Daydreaming in Delft (23/08)

A lovely historical city surrounded by canals and laden with side streets and stalls, bicycles and bridges! Embodied by the busy morning at the large market square separating the Town Hall, Nieuwe and the Oude Kerk which was in full-swing as I parked my bike after a rather traumatic 20km ride. I visited both churches. Impressive both inside and out. Indeed the former held the grave of William of Orange, only the ‘Father of the Fatherland’ and the later that of Johannes Vermeer, a world famous painter considered a true master of light. Being the art lover that I am I had to pay a visit to the Vermeer Centrum where a replica timeline of all his works, an astonishingly small amount, mounts the walls. Further rooms explored the techniques of the Delft painter whose rather mysterious life leaves still much to uncover.

But perhaps Delft’s most well-known influence on the Netherlands today is through its pottery: the characteristic blue and white ceramics are rooted in the city and found alongside copies of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Milkmaid in almost every shop. I also went to see the Botanical Gardens where a thatched viewing tower produced a beautiful view over Delft's greenery. Not to be out done, the view from the top of the Nieuwe Kerk was spectacular in its urban complexion. In case you’re wondering a trip up the Oude Kerk tower was not possible as it actually resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa in structure! Everywhere I went I found myself daydreaming about living in Delft.