Delft Day

Welcome to our day in the city of Delft. It is the Delft so famous for the blue and white painted china pieces. It is the Delft of quaint old brick streets, bustling markets, and a church worthy of royalty. We saw it all. But you only get to see a couple churches. 

My apologies. 

But, I have to leave you things to discover for yourselves and a reason to come visit and see the sites!

Plus, my photography skills wouldn't be able to do the town justice anyway. But you may be comforted knowing that you can probably look the town up on Google Images and find photos that are even more picturesque than real life. . . if that is possible in Delft. 

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy our little visit to Delft . . .

We started in de Nieuwe Kerk (the New Church) which is not so new. And the observant viewer will notice that the steeple is multicolored, this is due to some reconstruction as a result of lightning.  

The Nieuwe Kerk is the resting place of Dutch Royalty. The raised block framed by rope lifts to reveal a vault where the caskets are lain. In modern days a crane is used  to lift the gigantic slab, in the days of old they must have had employed giants. 

The most decorated and perhaps the Royal that all the royals of The Netherlands owe their royalty to is William I, Prince of Orange. He led the revolt against the Spanish and over threw their rule so that The Netherlands could be an independent country. In 1584, he was assassinated in Delft and so they buried him there in this magnificent monument. 

In a church in The Netherlands you always have to look up to see how the ceiling is decorated. 

The Oude Kerk (the Old Church) of Delft is indeed old. The building project that still stands was begun in 1246 AD, but a church had been meeting in that spot but the spot was the meeting place of the church in Delft since about 1000 AD. We saw a map of Delft in 1246 AD  . . . it gave a whole new meaning to the idea of a 'small and rural'. 

The interior of the Oude Kerk. This church has been through a lot over the years, so unfortunately those windows are fairly new. 

But this pulpit is an old treasure. 

The craftsmanship is indescribable, and all the more for having survived since 1548, yes ladies and gentlemen, the pulpit has been decorating Delft 40 years longer than Prince William of Orange. 

A side chapel of the church with miniature pulpit and miniature organ (right). 

Town square of Delft. A sort of market was going on so some very modern is mixed in with the classic buildings.

This sign is letting us know that we are leaving Delft. 

Yes, we traveled to and from Delft on our bicycles and we enjoyed all 16 miles (round trip) of it.  

I enjoyed the trip so much I thought I would share some of it via photos. 

Plus, I've been wanting to show you what it looks like to ride bike in The Netherlands so that I can illustrate the comfort and safety involved in the experience. I wish the U.S. would copy this design. 

The Netherlands may be small, but somehow there is plenty of open space to enjoy. 

Here is a good example of a little country house. We enjoyed many such sites during our ride. 

Culture & Curiosities

   We have been marveling at small things more readily than usual because everything is fresh for us. And we are eager to experience parts of the culture that are new for us, but engrained in the daily routines of many people around us.
      This post is dedicated to the things that we notice, do, or accumulate that fit into the aforementioned category. I plan to maintain a fresh outlook so that this post can grow.

 They're ours! After 2 weeks of walking around in the 'heaven on earth' for bike-lovers we have finally purchased our own set of wheels. My blue beauty is featured in this photo. 

This one is Luke's bike. We couldn't have asked for better bikes, they are used but they came complete with racks, tire guards (for the puddle splashes), lights, and bungie cords. 

I had been wondering if Pilates was popular in Holland and this flyer answered my silent wonderings. And, this flyer has the perfect motivational image. I mean, if a giraffe can manage it, then it must be easy and great for humans too. 

And if you aren't build long like a giraffe, Pilates is also a good choice for those of rodent proportions. 

This was our first surprise package, it's a 'welcome to the neighborhood' package from the city of Rotterdam. I have to find a good way to display the box as a decoration because it really is sharp looking. 

What's inside that box/package? Coupons! Europe is known for rarely having sales and there are never coupons in the newspapers here, but we hit the jackpot in this box! Of course, they do appear to be places we will probably never go . . . except perhaps to Dolce & Gabbana to pick up our free boxershort.

 (If you want to see that particular coupon it is blue and you can see the photo up close by clicking on the picture. Gratis = free)

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We have begun to make our apartment more of a home by adding a few personal touches, but we are seeking to fit in with the simple (even to the point of being bare) decorating style which it works great for us, since we don't have much and knickknacks aren't a part of our budget. 

That being said, I indulged while going through a 'flea market' of sorts here. 4 euro for the picture and 3 for the vase, the flowers were a gift from our school for finally receiving our residence permits and to my joy they fit together pretty well. 

It is common to leave curtains wide open pretty much all of the time in The Netherlands. One reason is that natural light is quite valued, why pay to light your house when the sun does it for free? The other reason is connected with culture, and having your curtains open means you have nothing to hide. 

Yet, if you don't want people to see exactly what you are doing all of the time, you can decorate your windows at the same time as obscuring them for a bit of privacy. This trend is common in Rotterdam and so we jumped on the band wagon and added some removable decor to our kitchen windows. 

Apartments, and homes here generally don't usually come with washing machines. So we were creative (and slightly unclean) for 2 months before received our paychecks and purchased this beauty. We had to put some extra towels under her so that she doesn't rock and buffet like a ship on stormy seas while spinning our clothes, but since then she's worked hard to keep our clothing clean. 

Our first package arrived! Thanks Mom and Dad Ridout! We didn't realize how fun it would be to see the simplest of American things. . . including plastic grocery bags. 

Nothing like chipotle chili powder to put a smile on your face. Yes, we appreciate the little things in life, especially when you can't find them in your grocery stores. 

What does Autumn look like in The Netherlands? Near our house it looks just like this. 

I've always wanted to attend church in one of these old buildings and that dream has come true. This church building was built in 1933, survived the bombing of Rotterdam and while the original congregation is rapidly dwindling, small church gatherings like the one we belong to are putting the building to good use. 

This is for all of my fellow Frisians. If we were born a mere 1,000 years or so sooner we could have been walking around with one of these on our head. The Rijksmuseum of Leiden houses these extremely unique fragments-- most cloth from that time period and location has completely disintegrated but if my memory serves me right, the peat bogs helped these survive. 

A model/replica photograph can be seen in the upper right hand corner. 

I just wish the museum had sold replicas because I want to see my brothers in their native garb. 

Visiting Dordrecht

         Dordrecht is a small city just 20 minutes South of where we teach. Last weekend we were graciously invited to join one of our co-workers and her family on a tour of the city (Dordrecht) where they live. We also enjoyed a wonderful evening with them, but I just have pictures of our town tour.

Us by the harbor of Dordrecht!

We're still in the tourist stage where we sometimes just take photos of cool looking buildings. 

The City Hall. A wedding was going on outside and another was lined up in the road waiting to take it's turn. Here it is customary to go to the City Hall to be legally married and then a church to be blessed by a pastor. 

The Church of Dordrecht is one that every good Reformed Christian should appreciate because we have them (in part) to thank for hosting the writing of the Canons of Dordt! The Canons weren't written right in the church but the authors got together there to worship before writing. 

Inside the Church of Dordrecht. It has a a beautiful, light interior and two organs; this is the smaller of the two and unfortunately I neglected to take a picture of the larger one. 

The seats of important persons. Made in the 1500's!

This was a gorgeous stain glass window from the early 1900's. It's very ornate and told the story of Creation, Fall, Redemption. I felt that it was fitting for such a Reformed church.

Scenic view the docked boats. Dordrecht is also right along the Maas River. 

Brick, brick, beautiful brick.

Old city gate. The apartments along this road were very modernized, but they retained the old brick and shutters. 

Example of old brick.

Another view of the old gate. 

That tower in the distance is a Dutch water tower, it serves the same purpose as those in the USA, it just looks more quaint while doing it. 

I love the orange roofs. 

And I also love blue roofs.

I just couldn't get enough of these canal views so I thought I'd add another for people who agree with me.

Some Rotterdam

Rotterdam's Central Station. Here you can hop on a train, tram, metro or bus and you can be on your way to pretty much anywhere in The Netherlands or on your way to another country if you want to. We don't see this particular angle of it often, but this is the station we take every day to get to work. If you didn't notice, it is under construction ( see the large crane ruining the view?). But construction is supposed to be done by this May! We're excited to see it. But Rotterdam people think it's about time . . . it's been over 2 years.

If you love innovative architecture Rotterdam is a good place to be (notice the wavy white buildings?). And I always appreciate cities that include greenways. 

America Today. Supposedly this is what America is wearing today. Tell me, my fellow Americans, does it look like your wardrobe was put on those mannequins and is now for sale to unsuspecting Europeans? Whatever the case, Europeans seem to think it's cool because it appears to be a pretty popular brand.

The market, or as they say here "markt". I promised photos and here they are. But they do no justice to the market, I had to take them quickly because the crowds are unbelievable and I didn't want to offend vendors by photographing their stalls. 

The stall on the right is selling fish and all sorts of it. It's quite the smell to walk by, even if it is all very fresh.