Author: Ella

I just need to mention we spent a lovely evening at Hendrik and Gina’s place in den Haag after our visit to the Mauritshuis. So much news to catch up on.  The last time we were here, three years ago, Hendrik and Gina had both contracted Covid and so we were only able to visit with…

Wandering Delft today, we ran into large groups of women clothed in royal purple dresses with red, large- brimmed, flowery hats. Grubb guessed it might be a British tea society. Really? Huh. I approached a couple of these women to inquire. It’s the Red Hat Society. It all started with a tongue-in-cheek poem called “Warning”…

The iconic Dutch windmills still stand although not so many are still in operation. Molen de Roos is the one remaining working windmill in Delft and if you dare, you can climb the vertical, wooden ladders to peer at the inner gears and ropes. I dared. Grubb called me nuts but there he was right…

We had dinner again with Esther at her home in the UNESCO neighborhood Agneta Park. Her son-in-law, Josh, and two granddaughters were there as well. Very cute Juneau and Cleo (not sure I’ve got the spelling correct).  Abive: more bird life near the pond. Photos says Grey Heron. I think it’s in the family but…

One visits the Mauritshuis in den Haag to see old masters. Rembrandt and those other guys plus a few Vermeer’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring and View of Delft are the famous ones). One does not expect to see, hung next to these illustrious paintings, contemporary black and white photos making commentary on the neighboring…

Wednesday morning (May 6) we had the chance to catch up with Esther in Delft, for cappuccino and a lusciously decadent slice of apple pie at Stadskoffyhuis, a local prize-winning coffee house in business for 60 years. You know those relationships that remain familiar despite time and distance? It’s like that with Esther. These types…

We’ve been spending time with friends. Yesterday Esther here in Delft. Today, Hendrik and Gina in den Haag (The Hague). Fuller posts coming soon. For now, more canals… Above: canals in den Haag. Above: More canals in den Haag Above: Photos is identifying this as an Egyptian Goose

Finally a sunny day for shadows

Here is a peek at our AirBnB in Delft. It’s an old building so it has “character”. Above: Looking through to the kitchen to the balcony door, and the balcony

We landed in Brussels on April 22. Today is May 6. We are halfway through our trip and wishing we’d planned for a longer time.  The map below shows how far we’ve come..said cheekily because if you hopped in your car in Brussels and drove to Delft, it would only be 4ish hours. And if…

Smooth sailing, or maybe train-ing from Antwerp to Delft this morning. Our Delft apartment is an old building right on a canal (and there are many such canals here). Good news, the sofas are lovely. I’ll take pictures tomorrow in the morning light. The challenge is the bedrooms are up some very steep stairs while…

There was a sudden torrent of rain late in the afternoon yesterday. We had barely a few moments in Ruben’s garden before rushing inside and watching the pelting rain. We used the time wisely…(well the Ruben’s “experience” aside – I’ll let Grubb describe that)…to look online and find some kind of eatery within a quick…

Above: mock sweet orange (left) and greater celandine in Stadspark Above: new growth on yew (left) and spiny snow thistle

If nothing else, go for the wooden escalators and killer bikes. That would be Sint-Annatunnel, a pedestrian and bike tunnel, constructed 1931-1933, running under the Scheldt river and connecting Antwerp city center with the Left Bank. From the nondescript entrance, you take two long escalator flights down – both bikes and pedestrians The tunnel is…