delft: old netherlands charm

Delft is one of my favorite towns of the Netherlands. I imagine it to be what Netherlands was like 100 to 200 years back. It think it small and quaint and neighborly compared to the Hague. The two times I went there, I always have this light, airy feeling in me. I could not help but love it, even if it is just the town center that I always visit.

It is known for its pottery, inspired by Chinese ceramics. With Holland's intricate canal system, may trade ships would often pass by the country and thus leaving a lot of different world traditions in its doorstep.

My first trip to Delft was with the Pinoy mafia with an almost complete attendance. It was a lazy Thursday afternoon, with every one having some free time on their hands. And oh, we had a free tram ride ticket from the ISS too! We figured, if we were to use our tram tickets, might as well use it for the farthest it can go which was Delft.

So our little sojourn to Delft began!

We we went down near the technical university and right where the open market stalls were. It looked much nicer and merrier than The Hague's own open market. We could not help but be lured by the beautiful colors of fruit and flowers, clothes and chocolates. With our 30 minute market time, there were people with boots, bread and chocolates.

Those strawberries may be small, but they are sweet and succulent. Yum!

Go wild with chocolates! The dark chocolate and the coffee chocolate just bring melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Who cares if they convert to almost Php200.

Just to let people know what Delft is about, an indescribable monument covered with pieced together Delftware ceramics.

Our purpose for this trip was to see Oude Delft or Old Delft. While Ikea was probably a few stops away, we were still new, was in occasional state of giggly disbelief that home was halfway across the globe and wanted to absorb as much of Europe's charm as we can, so our stop had to be old part of town.

The Nieuwe Kerk or New Church was where the House of Oranje-Nassau was buried after the Spaniards captured the original Royal burial grounds in Breda. Prince Wilhelm and Queen Wilhelmina, along with other Dutch royalty, were buried in its hallowed grounds.

More interesting for us was the 356 steps we had to climb up to have a spectacular view of the city. All of us actually paid three euros to suffer loss of breath and tired legs to go up. Despite that, of course we had to pose for photos and pretend it was a breeze!

With our resident athlete, Risa, going up seemed no bother at all. She was as beautiful as ever.

I would say the three euros were very much worth it after experiencing the magnificent view from above.

After we got down, we just had to take a breather and prayed we did not leave anything valuable in the tower because we're not sure if we would go through all the trouble for it. :P

We also went to the Oude Kerk where the reknowned painter of the "Girl with the Pearl Earring," Johannes Vermeer was buried. Delft was his hometown, and like most famous painters, his genius was hardly recognized by his fellows when he was still alive. ("The girl with the pearl earring" can be found in Mauritshuis in the Hague. His other works can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.)

Farther down town, we found a section where they sold many kinds of flowers. It was just splendid to see all those potted plants in different hues of the rainbow scattered all over the street making the place more vibrant and romantic.

We stopped for coffee at one of the Lonely Planet's guidebook to Netherlands recommendations, Kleywegs' Stads Koffyhuis. It was known for its pannenkoeken or pancakes and its famous Delft Leaning Cup coffee. The drink contained coffee, chocolate, milk foam and cinnamon placed in a leaning cup, much like the Oude Kerk's tower. I got that one and the group shared a couple of pancakes. We wanted the full Kleyweg's experience for less the cost. :P

It was after five when we finished our coffee break. We saw a boat tour and wanted to try paddling through the canal. Rino and Chris successfully talked the person in charge to give us a discount. Since the paddle boat has to be returned by six pm (which was less than an hour's rent), he gave us a few euros discount to use it.

So we paddled nicely along the canals and through the tunnels. It was definitely not easy and getting the paddle boats back before 6 pm was a challenge but we made it!

It was several months before I got back to Delft, but it was as pleasant because I shared the wonderful Delft experience with the hubby that time. :)

All in all, I would find pleasure in going back to Delft again. Maybe to visit Ikea this time and finally get to experience their Swedish meatballs and cheesecake again. But immersing myself in Old Europe through Delft was such a wonderful experience, there is nothing I can say about Delft but magical. :)

john lennon to a music dud

I have never hid the fact that I am a music dud. When it comes to music, I know little nor do I really feel compelled to know more that what comes to me. That's why I am glad to have a husband and friends who have quite a wellspring of music knowledge and appreciation because I learn a lot from them.

But John Lennon were just too big not to be detected by the limited scope of my radar. Like all things related to music, I know little about him. Other than being part of the Beatles, I knew that he was with Yoko Ono and that he was murdered by a fan. But I think the best part about John Lennon was his song Imagine.

Imagine is for any one who wanted war to end, who wanted peace to happen, who wanted people to work together. Sure, it's cliche. But the song just captures the feelings of one hoping for coexistence and a better world. Knowing that song was written by John Lennon was enough for me to have the highest respect for the man.

When the Pinoy Mafia went to Prague, the John Lennon wall was definitely in our itinerary. I did not get to do it with the gang because I spent time with Caryl, my sister-in-law. I thought I will not have the chance to visit the wall any more. Risa, however, was so kind as to join me when I decided to visit the wall on my own (thanks, Risa!).

Can't disagree with the message up there!

And of course, there has to be a line from a Beatle song. This is not the only one, I tell you.

The entire wall was filled with messages from different parts of the globe. There was supposed to be a mural of John Lennon but the numerous tourists and (welcome) vandalism has covered it up throughout the years. But the Imagine superimposed on the peace sign seemed to have survived. I felt chills just leaning on it, like I was connected with the others before me and the others after me who will visit that small space of democracy and expression.

Of course, I had to write on the wall, too. Good thing Risa brought a pen!

Risa and I have left our mark! That little peace sign over my name and "Pinas" below. Risa wrote "love justice." I think we would be both hippies if we were teenagers in the 60's. :P

Happy birthday, John Lennon. Thank you for your beautiful message of love and coexistence. I dare to think the world was a better place because you were in it.

Vredespalais: The Seat of International Law

The Vredespalais or "The Peace Palace" is arguably the most recognizable structure in The Hague. It is home to the International Court of Justice, The Permanent Court of Arbitration and The Hague Academy of International Law (taken from Wikipedia).

The Peace Palace in full view

Just a stone's throw away from the ISS, the Peace Palace was more recognizable and far more impressive the Queen's Residence down at Noordeinde. Probably owing to the fact that it stood by itself, with its own wide expanse of garden, something that was uncommon in the central area of Den Haag.

Most of the buildings in the city stood beside each other, thin and lanky like its Dutch Citizens. I read from "the Undutchables" that this trait of Dutch buildings had much to do with their known frugality. Buildings were taxed according to the land area it stood, thus the Dutch built their homes upward instead of sideways. Therefore, buildings like the Vredespalais was quite rare. This quality literally made it stand out.

It is also my favorite building in the Hague, probably owing to the fact that my room, Dorus 166, has a beautiful view of it.

True to its name, the sight of the Palace like this made me feel a little more at ease at peace especially during rare stretches of studying and constant frenzy of cramming writing a well-researched essay in four days.

When my husband was able to visit me in The Netherlands, we would just sit on the rooftop staring at the building, feeling tranquil and serene. He would smoke a rare cigarette relishing the cool air we never experience here in the Philippines. I sat beside him holding his free hand wishing moments like those would last a bit longer or occur more often.

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Every third week of September, on the 21st if I am not mistaken, would be the Day of Peace. This would be the day when the Peace Palace would open a part of the building for public viewing. Other institutions such as the Yugoslav Court and the World Forum would do the same. Of course, I took advantage and signed up. We had a French guy discuss what was going on inside the courts. Interesting stuff! Except I do not remember much of what he said. I did like seeing the Court Justice togas. :P

Beautiful and colorful flowers would bloom in the pocket garden outside the Peace Palace. During March and April, it would be the famous Dutch tulips that would greet tourists who come for a tour of the Palace. The outside of it, that is.

Detail of the Peace Palace gates

It was quite fortunate that friends, L and G, worked in the Palace. They were kind enough to give me a tour of its inner sanctum. I had the chance to see the Jesus Christ statue which was a gift from Brazil (I think) and the polar bear fountain that was a gift from Denmark. I also saw the seats of the countries stitched with their symbols (we don't have a seat). I also had the chance to have lunch in their canteen which served a delicious enough food.

The library was awesome. Nothing much I could have used because most of its contents were law books. It was a good place to study with each table having its own lamp and the entire place was wi-fi. The lay-out was conducive for studying. Unknown to many, it was open to the public. I did try to get in there but discovered that access to the library required a passport and not just a school ID. Bummer right there since I left my passport at the dorm the day I tried.

* * * * *

Memories of the Hague will definitely mean remembering the Peace Palace with it. For some it may mean bigger things like keeping peace in other countries or it may mean justice for the wronged or it may symbolize international balance.

For me, it was simply a respite from a crazy day of school. It gave me moments when I would stare and wonder, "Which room does Dumbledore stay in?" or "Where is the Fat Lady's painting placed?"

The silhouette of the Palace during dusk would be a beautiful picture for me. It allowed me my little magical fantasies. More importantly, it was the reminder that I was far away from home living a childhood dream.

La Bocca dela Verita

I remember the La Bocca dela Verita or "The Mouth of Truth" most vividly from Robert Downey, Jr. and Marisa Tomei's movie "Only You." It was also used in the movie "Roman Holiday" which I unfortunately have not seen yet. Usually when movies are set in Rome, the La Bocca dela Verita is one of the Roman attractions frequently shown. So when I finally had a chance to visit Rome, this landmark was definitely a must-go.

The attraction is quite isolated from the other ones. It was a fifteen minute bus ride from the center which turned out longer for us because we missed our stop. The bus kept going and so we had to walk another fifteen minutes to get there.

The marble frieze was located in the portico of the Santa Maria Cosmedin Church. A person would place his hand inside its mouth. If one told a lie, then the mouth would bite the hand off.

The line to see it was already long when we got there with about thirty people ahead of us. I consider ourselves lucky when just give three minutes after arriving, a bus load of Japanse tourists arrived. Imagine how much longer we would have to wait if we were behind that line! Of course, people wanted their photos taken with their hands inside the mouth. Obviously, I was one of those people.

It was only after I had my photo taken that I realized I should have told a lie in my head (I am the most beautiful woman in the world!) to see if the mouth would have bitten my hand off. :p