New York City, Holland and Belgium in the Springtime
April 19 - May 6, 2014
Part Four - River Cruise from Gouda to Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Page 11 - Delft and Evening Cruise of Rotterdam Harbor
City Hall of the town of Delft, The Netherlands
Delft is well known for the Delft pottery ceramic products
which were styled on the imported Chinese porcelain of the
17th century. The city had an early start in this area, since it was
a home port of the Dutch East India Company.
Delftware on display
Girl in the square at Delft
Hugo Grotius, April 10, 1583 – August 28, 1645, was a jurist in the
Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili,
he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law.
He was also a philosopher, theologian, playwright,
historiographer, poet, statesman and diplomat.
The Nieuwe Kerk, New Church, is a Protestant church in the city of Delft.
The building is located on Delft Market Square (Markt), opposite the
City Hall (Dutch: Stadhuis). In 1584, William the Silent was entombed
here in a mausoleum. Since then members of the House of
Orange-Nassau have been entombed in the royal crypt.
The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard
in 2004. The private royal family crypt is not open to the public.
The church tower is the second highest in the Netherlands, after
the Domtoren in Utrecht.
A closer view of Delft Town Hall
The Oude Kerk (Old Church), nicknamed Oude Jan ("Old John"),
is a Gothic Protestant church in the old city center of Delft.
Its most recognizable feature is a 75-meter-high brick tower
that leans about two meters from the vertical. The Oude Kerk
was founded as St. Bartholomew's Church in the year 1246,
on the site of previous churches dating back up to two centuries
earlier. The layout followed that of a traditional basilica, with a nave
flanked by two smaller aisles. During its build the foundations
weren't strong enough to support the building, and the church
began to lean. As they continued to build the church they tried to
compensate its lean on each layer of the tower, but it remains to
this day that only the 4 turrets at the top are truly vertical.
Painter Johannes Vermeer is entombed in this Church as well
as Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek, October 24, 1632 –
August 26, 1723. who was a Dutch tradesman and scientist.
He is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology," and
considered to be the first microbiologist. He is best known for his
work on the improvement of the microscope and for his contributions
towards the establishment of microbiology.
Typical canal and walkway scene in Delft
The City Hall, New Church, and Market Square
Cheese store in Delft on the Square
Our ship's captain took us on an evening cruise
around Rotterdam harbor.
.
Erasmus Bridge - a cable-stayed bridge across the Nieuwe Maas,
linking the northern and southern regions of Rotterdam.
The Erasmus Bridge was designed by Ben van Berkel and
completed in 1996. The 2,631 ft long bridge has a 456 ft
asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of "The Swan."
The fifth SS Rotterdam, known as "The Grande Dame", was launched
by Queen Juliana in a gala ceremony September 13, 1958, and
completed the following summer. The Rotterdam was the last great
Dutch "ship of state," employing the finest artisans from the
Netherlands in her construction and fitting out process.
Her career spanned forty-one years. She sailed from 1959 until her
final retirement in September 2000. She returned to the city of
Rotterdam on August 8, 2008. She opened to the public on
February 15, 2010 as a combination museum/hotel and school
for vocational training.
Sun setting while we were cruising the Rotterdam harbor
on our small cruise ship, River Harmony
Going under "The Swan" bridge on the way back to our docking station.
Building built over a building in Rotterdam
Link to Page 12 - Veere, The Netherlands and Ghent, Belgium
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