Our hotel is right by the central train station. This of course makes little excursions convenient. Also our cozy little room is 7 floors above the tracks ….the sound of the trains is great for sleeping.
Mary is like a local using the trains! She uses her cell phone to purchase tickets and get us through the turnstiles to the tracks. Our first destination today was Delft. I’ve always loved blue and white china, and Delft is the original home of this porcelain produced in Europe. Since the 1600s, the Dutch researched and learned to imitate the china the Dutch East India Company was importing from China. We visited a factory built in 1653: saw the process right through to a woman hand painting a vase that would be fired into the characteristic blue and white china
The gift shop was a wonder, but way out of our price range. Genuine hand decorated china (Royal Delft) from this factory has an elaborate marking system on the bottom of the pieces. Just as the Dutch created fakes of Chinese dishes, modern customers need to be aware of imitations. Just for fun, I looked at pieces on eBay and was not convinced that any of it was genuine.
We enjoyed a high tea at the cafe then took 20 minute Uber to The Hague. Our objective was the Mauritshuis Museum, home of selected Dutch Masters. The small, elegant museum was once a home, and is now a cozy space for “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” I was moved to discover another painting I love, “The Goldfinch.”
Katy’s Blog Trip to Europe 2019 
Unsurprising you love those two paintings, Katy…..I am presuming the two very different books of the same names play a role in your choice? Loving the blog. Want Mary to be my next trip organiser!
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The books introduced me to these paintings, yes. Movies (not as good) followed. I’ve also been reading Vermeer’s Hat, a good overview of Dutch East India Company. The Mauritshuis had 2 paintings on loan from Frick Museum in NY that are discussed in that book. So, this museum was a treasure.
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