Early in the morning, 4:30am, this was the view from our hotel window, the Old Church .. restless feet after many thousands of steps on this trip! :
The morning .. get-ready-for-more-adventures-preparation .. turned out to be a shower disaster. The shower section of the bathroom is only half enclosed. the shower drain separates the sink section. As Jan was showering she saw her flip flops floating in the sink section. The drain was plugged up. She hurried with rinsing her hair and quickly laid down some towels. Yikes! Joe skipped his shower.
After breakfast we walked to see some sights before our entry time slot for the Vermeer museum.
This was the town's water tower built in 1895. Next it was on to see the currently working windmill, grinding corn. This is 'De Roos', the last of 15 windmills that stood on the ramparts of the city. It dates from 1352. It was in 1679 when it was built on a roundel, which was part of the defenses of the city.
This is the oldest stone-built house in Delft. It was commissioned to be built by the bailiff and dike reeve, Jan de Huyter, in 1505. The coats of arms above the entrance date back to 1652. The Delfland Water Authority has been based in this building since 1645!
It was time to visit the .. New Church. Stone construction started in 1384.
Prince William (William the silent) of Orange, 1533-1584, was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years War. William was the first head of state to be assassinated by a handgun. Because the family's town of Breda was under Spanish control, he was buried here in Delft at the New Church. Here's his elaborate tomb :
and some other views within the church :
It was now our time slot to visit the Vermeer Museum. Delft is where he grew up and died at only 43. He was considered a master of using light and loved using the paint color of ultramarine blue. The paintings here are only reproductions.
He painted 'outside the box' .. painting pregnant ladies was considered taboo.
It was time to visit the Catholic church .. Maria of Jesse Church, but first :
Wow! Very impressive! Walking to lunch, a Greek restaurant :
and a group heading to city hall to get married :
and walking back behind the Catholic church to our hotel :
After an afternoon rest we walked around old town checking out a few alleys we missed and looking for a dinner spot. We walked back to our hotel to get ready for the organ concert. The area around our hotel has some popular outdoor cafes :
On to .. The Old Church and an organ concert. The organist is Bas de Vroome :
featuring tunes by Anthoni van Noordt (1619-1675), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933), and Franz Liszt (1811-1886). I really enjoyed the power .. Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BMV 561 by Bach, and the closing .. Prelude and Fugue on the name B-A-C-H by Liszt. Lonnnnng concert.
When we got back to our room, the setting sun lit up one side of the clock on the church.
It's been a fun two days in Delft. A beautiful historical Dutch visual treat.
Tomorrow after breakfast we'll drag our suitcases to the train station and try to navigate ourselves to Ghent. Wish us luck.
Take care,
Jan & Joe
Dragging your suitcases to the train station...you're sounding a little tired! You've been travelling a long time - so many adventures and sights and steps! I hope the shower works for you tomorrow morning! Glad you're returning for afternoon naps as needed!
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