We checked into the Hotel Johannes Vermeer, which is right in the middle of Delft on the Molslaan Canal, and the perfect location for us. We didn’t get into the car again until Sunday, which was also a nice break! Had dinner at Le Mariage, which, as is usual in Europe, was an unrushed, leisurely (and delicious) affair.

The next day, Saturday,our first stop was the markt (market) in the center of town. What a sumptuous, glorious collection of fruits, flowers, vegetables, and other wares. We took our time going from booth to booth taking in all the scents and sights. We finally had our first crepe! Oooo la la! Just as delicious as promised. I don’t know why I had in my mind that crepes were made with eggs…no; they made with buckwheat batter, slightly sweet, and made right in front of you. A circular, flat hot plate is heated up and the batter poured onto it, with the batter being spread thin. It can be filled with all kinds of wonderful things; we chose Nutella. Yeah, that was terrible…not. Just a perfect treat.

From there, we took a boat tour on the canals. It may have been a little touristy, but it really does give you a unique view of the city and the house fronts. Delft officially became a city in the 13th century; the name comes from delf, or canal. It was destroyed in a fire in the 1500s and almost destroyed again in the 1650s when a gunpowder magazine exploded.

For history buffs, Delft became the home of William of Orange (Orange being a small principality, now located in France), leader of Holland’s fight for independence. Holland won its independence in 1581. For football (soccer) buffs, now you know why Holland teams wear orange jerseys.

 

Part of our tour was also a walking tour of the city. So much to see…churches, shopfronts, restaurants, coats of arms…it’s lovely. One of the stops was where William of Orange, sadly, was assassinated just three years after winning Holland’s independence.

From there, of course, we wanted to shop for Delftware. Be aware that even if you buy Delftware in Delft, unless it is authenticated, it may actually have been made in China. Store owners, who often are the artists making the Delftware, will provide you with a certificate of authenticity that you can keep with your pieces. We went to De Blauwe Tulp (The Blue Tulip) and were very pleased. I’m afraid I’ve forgotten the gentleman’s name who, with two women also trained at Royal Delft, designs, paints, and fires the pieces in the shop. He was gracious enough to show us how it’s all done and show us pieces in various stages of production. (We had thought of taking the tour at Royal Delft, but decided we really wanted to wander about and discover the shops on our own.)

That evening, we sat in front of our hotel, ordered some drinks from its restaurant, and had an easy supper of cheese, bread, and fruit that we’d bought at the market earlier in the day. A perfect day!