Travel Review - Delft - Netherlands
by Gareth
Delft is one of the most visited towns in The Netherlands. Conjuring up images of brick paved streets, canals glistening in the summer sun casting adrift their lilies as the small canal boats silently slip along, under small humpbacked bridges, barely high enough to get under without ducking your head. Images of tall golden haired people propelling themselves along on old granddad bikes. And, of course, the famous Delft Pottery. An industry held up by the tourists with only a small handful of factories making the pretty clear glazed white pots, carefully hand painted in blue by the pottery artists, so tourists can literally take a piece of Delft back home with them.
This is Delft and much more besides. It makes for a simple and relaxed weekend break. An hour’s flight from Gatwick and 30 minutes by train. Most of the people speak English, which for me is very handy; my Dutch is limited to a handful of pleasantries. I honestly think if I wanted to try and talk Dutch they wouldn’t let me, such is their grasp of English. The MTV generation they call it.
What adds to the peace is that everyone cycles around the town, one up, two up or even three up on their Old Dutch bicycles. You do get the odd car or scooter, but the bike is the main means of transport. I did see the odd water taxi gliding through the canals, but never saw where you get on or off one.
As with a lot of European towns, Delft has a splendid square, fully equipped with a church at one end and a town hall at the other and of course, the ubiquitous restaurants and cafes with their chairs and parasols allowing you to rest and soak up the atmosphere of the medieval buildings, while sipping a cool beer in the shade.
Delft is indeed a town of charm, the waterways coursing through the streets are scattered with water lilies, and people are on the streets outside their house with their dining tables and chairs eating their evening meals. You may even see the students, just sitting on their doorstep with a guitar, playing and watching the world go by.
There are a number of attractions to visit. There are the churches, the New Church, with it's giddying stair ascent to the top of its tower and the old church with it wonderful stained glass windows and leaning tower. Make sure you get to both of them.
Other attractions are the Princenhof where, in 1584 William the Silent was assassinated – and you can still see the bullet holes in the wall where they passed through him. Of course, being Delft, it is famous for its pottery and a trip to one of the last remaining Delft Potteries should be done. They are famous for their blue and white designs, mostly on tiles. These can be bought as excellent little souvenirs, dating back more than 300 years.
One of the things that surprised me was the sheer number of Greek restaurants and kebab/gyro shops. You can find them on just about every street. Delft is a town where you won’t go hungry while you are walking around admiring the canals, the paved streets and marvelling in the general peace that you only get in a town where the main mode of transport is the bike.
