June 12: Leiden to Gouda via Delft

Our first stop was Delft, famous for their Old Church, New Church, and china. We did not look at much china, but some info: Delftware or Delft pottery, also known as Delft Blue or as delf, is a general term now used for Dutch tin-glazed earthenware, a form of faience. 

Our first stop was the Old Church. Google directed us in a back street to this gruesome memorial to on of the many floods suffered in The Netherlands when a levee broke.

At the back of the Oude Kerk, lies the imposing artwork ‘Echo’ by artist Nynke Koster. She started the realization in 2019 as part of the theme year ‘Delft and the Golden Age’. With the artwork the artist depicts the many and great contrasts from this economic and cultural golden age in Dutch (and Delft) history. On the concrete disk of 6.5 meters diameter, various Delft monuments are reflected. Even the imprint of the floor of the Oude Kerk is incorporated! There are also beautifully detailed skulls to be seen. In the middle is a crown on which the public can sit. Residents of Delft were closely involved in the creation of the artwork. In workshops they made casts of pieces of ornament from the Nieuwe Kerk; some of these are incorporated in the object.


Old Church

New Church and town square.

Town Hall. Side view with bike parking.
Town Hall. Front

Town Hall. Front tribunal chamber.Painting is of this chamber with the long bench for judges.

Delft Cheese Shop. Offered small samples of perhaps 50 varieties of cow, sheep, and goat cheeses.

The blue heart is symbolically linked to Delft in various ways. The blue color stands for the famous Delft blue, the technical construction refers to the Technical University and the heart to the city center in which the sculpture is located. At night the sculpture is lit from within, a reference to the stained glass of the churches in Delft.


New Church. Various members of the Royal Family are interred within the church.

Stair Option. We declined the opportunity to climb high in the tower but some do. (Note the top balcony.)


Another guided bike tour group

On the road to Gouda

Dog of the Day

Gouda Town Hall and central market square.

Gouda Town Hall. Side view with the red window shutters.

Gouda Mosaic Art

Our Vrienden host, Henk Riphagen, was a superb host. We arrived about 4 pm and were warmly welcomed. The flex joint on my trailer hitch was cracking, and we were able to quickly repair it in Henk's small workshop. 

Henk's story

An economist by university degree, Henk spent 30 years in The Netherlands agriculture department negotiating EU contracts in Brussels. A life-long cyclist, Henk lost his wife 2 years ago in a freak accident. While riding near home, a storm blew in, dislodging a tree limb that struck her head.

Henk, 71, rode his touring bike from Gouda to Rome, along the Rhine, Danube, over the Italian Alps, and along the Apennine Mountains to Rome. He carried 50# of gear and camped along the way. Near the end, he caught Legionnaires' (LEE-juh-nares) disease while taking a shower. He spent 3 weeks in a hospital, lost nearly 20 kg, and then was flown back to The Netherlands. 

(A serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella (LEE-juh-nell-a) bacteria. People can get sick when they breathe in small droplets of water or accidently swallow water containing Legionella into the lungs.)

We had dinner at Kruim, a small cafe in the Gouda library. Simple, everything made fresh, mostly local ingredients. Our waitress, Puck, was born in Gouda and told us there was nothing very interesting to see in Gouda.



Cycling miles: 37 today; 140 total.





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