River Cruise 2015 - April 23 - Delft, etc.

This was a very full day, seeing a lot of places, riding on a bus while the boat cruised to Amsterdam.

We started the day in Delft, visiting the only real Delft factory left in the Netherlands. 

This is one of the painters in the factory - very young, and very talented.

This is the plate that was made after the war for princess Margiet, who was born in Ottawa, in a hospital that was declared Dutch territory for that time, so that she would be a Dutch citizen, not a Canadian one.

The Delft factory also housed a museum.  This was a huge piece of artwork! 

 
We also spent some time in the city of Delft, wandering the streets with lots of canals, bridges, restaurants, and shops. 

 




The "Old Church"  has quite a lean to it!

Always canals, and always bicycles! 

A pretty white pigeon in a hole in the side of a canal. 

 
This coot has built herself quite a nest, floating on the canal, but definitely high and dry! 

Another view of the leaning church, with a floating restaurant in the foreground.

Unfortunately, the "New Church" was mostly covered with scaffolding.

Delft's beautiful City Hall! 

This is the only bit of the city wall that is left from bygone days. 

We had a great lunch in the beautiful hall of this resort on a North Sea beach.  The hotel is called Kurhaus Hotel, and the resort town is called Scheveningen. 

Paul and I walked down a very wide beach, and Paul put his hand in the North Sea. 

Our super guide Leni, who lives in Amsterdam, and was with us for the whole cruise, told us about the seat of the Dutch Government in the city of Den Haag. 

Queen Wilhelmina was no fashion queen! 

We also visited the Peace Palace in Den Haag, home of the United Nations. 

Me at the Peace Palace. 

The World Peace Flame.  In 1999, 7 flames from 5 continents were united to form the World Peace Flame.  On the pathway around it are stones from every country in the United Nations. You are encouraged to pray for world peace as you walk around this pathway. 

Canada's stone by the path. 

And now the "piece de resistance" - Paul thinks this was the most amazing thing in our whole trip!  It is called Panorama Masdag, and is very hard for me to describe properly.  It is a painting in the round, and one of only six left in the world.  It gives you a look at the life of the Dutch at the seaside in the 18th century, and indeed, was painted at that time. 

We climbed a stairs to a big round room, and all around was a continuous scene.  It is painted on very high canvases, and as you look, even though you are only a few feet from the canvass, you would honestly think you were standing on the dune looking at the scene before you. 

The canvases were recently restored, which took longer than the original paintings done by a husband and wife team. 

We were absolutely mesmerized, and could have stood looking at it forever!  Definitely a must see if you are ever in Den Haag! 

The Da Vinci, moored in Amsterdam, was a welcome sight after a long, but interesting,  day on the buses!

....until next time....