It is a common misconception that love is developed with unconditional love and understanding. Well that is one kind of love. But how come there is often so much friction in our family relationships? People are always saying, "oh, my sister and I, we fought like cats and dogs". Friction in relationships is an opportunity to realize our differences and accept that although we can never fully understand each other, nonetheless we accept and love each other.
HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY!
TODAY I AM PARTICIPATING IN MY FIRST SUNDAY FAVORITE MEME!
Its designed to give bloggers a chance to share a favorite post from the past. I think this is a great idea. It is hosted by Chari at
Chari has a beautiful blog. If you decide to join, you can find her at Happy to design !
The post I've decided to share is entitled: DELFT A CITY MADE OF POTTERY
ENJOY!
Last October my husband surprised me with a trip to Europe. At the time he was working in Qatar and I was on my way to meet him there. He decided to meet me in Amsterdam and take a week off of work. At the time I was staying home taking care of my babies, age 20 and 22. I know you are laughing but just wait till your kids reach that age. You know what they say: 60 is the new 40, well 20 is the new 10. Anyway, that is a whole different topic. We decided to travel throughout Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium.
I reserved a room for 2 nights at the Hotel Koophandel in Delft. There are not too many hotels in this city and this hotel was made famous because it was the birthplace of Johan Vermeer Van Delft's father. Mr. Vermeer was a famous painter who lived in the 17th century and painted the Girl With the Pearl Earring:
I booked the hotel using Tripadvisor. I verified the pictures, its location (walking distance to old Delft, the price and felt very safe that I had made a good choice. Here is the picture of the room I booked:
There was also a beautiful courtyard. When I arrived there, I was disappointed. First the room that I had wanted was not available. They gave us a room way at the top almost in the attic. Not a big deal, but we had 4 giant suitcases and there are no elevators in most of these hotels/museums. Past forty, this is risky business. The most deceiving part of the hotel was its location: it was sitting on top of a drinking establishment....The Billy Beer bar and grill.... If you look way up, you will see a couple of windows: that's where our room was. It was Friday night and of course there was drinking and shouting and partying till 3:00am. They say that we attract what we fear.....My husband slept through it all and I had a good book...
Before I went to Holland for the first time, here is what I knew about it:
LOTS OF TULIPS
WOODEN SHOES (that's not me)
FAMOUS PAINTERS
There was also the infamous red light district and pot and hash cafés. It was all there of course but I wanted to see what else Holland had to offer. I've pretty much visited every major city in Holland but Delft is my favorite. Here are a few pictures that explain why:
The Saturday flea market full of antiques,fresh flowers, local cheeses, etc.
Everybody participates
The old Delft with its many stores
selling mostly Delft pottery.
The beautiful architecture
The canals dotted with coffee
shops.
This was the view from my room. The
food was fantastic in every restaurant
that we went to. Their butter "caken"
was decadent!
City Hall. The second day of our visit,
which was on a Saturday, we were lucky enough to witness a wedding in front of City Hall. Very beautiful and
romantic!
Delft is highly populated but
very quiet. Most people dont
drive but ride their bicycles.
The Delft pottery. If its Delft
pottery you want, this is the
place. In the 16th century, only rich
people could afford Asian pottery.
The Dutch decided to design their own.
Its reputation for beauty became popular in many other European countries. It was even exported to China and Japan.
See that strange vase in the center. Do
you know what it is? I bought something similar.
Try and guess what it is. I will tell you at the end of this post.
We were told to always check
under a Delft piece to verify that
its not a fake (as in made in China)
which is ironic as its inspiration
originates from Asia.
This is also very beautiful.
The more colors there are,
the more expensive it is.
This is hand painted and
very $$$
Cute fridge magnets that
I bought as souvenirs but
ended up keeping. My
husband was very patient
as I stopped at every store
to pick just the right one LOL
Now my fridge looks like
this display....No trip is complete without a visit to HEMA. Hema is a Dutch department store. The first store opened on November 4, 1926, in Amsterdam. Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands.
Have a look at their website just below. DO NOT click on any of the items in the picture, don't scroll, just wait and see what happens. This company has a sense of humor and a great computer programmer who does the company justice....and maybe has a little too much time on his hands.
Click the link below and enjoy - you'll need sound to enjoy it to the max!
http://producten.hema.nl/
PS. That odd looking thing is a tulip vase. When I arrived in Qatar I could not wait to see how it would look with flowers in it. Did you ever try buying flowers in that part of the world where everything is dry, beige and sandy? I think I paid more for the flowers than I did for the vase. Anyway, the ugly looking vase leaks....I should have bought those cheesy wooden tulips...
Hope you enjoyed this recycled post LOL! If you want to join in you can click here !
Bonjour from a French Wannabe! I am visiting and following back from Friday Follow. Loved this post and all the pics. I especially like cities with coffee shops. Was reading your profile - did you go to Paris yet?
ReplyDeleteLynn
http://www.middayescapades.com
Hi Lynn,
ReplyDeleteNot yet! Cant wait!
Such a neat story of you getting to visit Delft Holland. I had family in the military and I was sent a pair of wooden shoes. I still have them. Love Hema's website. Too cute.
ReplyDeleteOh what a wonderful trip that must have been! Everything looks so interesting! And the Delft is beautiful I have always loved Delft pieces. That tulip vase is so pretty and unique!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are having a wonderful day!!
Thanks for the humorous tour. It is always such a leap of faith when we book someplace for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of genealogy research on Quebec families. My own family lines being the main ones. My 11th great grandparents were Louis Hebert and Marie Rollet. There are statues of them in Parc Montmorency in Quebec City. I sure could have used a French teacher when I started my research as all the old documents are obviously in French.
Looks like an amazing trip, what a great view you had and LOVE that flea market. wow!!
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful post and photos! It's so nice to meet you! Your blog is just gorgeous.
ReplyDelete~Blessings, ~Melissa :)
"Friction in relationships is an opportunity to realize our differences and accept that although we can never fully understand each other, nonetheless we accept and love each other." INDEED!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are a lucky girl! Looks like a wonderful trip! I love the Delft you featured...absolutely stunning!
ReplyDeleteI am still in awe of your beautiful blog! I love it!
Enjoy!
Cathy
I remember reading this post! I loved it then and I love it now!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet award too. I can see why you received 2 in one week-your blog is fabulous! Congratulations!
Best wishes for a beautiful week,
Natasha.
Hi Anne-Marie...
ReplyDeleteMy friend, I'm so happy that you could join in with the fun of Sunday Favorites...WELCOME!!!
I loved reading about your trip to Holland! I have never been, although my husband had been there! I'd love to go! We honeymooned in Europe about 5 yrs. ago...Ohhh my, I had the time of my life! I just find the traditions of the Europeans so fascinating, don't you? Loved seeing all of your great photos...ohhh, and that Delft pottery...gorgeous!!! I love the tulip vase! Hmmm...I've never been to Quatar either but I suppose it might be a bit trickier trying to find fresh flowers in the desert! Hehe!
Thank you so much for sharing this great post with us for Sunday Favorites Anne-Marie! I really enjoyed it!!! So sorry that I'm just now getting by for a visit...I was out of town yesterday!
Have a marvelous Monday, my friend!
Chari @Happy To Design
wow that's a lot of bikes!
ReplyDeletewow that's a lot of tulips!
oh how I'd love to visit one of those coffee shops!
and how I would have loved to have had a sister to have fought with! lol
ciao bella
creative carmelina
Holland....another on my to-go-to list! Maybe even before France. Again, great job!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures you took in Delft. I live in France now,(I am Dutch) when i go to holland to visit family, there is not enough time to visit these beautiful towns. I love Delft with the small canals, the coffeeshops and the people on their bikes.....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blog.
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