This is the third trip report as part of our 20 day trip to Belgium and the Netherlands. We stayed in Delft for three nights during the midst of a windstorm but despite the less than ideal conditions enjoyed ourselves through a combination of good luck and flexibility.
Delft is considered a mini Amsterdam - that was also my husband’s reaction when we arrived. I haven’t been to Amsterdam - yet - it’s our next stop but Delft is beautiful and I can see why Vermeer was inspired to paint scenes from here.
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon staying at the Hotel Arsenal, a RS recommended hotel along the canal. Stunning property from the 1600s that used to be an armory and storage facility for the Dutch East India Spice Co. This is a higher end property but a good value when compared to similar class hotels in the US. After climbing medieval era steps to our rooms in Belgium, this was a welcome break with an elevator, lounge/ bar and comfortable room with amenities. It’s a five minute walk from the train station and five minutes to the market square so well situated. The breakfast was standard European hotel breakfast, very good with cooked to order egg options.
On Thursday we checked out the market, with numerous stalls selling everything from just potatoes, to herring, nuts, cheese and more. We walked to the windmill, which operates as a grain mill. Volunteers offering tours of the windmill are available Wednesday - Sunday. There’s also a small cafe/ bakery serving delicious pastries. The walk to the windmill was during one of the periodic sun breaks in South Holland.
We didn’t go to Delft with a desire to focus on pottery but really appreciated the beauty and craftsmanship of Royal Delft so we bought a couple of tiles from the store that’s in town.
My chocolate exploration continued in the Netherlands purchasing from Van der Burges and Coco and Stebus.
We enjoyed a hearty lunch at Stads Koffyhaus just as it began to downpour. Not to be deterred by the weather we ventured out for dinner to Spijhuis De Dis for a Dutch focused meal. While the wind howled we were cozy in an atmospheric restaurant that fit the weather and the cuisine.
Friday we ventured out to Den Haag, taking the # 1 tram to the Mauritshuis to see the Girl with the Pearl Earring and other Dutch masterworks. From there we took an Uber to the Kunstmuseum which was hosting an exhibit about the history of dessert - need I say more. A 10 minute train ride took us to LEIDEN which we loved and could see spending more time in. We enjoyed a pancake lunch with some gluwein ( hot wine).
We had hoped to go to the American Pilgrim Museum but it’s in the process of being relocated and despite a website that noted they planned to reopen October 15 we couldn’t see evidence of that.
We returned to Delft to spend our last evening enjoying our hotel room/ lobby bar with a fireside hot chocolate with rum and a mound of whipped cream. The weather gave us a great opportunity to enjoy comfort food and hot drinks while leaning into the spirit of a place.
Now on to Amsterdam for the final week of our trip.