Del-eft

Our plan for the weekend had been to take an early train to Delft (pronounced Del-eft), which dates back to just after 1000, spend the day there and then head to Rotterdam for dinner, a hotel and touring the next day. However, there was a rare Nederland train delay so we didn't get to Delft until about noon. We decided to get a hotel for the night there, thinking we would head to Rotterdam after breakfast on Sunday. Of course, the VVV was an awesome resource.

The VVV found us a wonderful room at the Hotel Johannes Vermeer with breakfast for €100. The reception was very friendly and the breakfast was more than adequate. We checked in, dropped off our back pack and headed to Markt, which is the town centre to get a sense of the place and grab a snack. They were having a beach festival with a giant sand volleyball court set up...not your typical view of a medieval European city. With the Stadhuis (city hall) in the background it made for a an interesting juxtaposition.

First we visited the Nieuwe Kerk (new church), its foundation was built around 1396. Some really nice stained glass work as well as the mausoleum of Prince William of Orange, make it a must stop. Then it was off to the Oude Kerk (old church) built about 1246 where Vermeer is buried - at least they think that's where he's buried. If it's one thing Delft has more of than anywhere else, it's version of Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring. Be prepared to be assaulted everywhere you turn by this image. Also, don't expect to see any real Vermeer's here. At least we didn't see any or hear that there were any to see.

Pottery
Getting my hands on some real Delftware was a major goal of this venture and is the main reason most people visit Delft. There are two factories that adhere to the traditional methods of manufacture. Royal Delft, which has been in existence since 1653 and Delft Pottery de Delftse Pauw, which is the newer joint in town.

To say the town was overrun with tourists (including us!) is an understatement. So we hedged our bets on two fronts and headed to Delftse Pauw thinking we might have better chances of not so many tour buses and better prices. Though we didn't do a direct comparison, we're pretty sure we made the right decision.

Delftse Pauw had a nice intimate feel (only one tour bus, split into English and Spanish language groups) and we bought two great pieces. A double tile landscape and a skyscape in a bowl. Unlike most pieces which are based on stencils, these were freehand illustrations by the factory's lead landscaper. And yes, we believed that line. The pieces stood out as really different to us and when we told the woman which ones we wanted she appeared genuinely excited by our selection and launched into a little background about how the pieces were different from most of the other items in the factory store. (Both factories ship anywhere in the world, no problem).

We also know from shopping in town that the Royal Delftware was about twice the price. Christmas balls at Delftse Pauw ran about €50 to €100 each, the ones from Royal Deflt we saw in town went from €75 to €175 and were a quite bit smaller.

So if it's Delftware you're after I suggest Delftse Pauw. Doing your own factory comparison shopping may be tough as they are literally on total opposite sides of town and both locations are as far from the center as you'd want to go. But if Delftware is what you're after I'd say it's worth the trucking.

Evening
After the factory tour and shopping we headed back to town where we found an amazing transformation. With the tour buses gone, there were really no people around. The restaurants that had been crowded from noon to well after lunch were empty on Saturday night. We felt we had the entire town to ourselves. If you can spare the time, try to spend the night, the town is so much less crowded and it makes the wandering of the medieval streets really magical.

During dinner we decided we were enjoying Delft so much and that we wanted to see a few of the small museums so we gave up the idea of touring Rotterdam on Sunday for another trip, another day.

Why Rotterdam?
My draw to Rotterdam goes back to being a boy. My Grandmother had been to Europe on vacation - the first person I ever knew that actually went to Europe - and she brought me back this set of photo cards from Rotterdam. It was one of the first European cities I wanted to visit and though I've traveled through on many occasions, even on my first trip to Europe in the mid-1980s, I haven't actually spent more than transit time there. My Grandmom, Nina, was the person who really woke the wanderlust in me at an early age.

We were up and moving fairly early Sunday morning, thanks in part to the beautiful church bells just a couple of blocks from our hotel window. Sunday morning reconfirmed our perception from the night before. Things were fairly quiet and then about 1p, in a way that felt all of the sudden, there were people everywhere.

Museums
The first museum we visited was the Museum Lambert van Meerten which has an amazing collection of Delftware and its precursors. It'an amazing house, worth touring for the architecture and furnishings alone. We also went to the Nusantara Museum, which is dedicated to Indonesia, a key Dutch colony. Interesting if you are curious about that part of the world or how the Dutch viewed themselves as colonizers.

To wrap up our time in Delft we headed over to see the remaining, original medieval city gate, which was built around 1400.

All in all an amazingly relaxing and pleasant weekend. I think The Rough Guide to The Netherlands sums up my feelings best, "...it's the general flavour of the place that appeals rather than any specific site."

Getting Around
Unlike most places in the Nederlands, mass transit is a little sparse. Getting around is mostly by foot power so wear your walking shoes. This isn't really an issue as there's not far to go except for the trek to the Defltware factory of your choice. There are velo taxis as well as a semi-regular "tram" service (think Disney World parking lot shuttle) around town for tourists that is a viable option with a little time planning.