And in actuality, as soon as we stepped out of the Delft train station a week ago, we looked to the left and there it was - a windmill so large it almost eclipses the sun. But somehow, (maybe it was the distraction of all those ancient churches) we hadn't visited Delftse Molen until today.
And if you've ever visited the Nerherlands, you are familiar with the ubiquitous bicycle that comes in dozens of varieties for hauling everything from whole groups of toddlers to household furniture. But it was only yesterday that Caleb and I managed to get around to renting bikes (Ben is having none of it since this seems to be a helmet-free zone). And to be fair, riding here does take some getting used to. About half the bikes you see on the streets (including our rentals) are gearless and have foot brakes. Since in the US foot brakes are limited to kids' bikes, that basically means you have to learn to ride a bike again or to think of it another way, riding a bike isn't really like riding a bike.... But after a few minor mishaps, we racked up some miles today.
Oh, and to make sure you don't read an entire blog post that doesn't mention a visit to a church - here's the daily dose.
This is inside De Oude Kerk- remember? The one with the leaning tower? Or as we learned on our touristy canal tour, it is more accurately "banana shaped" since the builders tried to correct for the appearance of crookedness as the building process progressed.
And have I mentioned that Delft is the hometown of painter Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch Master of Light? One of his most famous works, The Little Street, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/vermeers-the-little-street-discovered has come back home to Delft this summer, so we took a look at the painting (and spot where they think it was painted) displayed at the Museum Het Prinsehof, with its amazing medieval tower.
I know what you're thinking- life is tough when you are on sabbatical.
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