Delft Walking Tour -- by Jay Brentjes, October 2010 - Great wen site ...

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You may also see a lot of water lilies on these calm canals. There is not much boat traffic here and that is another reason why I think Delft is so much more peaceful than Amsterdam. How about a few young swans making their way along the canal? Oh, and what do you think about parking along here? When you reach the bridge, continue along the canal as it bends to the left. Then at the next corner we make a right turn. We are now entering a different part of Delft; from the old to the new and modern. 3. We are now at the Veste Plein. To your left you will still see some of the older buildings and a bar/restaurant 'Moods', popular with the younger crowds. But most of the other buildings are modern and relatively new. The reason is that this part of Delft was rebuilt after the Schie was realigned. On the old maps you can see two sharp bends in the canal. This caused difficulties for long boats, so a new section was dug with a more gradual bend. We will see this shortly. Part of the original Zuiderkanaal is still there with lots of nice houseboats lining one side. Also keep in mind that the university is not too far south from here, so many students and other young folks make this their hang out. There is 'Mustsee', a movie theater and shops such as 'America Today'. But we pass here and go to the next square the Bastiaanplein. You can see it in this picture. When you reach this spot, notice the narrow passage way between the buildings (see picture to the right). That is where we are going next. It leads to the busy street we saw earlier along the Schie. Cross the street and the bridge ahead. Stay along the left side and when you are on the bridge notice the long row of trees and footpath along the water front. We are going to take a nice, leisurely walk along there to reach our next stop the East Gate. You will see some stairs to go down at the end of the bridge. 4. As you pass the bend along the canal you see our next bridge. We will cross this to the Oostport (East Gate) but not yet. Notice this was the location of the famous painting by Jan Vermeer. He knew, just like Rembrandt, how to catch the light and shadows below the clouds.
But continue a bit further for one of the prettiest views. Now cross the modern bridge and the white 'ophaalbrug' or draw bridge and continue through the gate. Some of the old buildings you see in the Vermeer painting are gone, but you still get an idea of what it must have been like when you look back at what remains of that period. Just before we reach the main square we can stop at the Vermeer Centrum and learn more about this artist. Straight ahead is one of the main shipping canals into the old town, Oosteinde. In the distance we see the Nieuwe Kerk. We will walk along the left side until we reach Molslaan where we turn left. But have a look back from where we came. There are some interesting views. Sometimes you may see the canal covered with what looks like green algae. It is actually part of the Lemnaceae family and called 'kroos' in Dutch. It is similar to duckweed and is eaten by ducks and swans and does not harm to fish. 5. After we pass the white pedestrian bridge (known as 'Hopbrug'), we come to the Moslaan canal. Here is where we turn left and go to the Beestenmarkt (Animal Market). From about 1595 until 1971 this was a market place where you could sell or buy farm animals including pigs, rabbits, etc. However, horses were traded at a different place. Now the Beestenmarkt is a nice spot to relax. There are several bars and restaurants that are pleasant and a lot less expensive than those around the main square. During the winter months the center of the square is flooded and turned into a ice skating rink. The church you see at the north-west corner is the Maria van Jessekerk, a Catholic church. We are going around the corner and take the road that curves a bit to the left. It is the Burgwal. At the next corner you come to the side of the Nieuwe Kerk, but instead of going to the front, we are taking one more detour. Turn right and walk to the next corner. Here you come to the Vrouwenregt, a delightful short street. The name is interesting and I don't know its origin. It means the 'right of women'. You can see a quaint bridge and corner house in the distance. We are heading that way.
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Delft Walking Tour -- by Jay Brentjes, October 2010 - Great wen site ...

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