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If you are interested in seeing or learning more about delftware

admin — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:42:57 +0000

If you are interested in seeing or learning more about delftware, you can visit the De Porceleyne Fles factory and take a tour. The factory is an easy twenty-minute walk from the city center. It is quite fascinating to learn the history of delftware, which was created by immigrant Italian potters inspired by Chinese porcelain brought back by early Dutch traders, and see how it is made today. At the height of its popularity in the late 17th century, there were many manufacturers throughout the country; now De Porceleyne Fles is the only "official" producer of delftware.

The company also had an architectural ceramics division and there are examples of the doorways, archways, fountains and other architectural elements which it produced. Unfortunately, that division closed in 1980. Shops throughout Delft, indeed the entire country, sell delftware.

A bit of trivia: Delft is also home to the first Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop in Europe, and, much as I love Europe’s creamy gelato, I made a beeline for some New York Super Fudge Chunk, as it had been over a year since I’d had a taste of either Ben and Jerry’s or Haagen-Daaz.

Other cities which can easily be explored from Amsterdam (and may or may not have scoop shops) include Gouda, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, and The Hague, which — not Amsterdam, as many assume — is the capital of the Netherlands

Delft is another town well worth exploring from Amsterdam

admin — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:41:57 +0000

Delft is another town well worth exploring from Amsterdam. It is a charming city with the old town mixing easily with more modern housing and development. Although the primary reason many people go to Delft is delftware, the blue and white pottery you see all over the country, the city offers a full day of things to see and do. The VVV (official tourist agency) info-shop in Delft has a very good selection of maps and guides for all of the Netherlands, even larger than that in the VVV offices in Amsterdam.

If you’re planning on traveling throughout the country, it’s worth stocking up there. You can also pick up a map and guide for your day in Delft. Delft has numerous side streets to explore and quite a few museums. One museum of particular interest to decorative arts fans like me is the Museum Lambert van Meerten, which has extensive displays of hand-painted delftware tiles housed in an 19th century mansion. There is also the Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, which is not only Delft’s historical museum but also the place where William of Orange, the founding father of the country, was assassinated in 1584. The Nieuwe Kerk contains his mausoleum, which was undergoing restoration this spring. It also contains a set of panels which explain the history of the House of Orange. The Oude Kerk is the oldest church is Delft, dating from the early 13th century.

Keukenhof is located about half-way between Haarlem and Leiden

admin — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:35:22 +0000

Keukenhof is located about half-way between Haarlem and Leiden, and there are sights of interest in both towns. We selected Leiden because we wanted to see the Valk Windmill, also known as Stedelikj Molenmuseum de Valk. This is a working windmill open to the public with exhibits inside showing the different types of windmills and explaining how this particular type, a cap windmill, works.

The miller and his family lived in the base of the windmill, and their quarters are furnished in the period. It’s interesting to see how pictures are hung on what are essentially curved walls. The Valk Windmill, the third to stand on the site, was built in 1743. The day we were there, its sails, as the blades are called, were moving with considerable force and could very easily have turned the massive millstones housed in the top of the mill, not to mention giving any one of us the ride of a lifetime.

Some Dutch Towns Worth Exploring

admin — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:30:12 +0000

Capital cities are so often primary destinations that one tends to forget that there are whole countries to be explored beyond them. The Netherlands not only has a beautiful countryside and many wonderful smaller towns to explore, it is also particularly well suited for such exploration. Their train system is very well developed and the flat terrain is great for cyclists of all abilities. Using Amsterdam as a base, there are numerous day trips which can help you get to know more of the country.

If you planned your trip to coincide with bulb season, or just happen to find yourself in the Netherlands in April or May, take a trip to the Keukenhof, a 70-acre showcase of Holland bulbs. Long beds of various varieties of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths line the pathways, and small garden vignettes are planted strategically throughout the park and tucked into corners. You’ll soon figure out that the park is really a big sales pitch for Holland bulbs, but the plantings are so gorgeous that you readily forgive the growers. The most incredible display I saw this spring was a broad path completely filled with small blue hyacinths and bordered with clusters of tulips and daffodils. When it comes to bulbs, I learned, the more the better.

Had the day been nicer, we would have taken a train from Amsterdam to Haarlem, rented bicycles at the train station and ridden down to the park. Instead, because it was cold and cloudy, we took advantage of the Rail Idee package which included the cost of the train ticket to Haarlem or Leiden, the bus ride from the train station to Keukenhof and admission to the park.