Day: May 9, 2026

Lately on our travels I’ve become more aware of stores selling antiques. In the past they were just places I passed without much consideration. I was on a quest for the perfect pastry, the sublime work of art. But I’m becoming more doubtful I’ll find that melt-in-the-mouth non-flaking pastry, or be struck by an unanticipated…

Taken during our wandering over the past few days Above: Reflections and unidentified floating object Above: Just a neighborhood and cat splayed on prickly hedge Above: Art and antiques day.

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…

Delft Blue is a style of pottery renowned for its white surface painted with cobalt blue, a pigment that withstands very high kiln temperatures without fading. It gained prominence in the 17th century when Dutch traders imported a large amount of Chinese porcelain. The style blended Dutch imagery with Asian artistic influence. We visited the…

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”…

In Delft the Oude Kerk (old church) is known for its tower that leans towards the left. The Gothic church was built in 1246.  The tower is about 2 meters off vertical due to the unstable ground near the canal. Inside are a number of gravestones laid flat as part of the floor. Burial inside the…

Simon Schama is a British historian known for his high brow television commentary in the tradition of Kenneth Clark. (His passionate appreciation for Bernini’s sculpture is practically operatic.) He has curated an exhibit in den Haag at the Mauritshuis called BIRDS that explores how humans have always had an emotionally conflicted relationship with birds. We…

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…