To some it might be obvious that Delft is the name of a city in the Netherlands. But I remember the day when I was chatting with a friend at church about the Netherlands, long before I knew I would be living here one day.
When he mentioned the city of Delft, I was confused. The Delft I was familiar with was the small pottery that my grandma and mom collected years ago. There was a city named Delft? And that is where the pottery originated from? Unreal!
Since he and I both went to school in Pella, we joked about how the school slacked on teaching us this knowledge. It seems like the first thing a Dutch town would teach in school is the geography of the Netherlands. But thanks to this friend, I had one more piece of knowledge to take with me when I moved here. One more thing to make me just a little more familiar with the country.
Life Update
Before I get into our visit to the city of Delft, I thought I might update you on daily life here.
Lately there have been several groups from Vermeer Pella visiting the Netherlands, so Jeremy has been busy with extra meetings and dinners. I also get to meet some of these people, which is very fun! I love talking about what is going on in Pella and learning about their families. Now that the weather is improving, all the restaurants have outdoor seating. It is so fun to enjoy the outdoors over a meal. Last week we got to watch the sun set over the water as we chatted about Pella. Very enjoyable.
We learned several weeks ago that our landlord wants to sell our apartment. So we will have to move to a different spot in Goes this summer. I have loved living in the Center, in the hustle and bustle of the busy shoppers. I have also loved my view of the beautiful churches behind our apartment. And I love the wooden deck off the back of our apartment. But that will come to an end in a few months. We have a Expat Services company that will help us find a new place to call our Dutch home.
The Goes library has free Dutch language services that I am going to start taking advantage of. They have a couple of groups that can help me with my conversation, since that is an area I need help with. I am doing well in writing and grammar, but since I don’t have many people to speak Dutch with, I struggle with how to go about forming verbal sentences. It is a difficult language. Anyway, I look forward to advancing in my speaking and listening skills at the local library.
The City of Delft
Jeremy and I have discovered an online tour company that provides self guided tours in several Dutch cities. We have so enjoyed these tours in both Rotterdam and Delft. The tour app, Bite and Bike, guides you to several spots of interest and also gives you sample foods unique to the town. It is so fun. That is how we spent the day in Delft.
First stop, ‘t Klaeushofge. A “hofje” is a small community built centuries ago for unmarried or widowed women who need assistance. They were built by weathy businessmen and their families. As you can see, the homes were built in a square with a courtyard in the middle. There used to be twelve in the town of Delft, but now only 5 remain. These hofjes are still in use by singles who pay very low rent.
The East Gate, or "Oostpoort"
This is one of the original city gates, built in the 14th century. It is one of just a few gates left in the Netherlands that have a certain Gothic architecture. There is a small piece of the original city wall attached to it. Today it is inhabited by private dwellers who run a small gallery inside.
Water Life
Just like all of the Netherlands, water is a big part of life in Delft. The big fancy building below is the original home of the Canal Master from years ago. He kept an eye on the state of the canals, making sure the levels were sufficient and pollution was kept at a minimum. Today the counsel that takes care of all things water related still meets here. You can also see the Woonboten in the pictures below, the house boats. Many people live on boats to avoid land tax. The water doesn’t freeze anymore, so they can stay year round. The last two pictures are of the rowing club Laga. This thriving rowing club has been here since early 1900s and is one of the oldest in the Netherlands.
The Delft Shop: The Candelaer
There are many shops in Delft that sell Delft pottery, but I took pictures in this shop because they let us get a glimpse of how it is made. Notice the dried pots before they are fired in the kiln, the pieces inside the kiln, and the many molds used to give the pottery its shape. Fun fact: Delft pottery was originally made and sold as a cheaper version of Chinese blue and white porcelain. But it isn’t porcelain at all. It is baked clay with a layer of glaze given after baking.
Hidden Church
Around the 17th century, Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith. Churches built plain looking exteriors that did not draw attention to the fact that they were a church, but kept the beauty of the church’s interior. The pictures below are of a church that is still in place since the 17th century and still holds services. The front door is off an inner courtyard and not on a main street.
Cool Buildings
This is a home of two brothers who owned the brewery “De Vis” across the street. See the next picture of the white bridge for more about these brothers.
This bridge was built by the brothers who lived on one side of the street and ran a brewery on the other side of the street. Rumor has it that these brothers did not allow anyone but themselves to use this bridge. Everyone else had to cross the canal by a different means.
The house with the scaffolding in front is the former house of the famous painter Johannes Vermeer. He lived here during his adult life with his wife and 15 children.
This is a random cafe, but if you look closely you can see individual delft buildings above the awning.
We passed this building by chance, but I loved the very old “Shoemaker” sign painted above the door.
This is the main big church in the city center. Notice how the bell tower is tilting! The church took two hundred years to build, and suffered many setbacks. Lack of money, fire, immediate sinking, and more. Johannes Vermeer is buried in this church.
One of my favorite stores, the Heinen Delft Blauw. It sells, well, Delft pottery.
Not a point of interest necessarily, but I recognized this structure as one that would have been a grain or goods storage center years ago. It has all the tell tale features: next to a canal, large windows, shutters, and the hook at the top for hoisting goods to the top.
Inside a cute little cheese shop in Delft.
I had to take a picture of this beautiful plant store. The very sight of it made me smile.
This is known as the smallest house in Delft. A town doctor used to live here years ago. He treated people at his home and also made house calls.
Other Fun Items
I’m a sucker for these street organs. I just think they are so cool.
The girl in this photo (not me) is in Vermeer’s most famous painting, Girl With A Pearl Earring.
The city painted their planters blue and white to go with the Delft theme.
In Conclusion
That is the end of the Delft tour! Such a quaint and beautiful town. When walking around the Center, it seems small. But the population of Delft is actually around 100,000 people. Add in all the tourists and it doubles!
I appreciate all of you who read my blog and support this wild and wonderful adventure. The blog helps me feel connected with my friends and family who are a world away. 🙂
That pulpit reminds me of the one in Scholte Curch!
You may have to be our tour guides if we get back there! I’m just loving all your pictures!!!
Love and miss you both!
Aunt Jann