Other Adventures on Our Freezing Cold Walk

In the last post I started out by claiming we went for a walk but then got side tracked by a story about canals. So this entry will try to stay on topic and describe some of the adventures we had along the way.

Our walk began at sunrise, crossing into the old part of the city. Because cars are limited within the canal ring and because it was a Sunday, the city slept hushed in quiet. A gray haired man rode past us on a red bike, only to stop short at the brick building on the corner. He pulled his bike inside the doorway and, before we could reach that same corner, church bells began to throng their chords above the rooftops. Silence was sacrificed to the profound.

Saint Hippolytus Chapel, Delft
with Hope texting in the foreground
(for a taste of the old and the new)
constructed c. 1400 A.D.

Named after Hippolytus of Rome, a 3rd century theologian who was eventually martyred by the Romans for his faith, this building was constructed about 1400 A.D. in the Gothic tradition.

As the plaque adjacent to the front door suggests, the building has changed hands and served many functions over the years. It was originally deeded to the Delvenites on 13 August 1396, a momentous day associated with St. Hippolytus' martyrdom, who became their patron saint.

Until the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century, 13 August was commemorated as a holy day in Delft, beginning with a mass at the church in the morning and then a procession through the city, followed by a market day in the central square in the afternoon. The canal that runs next to this church is known as Hippolytusbuurt even now. Buurt is the Dutch word for neighborhood.

a stone statue of Saint Hippolytus

We continued our journey into the central square which is usually filled with locals buying vegetables, vendors hawking their wares and tourists bedazzled by it all. 

Nieuwe Kerk, Delft
completed in 1496

But on this morning the square was quite empty, save for a single bicyclist peddling an angled course across the lonely stones. 

All the businesses were shuttered, while orange cheese wheels stood sentry, their window to the world reflecting the stadhuis at the opposite end of the square. In the Netherlands religion, government and commerce all meet together. 

Warm now, we decided to check out a breakfast cafe called Kek. Facing a canal on the far side of town, this cafe greets its visitors with warm colors and a hipster vibe. The servers all 20-somethings with smiles and the optimism of youth. 

Most everyone in Netherlands speaks English easily, with a patient tolerance for Other that comes from knowing their history and looking forward to their future. Generally speaking, the Dutch are friendly but not chatty, direct but not rude. Their open mindedness springs from centuries of practice. 

I ordered a latte and fruit crumble uit de oven, which was fresh, warm and tasty. Hope choose chai and a stack of pancakes. Before we had even finished, we promised ourselves to come back again soon. It was that good.

After the leisure of breaky at the Kek, we headed out to the Arboretum Heempark, a park on the eastern edge of the city. There the Delft municipality has provided a petting zoo for children, riding trails for horses, a small lake with paddle boats for summer fun and running trails galore. Indeed there were lots of runners, including a seniors marathon. Imagine, if you will, 70-somethings in black running tights and florescent yellow jackets huffing to the cheers of their families as they crossed the finish line. It was remarkable, and I was caught so much in the wonder of it that I forgot to take pictures. I might be stating the obvious, but Delft fosters quality of life for all ages. 

We left the park and headed back into the city, full of walkers and bicyclists, families and the elderly. Before arriving back to our airbnb house, we came across a tree full of green parrots, squawking their greeting. It seemed like a fitting end to a fine morning in Delft.