AMSTERDAM: The City of Delft - The Oude Kerk (Old Church), The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), and Westerkerk in Amsterdam

Good morning family and friends: (this post is for April 7) Today we took the train to Delft, another historic city in the Netherlands. We had heard that it was a charming Dutch city with a medieval town centre and canals and we didn't want to miss it. It is also known for its beautiful blue pottery, called 'Delftware'. As we walked the 10 minutes from the train station into the streets of Delft, it was like stepping back in time. If only it were possible to have a momentary glimpse into the past!

This very large exquisite building was once the private and luxurious home of Jan de Huyter around 1505. Since 1645 it's been the seat of the Dyke Conservancy Board of Delftland. (Does anyone know what that is?)

As we walked toward the Oude Kerk (Old Church), we could see it looked quite odd from a distance. It appeared the bell tower was tipping forward! In fact it does - the 75 meter high brick tower leans two meters from the vertical. During its construction in 1245, the foundations weren't strong enough to support the building. The soil around the canal near the church was soft, and that's also why the church started to lean. Fortunately the tower has been stabilized and is now closely monitored.

Apparently the Great Fire, weather and the explosion of the town's gunpowder store in 1654 took a huge toll on the old church and much repair work has been necessary over the years. Here is a picture depicting the fire which occurred in Delft in 1536. It was actually the steeple of another magnificent gothic church called the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), which was struck by lightening. This is how the fire started. The fire was fanned by wind, and the west part of the city was burned to the ground and eventually three quarters of the city was lost. Many people were killed also.

Here's a picture depicting the gunpowder explosion of 1654. 90,000 pounds of gunpowder was stored in the former "poor Clare's Convent". Roofs caved in and windows smashed in at least 300 homes. An additional 200 homes were raised right off the ground. Once again, there was a huge loss of life. The stained glass and walls were torn away in the Oude Kerk. In the Nieuwe Kerk, all the stained glass was destroyed and there was a large hole in the roof.

The old church now has over 27 vibrant, stained glass windows. Here is a picture of the exquisite stained glass.

I never get tired of walking around in these majestic buildings from so long ago. They are so breathtaking! This old church was no exception. There are approximately 400 people entombed in this church. I want to mention three of the most notable people. The first is Johannes Vermeer (1675) - he is now recognized as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. (I will go into more detail about Vermeer tomorrow, as we are visiting his greatest masterpiece called 'Girl With a Pearl Earring', at the Mauritshuis Museum at The Hague (another city in Holland).

Secondly, Anthony van Leeuwehoek (1723) - he was considered the father of microbiology and was the first to observe and describe microorganisms.

Thirdly, Regnier de Graff (1673) - a Dutch physician and anatomist who made key discoveries in reproductive biology (Ron thinks he was the first to use a skin Graff).

Thank goodness we have these wonderful, historic churches, buildings, paintings, and tombs which reveal so many fascinating secrets of old to us! After this church visit, although it was chilly and raining a bit, we attempted to walk through the market. Look at the cheese wheels!

Ron found a shop selling all kinds of fish. The fluorescent lights didn't help the look of the fish, but it really did look fantastic!

One product which selling was called 'kibbleing' which is cod, battered and deep fried. Since this is a Dutch favorite, and especially because it's fish, Ron wanted to try it. I don't care too much for fish myself, but I did try a little and found it quite tasty. (I could barely taste the fish!)

After this we walked the short distance to another spectacular gothic Protestant church called the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). I don't know why they call it new. It was started in 1396 and completed in 1496. I guess it's newer than the old one.

This church has a tower which is the second highest in the Netherlands. It cost 7 euro 50, to climb the extremely narrow, winding medieval staircase to the top. I counted 376 stairs. Here is a picture of the beginning of the climb. Of course it always looks easy when you first start...

At one point on the way up, we stepped into a small room which held a mechanical clock.

Also in this room, you could see 13 bells which are no longer in use.

When we finally reached the tower, we stepped out onto a very narrow walkway which surrounded the tower. We could inch our way around to take panoramic photographs of the city. (Ron doesn't enjoy heights. I don't know why he pushes himself like this. The pictures from the tower would have been fantastic if the sun had been shining!

So, after carefully descending the 376 narrow steps without tripping or falling, we stepped out into rain and wind. We decided to find a place for lunch. Fortunately we saw a nice bagel shop called 'Bagels & Beans' and escaped from the weather. This turned out to be a good choice. I had a tastey goat cheese salad, with a spelt bagel on the side.

Ron had a smoked salmon bagel with creamed cheese, capers, and shredded cabbage. Doesn't it look delectable?

We had a very pleasant time in the bagel shop. Seated next to us, were three older Dutch people. We struck up a conversation about travel. Soon we finished our lunch and said our goodbyes. There was a sudden burst of sunlight, so we hurried out the door to try to get a few photos in the sunshine. I was able to capture a picture of the bell tower (which we had just climbed):

Alas, as we crossed the market square, we came across a Stroopwaffle shop. Remember Stroopwaffle? It's the amazing thin waffle with syrup between the layers. How can anyone resist this? It's so delicious. I bought one to share for our dessert.

After this, we walked to the train station and started back to Amsterdam. There was one more place we planned to visit today. It was the beautiful, old church called 'Westerkerk' in central Amsterdam. This church was completed in 1691. It is very close to the Anne Frank house. In fact Anne mentions it in her diary. The clock face on the tower could be seen from the attic room in which she and her family hid during the second world war. She also mentions the chimes of the church bells as a source of comfort.

One thing that I would like to mention: Rembrandt van Rijn, the great painter, was buried in this church in 1669. The exact location of the grave is unknown; the number of his grave was lost. Because he was poor when he died, he was buried in a grave owned by the church. From this grave, his remains were removed and destroyed after 20 years. Here is a plaque which honors his life:

As I continued my walk around this breathtaking structure, I came across a large, brass, stunning piece of art. It looked like a tree top, with beautiful brass leaves. Within the leaves were burning candles burning in memory of loved ones:

So this ended another wonderful day despite unpredictable spring weather. I still wouldn't trade the experience of being here for anything! Tomorrow is our last day in this wonderful country. Tonight I close this post this picture from the bike culture of Amsterdam. Here is a picture of bike parking gone bad:

Good night all! Karen