European Trip 34: Delft, Holland

Friday 25th October 2024 (day 42)

The small canal-ringed city of Delft has a long history. It was once the seat of the royal House of Orange and is where William of Orange was assassinated. He is buried, along with other members of the Royal family, in Nieuwe Kirk. It was also the birthplace and lifelong home of Johannes Vermeer, the artist, who is buried in the medieval Oude Kirk.

The city is beautiful like Amsterdam, but everything that Amsterdam is not. Not too busy, not too large, not overwhelming. There was a nice buzz about the place.

Most people know Delft as being the origin of Delft pottery and its distinctive blue and white pattern.

The common Dutch motif of the two children kissing, also appears to be a Delft thing:

Of course there were some other interesting shops:

We also found a nice place to take some refreshment in the Market Square, right in front of the Town Hall, where a wedding took place:

Wandering further around the city centre, on Oude Delft, there is the oldest house which was commissioned in 1505:

…and a little further on, we found the grain mill, which was working. There is a shop below, which sells freshly ground flour and other grains:

We were very impressed with Delft. Such a nice compact city with a huge amount of history.

We found it a little difficult to find a suitable place to stay overnight so are spending the night further south-east, near Rotterdam. TTFN. See you later.