Another place that we visited in Delft was Prinsenhof, where William the Silent was assassinated. They turned his place of assassination into a museum, but I’ll leave that post for another day. For now, let’s just look at the beauty that awaits outside.
Statue within the Prinsenhof courtyard
Before I get into the subject of Oude Kerk in Delft, I would just like to take a moment to say that I hate colds. I am in day 7 of mine. I don’t get sick very often (last memorable time was October 2009), but I knew something was up when a student overheard me talking to someone else; he joined the conversation and was able to describe my symptoms down to a T. Ugh. Lots of hot tea for me. Why did I agree to an 11 hour shift tomorrow again?
As you might have realized from my previous posts about Delft, I like Vermeer. I didn’t really know anything about him until I met Marco of course. When I started to fall in love with the Netherlands, I visited my public library and tried to find all the material I could about the country. Even though this is New York, there is not a lot. There is some material I could get from other libraries in the system, I just prefer to have it right at my fingertips without sending for it and waiting a week.
Marco and I visited the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. It is sometimes used by Queen Beatrix during state affairs.
Prior to my visit, they had been renovating the interior of the palace, from 2005 to 2009. When I visited, they were working on the outside of the palace. They have since finished (last month).
Royal palace of Amsterdam, the facade hidden from view during renovations
De passage (lit: the passage. Sounds like French; pa-sage, two short a’s) is one of my favorite places to visit in the Hague. It’s a small shopping area famed for its covered shopping streets and glass ceiling. Although the architecture is befitting of its 1882/1928 dates, the stores inside are definitely modern.
Near the area which houses Buitenhof and Binnenhof is the Grondwetbank (lit: Constitution bench). Upon it is inscribed the first article of the Dutch constitution:
Allen die zich in Nederland bevinden, worden in gelijke gevallen gelijk behandeld.
Discriminatie wegens godsdienst, levensovertuiging, politieke gezindheid, ras, geslacht of op welke grond dan ook, is niet toegestaan.
The last remaining gate of Delft, Oostpoort (Eastern Gate) was built in the 1400s. The other seven gates have long since disappeared. The official Delft website has a nice drawing of what the city looked like when it was surrounded by walls.
The view from entering the city through the eastern gate
Note especially the dog at the feet of the watchman. This is what you would see if you entered Delft from this city gate — two very imposing figures watching your every move, judging you.
View of the Eastern gate from the inside
Here is the gate from the inside looking out. This shot is actually close to the lake where I took the picture of the ducks. Interestingly, the structure also seems to partly be a private residence — and there is also an art gallery inside. The two shots don’t do justice to how big it is – more like a castle.
Grote Kerk, Den Haag
A random picture of the plaza surrounding the Grote Kerk (lit: big church). Note the cobblestone paths and the barely visible tram rails behind the gentleman. I’ve been told that tram rails tend to be just the right width to get your bike wheels caught in…
With a predicted snowstorm of about 4-5″ of sneeuw (snow) descending on my New York town in a few hours, here are some warmer pictures from the previous summer. — Who am I kidding, it is not a proper snowstorm unless you receive at least a foot of snow. It’s just a minor dusting…
Sign at Scheveningen's beach front
First, a reminder that summertime is never far away, even in January. One interesting thing about the Netherlands is how moderate the weather is. Last trip, I left New York in a veritable heat wave (98F, or about 37c) and arrived in the Netherlands to find temperatures in the mid 60s, or 18C.
Watching the ducks at a lake in Delft
I do like taking pictures of flowers, and the ducks in the lake were an added bonus. The left one was just about to fly further down the lake. This was taken in Delft, while waiting for a bridge to swing open to allow a boat to get past.
Glass blue heart, Delft
This plexiglass/steel sculpture is near Nieuw Kerk (New Church) and is see through. It was made by Marcel Smink in 1998 and is illuminated from within.
What warm summer’s day would not be complete without a trip to the Rijkmuseum? Featuring art from Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen and more, the museum also has an online component allowing you to see much of the work. For example, see The Masterpieces Special.
Banner on the outside of the Rijksmuseum, with sponsors (Phillips, ING) below
Although I visited during renovations, there was still a lot to take in, including The Night Watch by Rembrandt, which had the most crowds admiring its size – almost 12 feet by 14 feet. Interestingly, it used to be even larger, but it was cut down on all four sides to allow for its fitting between two columns. The staff were even passing out pamphlets which described the various items within the painting.
Although the Rijksmuseum also houses the well-known Het melkmeisje (The Milkmaid) by Vermeer, my favorite is actually housed within the Mauritshuis in The Hague: Het meisje met de parel (The Girl with a Pearl Earring). My work coffee cup is even a souvenir of it!
Renaissance and Baroque gardens of the Rijksmuseum (free beauty!)
With the current entrance of the Rijksmuseum near the Philips Wing, you will pass through the Rijksmuseum gardens – very pretty to behold. Have a seat at the stone bench above, and get your picture taken for a lasting memory. You’ll appreciate it later, trust me.
Everywhere you turn, there’s a library to be found. And that’s not such a bad thing.
I presume this used to be the entrance to the Rijksmuseum Research Library, which has since moved to a separate building. But more importantly, it’s a reminder of the lasting influence of libraries on society as a whole, even as we move into this digital age.
One of the first places I visited in the Netherlands was Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (lit: Public Library Amsterdam), which is a name of all public libraries in Amsterdam. Specifically, I went to Centrale Bibliotheek, or the central library of Amsterdam. With almost 2 million books, it is the largest public library in Europe.
Subject areas in Dutch… with helpful English below!
My first library job was as a children’s services assistant in a small public library. So I did take special interest in the children’s area. Interestingly, I had already showcased Amsterdam Public Library in a library website I made for my Information Technology class, so I was familiar with the library. But it was cool to see it in person. Before I left, I read one picture book: Tien Kleine Heksjes, or, Ten Little Witches. With help of course.
Overlooking the children’s area
Some facts and figures:
over 1,000 seats, 600 of which have PCs
28,000 square meters of space
2,000 bike racks
50 multimedia workplaces
26 automated lending machines
Gaming in the library… Note the Guitar Hero logo, although they are playing a different game.
Life in the Hague 