Two Beers and a Pretzel

Delft is the home of Vermeer (painter), the former house of the royal family, and the former home of the Dutch East India Company.  Trade with China brought Chinese pottery, which the Dutch adeptly learned to make for themselves in the mid 1600′s.

The old church has the same problem as Dordrecht – the clock tower is obviously leaning.

They must have figured out the foundation issues before starting the new church.  Trust me, it’s straight – even if the pic is slightly crooked.

Across the square is the town hall.

Then I made my way across town to the old factory (still in use) where Delftware is sill hand painted.

The paint is actually black when it is applied to the fired shapes, but turns blue when items are re-fired after painting and glazing.

They even do custom tile murals.  This one is a massive replica of Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’ utilizing 480 tiles, and took 2 master painters a solid year to complete

Then I made my way out to the gift shop and discovered how expensive this hand painted Delftware is.  That’s 86 Euros ($128) for a small house that you could fit twice in the palm of your hand.

Although I did manage to find something for mom under $50