Delftware and Greek Fare

The best things happened in Holland when we let ourselves have the freedom to wander. On our third day we took a meandering stroll with one goal in mind: finding Dutch apple pie. Along the way, we saw a miniature Statue of Liberty outside of a shop--appropriately titled Better Bagels-- advertising bagels. Having been raised on Long Island, I love a good bagel, and those are few and far between outside of the Big Apple. With old New York being New Amsterdam at one point in time, I figured a Dutch bagel was worth the gamble. We split an everything bagel sandwich with cream cheese, salmon, and cucumber, and it was fresh, it was crisp, and it had the right amount of chew. I could eat that once a week and be content. 

When we finished, we continued our walk towards a cafe that I swore had apple pie. And, well, I wasn’t wrong. There was apple pie, but it was vegan. I don’t mind trying something new, but if I’m getting a pie crust, it has to have butter. Luckily for us, the public library across the street had its own cafe called Coffee Star with apple pie on its menu. What a magical world: books and pie in the same place! American libraries, take notes! Let's pause and take a moment to appreciate that the pile of whipped cream was the same size as the pie and that the cappuccino has the most perfect heart. It kept getting better, though, because the cafe had a pile of board games including Rummikub, our favorite game to play together. I am definitely a go-go-go person on vacations with a desire to do all the things, but these slow moments were some of my most favorite. In fact, that "pie for breakfast with a side of Rummikub" describes one of my favorite kinds of dates to have with Tom. I love when we can spend quality time together in a local coffee shop or brewery doing something competitive. In Guam that usually looks like a weekly trivia night at a brewery, a tradition I can't wait to continue next week.

Once we finished our game, we started to walk towards the train station, but half of a bagel and a slice of pie were not enough to satisfy me. No, no no, there was a giant French fry statue calling my name. There were a few dozen choices to customize your fries, but I wanted mine slathered in mayonnaise in the local style. In the States, your options are typically ketchup or, incorrectly, mustard, but we need to petition for mayo to be in the mainstream. 

Finally, sufficiently fueled by all of our carbs, we boarded the train to Delft with one mission in mind: finding Delftware teacups. I knew nothing about Delft besides Delftware, and if that’s what you seek, it couldn’t be easier to find. The Delftware shops are in the main market square, which, incidentally, happened to be hosting a market that day. The market square is one of the oldest and largest in Europe and is flanked by the city hall on one side and the Nieuwe Kirk (New Church) on the other. Now, to put the term “new” into perspective, the construction for this beautiful religious site began in 1381, over a century after the “old” church. We bought tickets to tour the New Church and scale its many, many, many steps to enjoy a beautiful (and dizzying) view of the city. It is the second highest church tower in the Netherlands and boasts 376 spiraling, narrow steps to bring you 85 meters high. If you’ve scaled a historic lighthouse, you have the gist of the curving steps whose ascent, while rewarding, never quite seems to end. It was a particularly windy day, and when we emerged onto the viewing platform, my hair was whipped around me and I felt some fear circling the viewing platform. 

The views were amazing, and it was very worth it to get to explore such a historic site so intimately. To see the stairs literally sunken with age and thousands of footsteps before you and to look out upon the canals and red roofs that are postcard perfect is something that anyone, without a fear of heights, should try. Mom, this is the literal opposite of what should be on your itinerary. With another 376 steps down, I was grateful that we fueled up with our many carb heavy snacks while we were still in Leiden. 

The interior of the church was gorgeous and held the tomb of the “Father of the Fatherland,” William of Orange. We had seen in the Rijksmuseum that some families would have themselves painted in front of the tomb (even 17th century tourists were taking selfies), and the rich symbolism of the memorial was fascinating to behold.

Almost all of the Dutch royal family has been buried in the church, and this was the first of many “William & Mary” sightings that I found as a proud alumna. Between the history depicted in paintings at the Rijksmuseum and the tales of kings and other notable figures at the New Church, my interest in Dutch history has been piqued. I have been fascinated by the British royal family since middle school, but it looks like I have a new monarchy to research. History majors, send me a message if you have any recommendations on where to start! 

Just steps outside of the church was the market which was about to close for the day. This meant that the fishmonger was offering discounts, and there was no better time for me to try the infamous snack of the Netherlands: whole, raw herring. My Polish dad gave me a soft spot for pickled herring, so I wasn’t squeamish about the fresh fish, or, as I saw on a meme earlier that week, my alley cat snack. The fishmonger was also offering bowls of seafood salad, and even though it was the end of the market, it was still cold and fresh. The variety of fish offered and the generous portion size made this a steal, but we had to eat quickly as the rain started to fall. And, lo and behold, there was the official Delftware shop! 

First, let me preface this shopping experience by telling you emphatically and with some hard-earned wisdom not to start your shopping excursion at Royal Delft. There is no denying that they have beautiful pieces, but the hand-painted ones are eye-wateringly expensive, and the majority of the shop is mass produced. You could just order those pieces online or stumble into any gift shop for similar quality. I ignorantly thought this was the best and only authentic option for Delftware, so I settled for two mass-produced tea cups that were aesthetically beautiful and well within my budget as well as some Delft-blue earrings. Tom got cufflinks (blue is such a good color for him), and we got a small hand-painted plate as our splurge piece. If I had an unlimited budget and a larger suitcase, I would have loved to bring home one of the beautiful tulip vases, but the prices on that were airline-ticket-expensive. 

I was feeling a bit defeated by the prices and lack of selection when literally right next door was House of Vermeer, a far more affordable shop with a large selection of hand-painted pieces. They were not all made by the same “Royal Delft” brand, but they were handcrafted by artisans all the same. If you look at the bottom of a piece, it will be stamped by the artisan if it is authentic, and it's always worth asking questions to make sure you're purchasing a hand-painted piece. I picked up two hand-painted tea cups that, while still within the souvenir budget, were definitely a step up from the mass-produced ones. They feature windmills on them and are so dainty and beautiful. 

With our shopping completed and the Old Church already closed, we headed back to the train station to get ready for dinner with an old friend of Tom’s in Leiden. He spent a few months doing muscular dystrophy research at the University of Leiden eleven years ago, and his boss’s parents welcomed him and helped him to explore the city and country. She was the most gracious host and brought us to Olympia, a Greek restaurant that closed shortly after our visit due to the owners’ retirements. We shared a platter of delicious food, enjoyed plentiful wine, and had a great time catching up. The owners made us feel welcomed, and we were fortunate to experience this long-time neighborhood gem before it shut its doors.

Afterwards we made a last stop at Cafe De Bonte Koe before heading back to the hotel for our final sleep in Leiden. The next day we would squeeze in a canal tour and the botanical gardens before taking the Eurostar to Paris for our second country of the honeymoon.