After more than 12 days of sunshine, we woke Monday morning in Haarlem to the sound of rain and wind. We took our time over breakfast, and headed down to the train station about 11:00 AM. Here's a picture of our hotel, The B&B Hotel Malts. It is located within a block of the Old City market square.
The Hotel Malts in Harlem
Our room is the one just behind the hanging flower pot on the second level, with the tall, almost floor to ceiling windows. I don't know why I didn't take a picture when the sun was shining. In any event, if you come to Haarlem, I recommend it.
A cheese shop on the way to the train.
The Monday after Pentecost Sunday is a holiday in the Netherlands (called Second Pentecost or White Monday). As a result, most of the stores were closed, except for this cheese store.
For the holiday, Haarlem was filled with street organs like this one. We saw several on the way to the train station. I understand that the Muller organ and the street organs will play duets during the day.
The East Gate
By the time we arrived in Delft and checked into our hotel, (overlooking the Beestenmarkt, where all of the cattle were originally sold in Delft), the rain had disappeared and the afternoon was sunny. We stopped by the TI and picked up a walking tour and started following it to the Oostpoort (East Gate). This is the only one of Delft's medieval gates that is still intact.
Kathy looking at the fish.
It is a beautiful city. The name "Delft" means canal and there are canals everywhere. The historic center of Delft actually consists of eleven islands, connected by eighty bridges. The Market square used to be its own island with eight bridges. Those canals have now been filled in.
Lunch By the Old Church
By 2:00 PM, we were hot and hungry, so we stopped at a cafe by the Old Church and had some sandwiches for lunch. One thing Kathy and I have noticed is the nice presentations given to even the least expensive meals.
I don't think so!
While we were at the cafe, though, Kathy noticed that they made their own gin, so she took a picture of it. Afterwards we kept on with the walking tour.
The Location of Vermeer's "Little Street"
In 2015, a historian discovered the location of Vermeer's painting, "The Little Street," which we saw at the Rjksmuseum in Amsterdam. Nothing is left of the actual houses, but the city marked the location by placing a replica of a portion of the painting where it originally appeared.
Steve on Vermeer's Little Street Bridge
While Vermeer's building has been replaced, the canal and the street itself look very much like they did in his day.
The New Church in Delft
This is the back side of the New Church (from the 1500s) where William of Orange and his heirs are buried. William of Orange is the George Washington of his country; he rebelled against the Spanish Habsburgs who controlled all of the low countries, and he founded the modern Netherlands. The current royal family is still controlled by his descendants.
Waiting for Gelato
By 4:00 PM we were hot and tired again, so we stopped for a gelato at de Lelie. We wanted to stop right after lunch, but didn't because of the line. Apparently, the line never goes away and in our case it only got longer. After a short break, we were ready to go on.
The View from Delft
Once we got to the outskirts of town, we found the place where Vermeer painted "The View from Delft." Like "The Little Street," it's not exactly recognizable from the painting. We continued walking until about 7:30 PM and then went looking for some dinner.
First Course in Delft
The weather was perfect, but because it was a holiday, many of the restaurants in our guidebook were not open. Others were just closed on Monday. We finally found the Eetcafe de Verbeelding ("The Imagination") where we were able to sit on tables floating in the canal.
Eating in Delft
The restaurant offered a three-course meal for $25, which was really special for us. It was picture-postcard perfect. Tomorrow we're off to see "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" in The Hague.
I love your travel log. Keep blessing us.
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