DEFT DELFT!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

DELFT IS ONE OF HOLLAND'S MOST CHARMING, CUTE AND CAREFULLY CRAFTED CITIES. IT HAS A POPULATION OF 100,000 THOUGH IT FEELS LIKE A KAMPONG (VILLAGE IN BAHASA MALAYSIA) AND ITS MAIN ATTRACTIONS ARE CENTRED IN AND AROUND THE WORLD FAMOUS MARKET SQUARE.


Michael Mantz shows one of the attractions of Holland---eating raw herring! It looks gross, horrid and gruesome which explains why it is not universally available like McDonalds.

Down it goes. Even the seagull sitting atop the statue of Cornelius de Groot has to look the other way

Oh gross, God forbid this should catch on in Malaysia using ikan tenggeri

Now this is a more palatable sight and even the Dutch cyclist smiles in agreement!

Lunch at the Royal House Restaurant

As proof of the restaurant's loyalty to the throne, these 2 larger than life portraits of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Holland are displayed----to denote the male and female 'thrones'! Notice the door handles.

Kee Hua Chee stands inbetween the Dutch royals. I wonder if they are amused or aghast at their faces being used to denote the Men and Ladies toilets!

The portrait of Her Majesty Queen Beatrice of Holland is displayed in more salubrious surroundings!

Daniel Mantz and Kee Hua Chee who is wearing shoes slightly too big for his feet but then his head is too big for his own good

Daniel Mantz also wears shoes too big for him but Princess Becky Leogardo thinks his feet will eventually grow to accommodate the clogs

Kee Hua Chee in front of New Church or Nieuwe Kerk in Dutch

A double strawberry! Only one in the world! The rarest fruit ever discovered! I found this freak of nature in my strawberry box and since it will bring good luck, I ate it after making a wish! Perhaps I should have preserved and sold it for millions but too late now...

Angie and Raphael Mantz by the famous Dutch shoes

The Mantz clan; Gloria, Daniel, Raphael, Angie, Linda, Princess Becky Leogardo and Michael Mantz

 

The large square is so well preserved any Delftian from the 16th century can instantly find his way around and be  at home. At one end is the New Church which is around 400 years old and the City Hall is at the opposite end.

I went there today, Thursday 5 July 2012 with Princess Becky Leogardo, hubby Michaeal Mantz and their 3 kids, Daniel,4, and twins Gloria and Raphael, 2 plus their two nannies, as I and Princess Becky are the last people to wake at 3am to change their diapers.

A market was in full swing in the square and the vendors were all trading actively, the same way their ancestors did centuries ago. I would say most of the commodities were similar, such as food and clothing though fashions have changed but the foodstuffs, vegetables, fruits and meat obviously remain intact.

I bought 2 boxes of strawberries for RM 10 which was a steal  compared to the horrendous prices in KL. I ate 2 boxes of big, fat, juic strawberries in one go and bought 4 more for supper.

Delft is famous for delftware which is blue and white porcelain ala Ming porcelain. As Delft was the HQ of Dutch East Indies, it was the first to receive the blue and white porcelain from China brought in by Dutch sailors. It was not long before the locals discovered how to make Chinese porcelain after Meissen in Germany perfected the process and started their own factories.

To this day, Delft porcelain does not feature any other colours except blue and white, in honour of the original colours of the Ming dynasty wares. Sadly, Delft porcelain fell on hard times as who could keep up with the chinks in terms of production, talent, labour and low costs? Times have not changed to this day as China is the world's low cost producer of anything you market demands!

Today, only a few shops in the square sell Delft porcelain made and hand painted in Delft. The vast majority are made in China and shipped to Delft by the shiploads!

Said Josh, owner of Holland House souvenir shop, "Of course we have no choice but to order from China, Just look at our prices! They are a few euros each or 3 items for 5 euros! So no one can expect these items to be made in Delft or anywhere in Holland."

Holland House claims to offer Delft porcelain at the cheapest prices with the biggest selection, the friendliest staff and best service. "We are open 365 days a year too!" added Jos. Well, their grandoise claims are true as we have been shopping in Holland House for the last 4 years and have compared their prices and selection with their competitors.

Princess Becky Leogardo bought 156.40 euros and I demanded a discount which was cheeky as some items were already reduced but Jos still lowered the total to 150 euros. So I recommend all Malaysian and readers of my famous blog to patronise his shop and give the family my love so they will give you special prices!

HISTORY OF DELFT
Delft received its city charter in 1246 and is associated with the current Royal Family who is descended from the House of Orange-Nassau which explains why the official colour of Holland is orange.

In 1572, William of Orange aka William the Silent (a title that cannot be applied to me as I do love the sound of my voice) took up residence in Delft. William fought against Spain which ruled Holland for 80 years until William of Orange gained independence for Holland in 1581. Since he was living in Delft, it became capital of newly independent Holland as the seat of Prince and later House of Orange. The 'Nassau' part came later from its Germanic connection.


Alas, poor William of Orange did not live long to celebrate his triumph. Three years later in 1584, he was assassinated in the staircase of the Prince's Palace by Balthazar Geralds. Traditionally the Dutch royals were buried in Breda but it was still under the control of Spain so William of Orange was buried in New Church and the tradition remains so when the current Queen of Holland Queen Beatrice goes to heaven, she will also be buried here in Delft in New Church.


Apart from its blue and white porcelain and burial place of Dutch kings and queens, Delft is also famous for the so-called Delft Thunderclap. It sounds like some divine clapping but for the wrong reason as the Delft Thunderclap almost levelled the city!


In 1654, an ammunitions storage warehouse containing 30 tons of gunpowder exploded, killing a hundred and injuring thousands. This Delft Explosion is the reason why University of Delft specialises in explosion science!