Day 22 The Netherlands: Delft and The Haag

Said goodbye to Belgium and drove to Delft, between Rotterdam and The Hague (about 2 ½ hours). We decided we didn’t want to stay in big cities if possible – happy to train in. What a great choice Delft was. It is a lovely, quiet place that, for me, typified my impression of Holland (except for the windmills – have not seen those yet). I sit at the desk in our room upstairs, looking down on to a square with cafes lit by fairy lights and the canals. (If I was a writer I would be most inspired). Spent a couple of hours just walking around Delft. Strolled past the Nieuwe Kirk (New Church) - which was completed in 1381 ... so still pretty old, and Oude Kirk (Old Church) which was built in 1240. The Town Hall was very grand and the shops have that “old” world quaintness. After some good Dutch pastry for lunch...finally something savoury rather than all that Belgian and French sugar, we headed in to The Haag. I was most impressed with Rick’s grasp of Dutch. Although as basic as you could get, Big Rick was able to understand some conversation and translate some of the items in the Deli. I was impressed. For a major city, The Haag, was surprisingly low key. We must have walked about 6 kms around the city. Spent around 2 hours at Esher in het Paleis. It was fantastic to see Escher’s work. After that we walked to the parliament buildings and past a few significant churches. Another late day, many kilometres walked....actually have some blisters now.
All that is left to do today ....mmmmm...where to have dinner??