Delft Where

It's been a slow week here in Den Haag. B-'s Dad was in town for a few days, so we found ourselves playing tour guides for a city we barely know. With his Dad on his way, B-'s been working late nights to catch up - a trend I hope doesn't stick.

To catch a glimpse of the quaint and cozy 'old world' life that the Netherlands is famous for, we headed over to Delft. Delft is home to Johannes Vermeer (of "Girl with a pearl earring" fame) and Delftware, the hand-painted pottery that the Dutch copied from the Chinese. You've seen Delftware even if you don't know it - white salt and pepper shakers, plates and vases all delicately painted with blue windmills, tulips and copies of Vermeer paintings.

Delft lives up to its reputation as a very cute Dutch village, complete with canals, old churches, a big square and an ornate town hall. Our brief winter tour was quite nice, but it's easy to imagine the place overrun with tourists in the high season.

Delft canal and old church with its leaning tower.

Wooden shoe outside a tourist shop.

View of the old church and Delft from the new church tower. The "new" church was constructed in the 14th century.