Gemeente Delft, Netherlands Travel Journals & Blogs

Traveler Exploring Europe 2023
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- Apr 20, 2023
- ☁️ 11 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Netherlands South Holland Gemeente Rijswijk t Haantje Zwethkanaal 52.011578, 4.35706852°0’42” N 4°21’25” E
Day 27
Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles, Delft
April 20, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Today we visited the Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles which translates to The Porcelain Jar, and is also known as the Royal Delft factory. Founded in 1635, it is the last remaining active earthenware factory of the original thirty-two factories that operated in Delft during the 17th century. Delftware production has been in continuous operation here for over 350 years with the story of Royal Delft dating back to the year 1653 when the production of the unique Delft Blue earthenware began in the Netherlands. It was inspired by blue painted porcelain brought back from China which was unique and never seen before in Europe. So began a love affair for the Dutch and the Delft Blue porcelain.

Nowadays, antique collectors recognize that delftware produced by De Porceleyne Fles, (also known as Royal Delft) is the gold standard in delftware. The earthenware produced at Koninkliike Porceleyne Fles is individually coded with a factory mark, item number, artist's initials, a date code, and even a certificate of authenticity.

Visiting the factory was such an interesting and informative visit and the way the information is presented is engaging. We got to walk through the factory and see the process of creating these beautiful pieces. It so understandable why each piece is so expensive. I fell in love with the porcelain houses but at €245 each, I had to make do with some cheaper replicas.

Also on display in the Royal Delft Factory was an art display called Flowers in Blue by Bas Meeuws, a digital artist who created stunning pieces on acrylic of gorgeous floral arrangements in the beautiful Delftware vases. The colours were so vibrant and the pieces of art were stunning. It is fantastic seeing artists being featured in the historic places in Delft, such a contrast between old and new. Delft certainly sets the standard when it comes to amalgamation between history and our modern era. It has really impressed us.Read more
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Traveler Exploring Europe 2023
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- Apr 19, 2023, 11:45am
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Altitude: 1 m
- Netherlands South Holland Delft Nieuwe Kerk 52.012077, 4.36023552°0’43” N 4°21’37” E
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.Read more
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Traveler Exploring Europe 2023
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- Apr 19, 2023, 2:00pm
- ☀️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 4 m
- Netherlands South Holland Delft 52.011452, 4.36256252°0’41” N 4°21’45” E
Day 26
Beestenmarkt, Delft
April 19, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
The church itself is situated in the main square in Delft, Markt. At the opposite end of the church is the stunning City Hall. This building is breathtaking, as everywhere you looked there was something more to see and admire, another angle to photograph, another feature to be impressed by. With the church at one end and City Hall at the other, it is easy to see why this is the main square. There was so much to look at.

Brad needed a breather after his strenuous climb so we made our way to the nearby Beestenmarkt, a beautiful square filled with bars and restaurants, and the perfect place to stop and enjoy our surroundings. It was so enjoyable being sat in the sunshine enjoying an antipasto platter with a local wine for me and beer for Brad. This is one of the things we love about travelling - the down time to sit back and people watch and just enjoy our surroundings. It has been a bit hard to do that too much so far on this trip due to the cold weather but hopefully as it gets warmer we will have more and more of these days.Read more
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Traveler Exploring Europe 2023
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- Apr 19, 2023, 3:30pm
- ☀️ 16 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Netherlands South Holland Delft 52.011429, 4.3614152°0’41” N 4°21’41” E
Day 26
Maria van Jessekerk, Delft
April 19, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
We managed to visit one more church before calling it a day (of course we did). The Maria van Jessekerk is the inner city church of the Ursula parish and has the longest history. Where the priestly choir is now, there was already a Roman Catholic church in 1733. The church was designed by Everard Margry, pupil of the well-known architect Pierre Cuypers and Margry has paid a lot of attention to details. For example, the left tower resembles that of the New Church, while the design for the right tower is derived from that of the Oude Kerk.

Inside this church is very different to the old and the new church we visited earlier today. The walls are covered with beautiful coloured murals, the stained glass windows sparkle from all sides, the ancient pulpit and altarpiece, icons and the Maarschalkerweerd organ are so detailed and interesting. It is a rich tapestry of light and colour and we were so glad we popped in to check it out.

We have spent a wonderful day exploring Delft and its beautiful laneways and canals but we’re happy to call it a day as the wind picked up and the weather turned colder.Read more
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Traveler France 2022
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- Nov 10, 2022, 11:00am
- ⛅ 12 °C
- Altitude: 6 m
- Netherlands South Holland Gemeente Rijswijk t Haantje Zwethkanaal 52.011078, 4.35834752°0’40” N 4°21’30” E
Day 58
Delightful Delft
November 10, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
On the advice of the receptionist we headed towards the centre of Delft as there is a market every Thursday of food and other stuff! It was about a 10 minute stroll into the Centrum. We passed so many beautiful houses and canals, the place has a real “fairytale” feel about it. There is a beautifully maintained city hall and a number of churches scattered about as well. In the marketplace we came upon a lovely store where they hand paint most of their products. I bought a couple of beautiful Christmas decorations and a small vase.

After our retail therapy session we wandered around the market a bit, but decided we needed to find a restaurant for lunch as we both were feeling hungry after our early start and small breakfast. We found a lovely place called Het Konings Huys (House of the King) where Brigitte had a steak and chips and I had fish and chips with salad and we had a lovely bottle of Malbec with the meal.

After lunch we wandered around the market a bit more, I got some delicious liquorice and then we went to a cheese man where we were able to try some delicious cheeses. Brigitte ended up buying over 3 kilos of cheese and it is all absolutely delicious. The other food item Brigitte gets from Holland is their strope waffles which are a couple of flat waffles with sugar syrup in the middle, very nice but need to eat in moderation.

There was a very talented busker performing at the market, he had a wonderful voice, I could have stayed and listened to him for ever. We continued wandering around the lovely narrow streets, crossing over quaint bridges and enjoying the sites. Our last stop was at De Candelaar & De Blauwe Tulp Pottery where I bought a pendant and met the artist who painted it.

We then headed back to the hotel to have a bit of down time.Read more
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Traveler Exploring Europe 2023
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- Apr 20, 2023
- ☁️ 11 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Netherlands South Holland Delft Oude Kerk 52.012299, 4.35735652°0’44” N 4°21’26” E
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.Read more
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Helene Rimberg The Grand Adventure
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- Jul 6, 2023
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Netherlands South Holland Gemeente Delft Buitenhof 51.989186, 4.33590251°59’21” N 4°20’9” E
Day 5
First real riding day
July 6, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Beautiful riding through countryside and amongst canals. Many types of animals including llama and Turkey. Lots of navigating - following the number nodes. Make it to nature campground outside of delft. Good thing days are really long !Read more
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Traveler Cruising in Northern Europe
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- Feb 15, 2024, 12:44pm
- ☁️ 14 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Netherlands South Holland Delft Oude Kerk 52.012347, 4.35664852°0’44” N 4°21’24” E
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!!Read more
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Niederlande
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- Sep 11, 2022, 2:13pm
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Altitude: 2 m
- Netherlands South Holland Gemeente Rijswijk t Haantje Zwethkanaal 52.010533, 4.35820852°0’38” N 4°21’30” E
Day 14
13. Tag: Delft
September 11, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Und schon wieder ist eine Woche rum. Da Sonntag um 15.30 Uhr Union spielte, blieb uns nicht all zu viel Zeit davor, dennoch liefen wir von unserem Campingplatz 30 min ins Centrum von Delft.
Denn schlendern geht immer!
Wir startet mit einer heißen Schokolade in den Tag. Die Besonderheit war, dass man sie hier ein Stück Schokolade am Stiel aussuchen kann und dieser anschließend mit heißer Milch übergossen wird. Bestimmt war damit schon unser Kalorienbedarf für den Tag gedeckt, aber es war köstlich. 😮‍💨
Anschließend liefen wir durch die belebte Innenstadt.
Ein Cocktail hier, ein bisschen stöbern im Second Hand Shop da und frischer Zaziki und Knoblauchsoße fürs Grillen wurden gekauft.
Pünktlich zum Anpfiff ging dann auch der Grill an und während Union siegte haben wir uns dann den Bauch vollgeschlagen. Ab jetzt ist Union SPITZENREITER!
Abgerundet wurde der Tag mit mehreren Runden Wickingerschach und vielen Runden „Nochmal“.Read more
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Traveler Exploring Europe 2023
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- Apr 19, 2023, 9:30am
- ⛅ 11 °C
- Altitude: 2 m
- Netherlands South Holland Delft Oude Kerk 52.012604, 4.35587752°0’45” N 4°21’21” E
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.Read more
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