are striking. The church organs date back to the years 1857 (main organ), 1873 (north aisle) and 1770 (choir). One of the two bells, the Trinitas bell, weighs almost nine-thousand kilograms and has a diameter of just over two meters, and is the largest and oldest tolling bell in the Netherlands.

      Due to its potentially damaging vibrations, the bell is only rung on rare occasions. Historically, the bell has sounded to announce disasters. Approximately four-hundred people are entombed in the Oude Kerk. Among them are the famous painter, Johannes Vermeer, and the inventor of the microscope, Anthony van Leeuwenhoek.

      What is unique here is how the city of Delft displays the history of this church, allowing tourists to learn about the history in an interesting and engaging way. It was a great start to our first full day in Delft.
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    • Day 25

      Delft, Netherlands

      April 18, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Today’s destination is Delft, a canal-ringed city in the western Netherlands, known as the manufacturing base for Delftware, hand-painted blue-and-white pottery. In its old town, the medieval Oude Kerk is the burial site of native son and Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Once the seat of the royal House of Orange, the 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk houses the family's tombs and overlooks Delft's lively market square.

      After our time in Amsterdam, Delft is delightfully small, pretty and charming. First stop while we waited to check in was to enjoy a very delicious lunch in one of the many enticing restaurants in town. I had a mouth watering bagel with brie, pumpkin cream and watercress and Brad tried the crab croquettes which were served on slabs of brown bread. A nice start to our stay here.

      Our home for the next three nights is an apartment above a restaurant in a 16th century building. It is one of the nicest apartments we have stayed in so far, even though it did feel funny having a key for the restaurant as that was our front door. While the stairs were a bit steep, the view from our apartment is amazing. We are going to enjoy our time here.

      While I chose to stay in and rest up (Covid has really knocked me about), Brad did an evening stroll to explore our area and I an hoping tomorrow I will be ready to see and enjoy all Delft has to offer.
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    • Day 27

      Delightful Delft

      April 20, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      We spent the afternoon enjoying the laneways and alleyways of Delft, with their interesting buildings, lovely canals and beautiful spaces, cafes and restaurants. Delft is such a pretty town and has definitely won us over.

      We went to a cafe next door to where we are staying for a late lunch and a couple of drinks. It was such a cool cafe with such a relaxing feel. It was a nice place to relax for the afternoon.

      After an afternoon siesta we decided to venture out again to find one of the cool cafes for dinner and a drink. With the clear skies and late sunset we thought it would be the perfect way to end our time here in Delft. What we didn’t count on was the bitterly cold wind, slow service and not so great food. I think we will choose to remember all the good things Delft had to offer and forget this experience.

      Delft is such a beautiful town and just the right size for us. We have loved our time here and are sad to be leaving so soon.
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    • Day 26

      Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), Delft

      April 19, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Next stop for the day was Nieuwe Kerk, the new church, which is still a very old church. Formally the Church of Saint Ursula, this 14th century church is the burial place of the princes of Orange. In 1584 William the Silent was entombed here in a mausoleum where the members of the House of Orange-Nassau have since been entombed. The latest royals to be buried in the Royal Crypt were Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004.

      The church itself is an elaborately designed architectural monument with twenty-two columns which surround the marble tomb of William of Orange. Legend has it that the small statue of a dog at the prince's feet starved to death following the tragic death of its owner, the prince. All around the church are memorabilia from the Dutch Royal family including paintings, and stained glass windows. The painted wooden ceiling over the marble tomb is simple yet eye-catching as once again the walls of this church are unadorned except for art work and stained glass windows. There is such a strong feeling in the simplicity of this space.

      Once again the history and meaning behind the stained glass windows, the tombs, sculptures and art work is clearly explained and we learnt a lot about the history of the royal family.

      Part of our admission ticket was the option to climb the 380 spiral worn wooden steps of the church tower. With my phobia of stairs that aren’t stable, I had to give it a miss but Brad made the climb up. Even he said it was a bit confronting. Thankfully he managed to grab some photos of the amazing view over the town and I managed to photograph him at the top. The church tower is the second highest in the Netherlands and Brad climbed a long way up. He was happy to get back to solid ground.
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    • Day 1

      Amazon traffic jams & epic bike stores.

      August 17, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Stupidly early flight coupled with easyJet sending an email warning of delays meant an early morning / late night start. Squeezed in the car - a Jumbo bike box meant seats were as far forward as possible. Thankfully Liz was the hero on both counts getting up at stupid o'clock & driving. Rain on the way didn't bode well. Also a bit jittery about the sheer quantity of stuff crammed in the bike box - official guidance states nothing but a bike. Banked on the taped up box and queues discouraging investigation as has been the case previously & so it proved. Security negotiated relatively painlessly. Similar leg room on the flight to the car but at least I had an aisle seat. Struggled to stay awake though turbulence helped. My first experience of Brexit tourism didn't help my mood - look at what you could've won - EU passports sailing through the automatic booths and massive queues for the stupid.
      Once done, Bike was there ready to be assembled. Minor panic when my pump exploded - nothing a bit of gaffer tape couldn't botch tho. By the time I'd assembled the bike the rain that followed me had passed. Just the small matter of cycling through the midst of an international hub served by numerous motorways. No worries - Holland has it sorted - 20m away from where I was sorting the bike was a superb bike lane that would proceed to guide me off road pretty much all the way to Delft. Even incorporated a lift to access a bridge. Couldn't do anything about the Amazon warehouse - took a while to get past the endless stream of Amazonia departing. Excited to see the first windmill but that quickly dissipated. Loads of windmills but no shops. Eventually found a supermarket at the halfway point in Leiden. Had lunch admiring a particularly historic windmill. For once this was in an urban setting rather than by one of the numerous canals. Pushed on and spits and spots gradually got worse & worse. With 6 miles to go the waterproof was called for. By the hotel all was damp to say the least. Checked in & was directed to the station bike car park. Never have I seen so many bikes - most of which were the Dutch tank like versions. Quick wash, explore Delft. Popped into the Jumbo supermarket - as in Jumbo Visma Cycling - living the high life.
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    • Day 4

      Delft

      August 15, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Bellissima cittadina tra i canali, ovviamente affollata di turisti.pranzo in un bar del centro. Belle le ceramiche ma a prezzi esorbitanti per noi poveri italiani

      Oude Kerk. La Chiesa Vecchia è la più antica della città. Con la sua torre pendente venne eretta a partire dal 1240, ma venne più volte ampliata e rimaneggiata. Al suo interno, tra gli altri, vennero sepolti Piet Heijn, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek e Jan Vermeer.
      Nieuwe Kerk. La Chiesa Nuova è l'edificio artistico e religioso più importante della città. Eretto in stile gotico a partire dal 1381, venne più volte rimaneggiato. Qui vengono sepolti i membri della famiglia reale olandese, fra le tombe spicca il mausoleo di Guglielmo il Taciturno, capolavoro di Hendrick de Keyser il Vecchio.
      Stadhuis. Il municipio sorge sulla centrale piazza del Mercato; venne costruito nel 1620, intorno alla vecchia torre trecentesca, da Hendrick de Keyser il Vecchio.
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    • Day 5

      Delft

      May 4, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

      We enjoyed a perfect sunny day in Delft. It's a small Dutch city with lots of charm. In addition to being the home of the Dutch master Vermeer, it's also the home of Royal Delft Blue pottery. It was a memorable day filled with beautiful sites and delicious food.Read more

    • Day 5

      Royal Delft

      May 4, 2023 in the Netherlands

      This morning, we toured the Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles or Royal Delft factory. It was interesting to learn both the history of Delft Blue pottery and the production process that has remained largely unchanged since its founding in 1653.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Delft, Делфт, Ντελφτ, דלפט, デルフト市, 代尔夫特

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