The Netherlands 6 - Gouda & Delft, plus treats
Gouda cheese had been traded at the city's market square on Thursdays for centuries until the 1950s. Although the modern Gouda cheese trade takes place elsewhere, many volunteers demonstrate traditional buying and selling on Thursdays during the spring and summer months to entertain tourists. Seeing this event was the main reason we planned our visit. We arrived in Gouda a couple of hours before the attraction began at 10:00 am. While waiting, we explored the historic city center, mainly strolling along the ring of defensive canals that encircles the medieval city. The city center was very small and had a lived-in feel.
Having breakfast also helped pass the time while we waited for the event. Barista Café was a spacious, casual breakfast/lunch place, located at the north end of the city center. I tried Lemon Berry French Toast: french toast with clotted cream, fresh lemon curd, blueberries, and poppy seeds. It wasn't what I expected, but tasted nice. I think J ordered Scrambled Eggs Sandwich: scrambled eggs, tomato salsa, avocado spread, cheddar, pickled red onion, and sriracha mayonnaise, with the addition of bacon. I don't remember his reaction or comment to it, but I hope he enjoyed it.
The city of Gouda is also the birthplace of the stroopwafel, a beloved Dutch treat first created there in the late 18th or early 19th century. We were in the right place to get authentic stroopwafels. We stopped by Het stroopwafelwinkeltje, a small standing shop located halfway to the market square from the cafe. I found it as a local favorite. When we bought a couple of bags, we got a compliment of 'free edges' - the crispy dough and syrup trimmings cut off to make perfectly round stroopwafels. Lucky us!
We passed by the Goudse Waag or the Gouda Weigh House from its backside. Built in 1668, the building formerly used to weigh cheeses, among other things, and today houses a museum about Gouda's trading past and its world-famous products.
Here was the market square! Big, bright orange cheese wheels were set up for the cheese trading demonstration, which was starting within an hour. It was a scenery that I was looking forward to capturing on this trip!
Across the square from the Gouda Weigh House was the Gouda Town Hall, a mid-15th century Gothic building. It was constructed as a freestanding building in the middle of the square, following a devastating city fire in 1438.
Many stands were found around the stage, selling local crafts, honey, jam, and of course, cheese. While we were browsing the stalls, the square was getting crowded with spectators like us.
Finally, the traditional cheese trading demonstration was about to begin. A horse-drawn cheese cart came in. The seller (farmers) were in blue, wearing traditional clogs, and the buyer (cheese merchants) were in white coat.
The ringing of the cheese bell at 10:00 am kicked off the traditional trading show. Buyers often tapped the cheese to hear its sound or bored a small hole to test its aroma and flavor. Once they confirmed the quality, price negotiations could begin. Buyers and sellers used to seal deals through a lively bargaining ritual called handjekla. As the seller quoted high prices and the buyer countered with lower ones, they would slap each other’s hands to mark each offer. Once they settled on a price, a final, definitive slap and shake made the agreement official and binding.
While the market trading continued, traditionally-dressed 'cheese boys' and 'cheese girls' livened up the show and helped spectators take photos of them with cheese, or joined in them.
After watching the show enough, we checked the stalls in the market square again. A cheese-making demonstration was taking place; Poffertjes, traditional mini Dutch pancakes were being cooked. The square was packed with visitors!
Cheese, cheese, cheese! There were four or five cheese vendors in the square and some cheese shops on the streets around the square. I didn't know Gouda comes in so many different flavor profiles! We checked out those sellers and J bought some to take home.
In fact, I was more interested in stroopwafels, so I didn't miss visiting the Kamphuisen Siroopwafelfabriek. This bakery has been baking its famous syrup waffles since 1810 using a highly protected secret recipe. It was created by Gerard Kamphuisen, a historic Dutch baker who invented the first siroopwafel around that time to repurpose leftover dough scraps and cookie crumbs. We bought a few bags of the original stroopwafels to try.
After the cheese and stroopwafel shopping successfully completed, we drove to Delft, another medieval city in the Netherlands. The historic district is centered around the Oude Delft canal - the oldest dug canal - and features an interconnected web of smaller waterways and bridges as well as charming preserved old buildings. Unlike the bustling metropolis of Amsterdam, Delft's Old Town was compact and peaceful.
It was time for lunch. Seafood sounded nice, so we checked out Just Fish, a fishmonger and restaurant.
We ordered traditional Dutch herring as a starter. The fillet was tender, had a lightly pickled flavor and tasted very nice!
I had Garnalenkroketten or Dutch shrimp croquettes. The filling was grey shrimp and béchamel sauce. The deep-fried croquettes were very crispy and hot! They tasted good, but grey shrimps aren't as sweet as the larger, reddish ones I'm used to, like black tiger shrimps. Because of that, the croquettes were different from my favorite Japanese-style shrimp croquettes. J chose Lekkerbekje or a large, battered, fried hake fillet with fried potatoes. It was a classic Dutch fish & chip. I think he enjoyed it.
After the seafood feast, we explored the Old Town, heading first to the Markt or the market square, where the Delft Town Hall and the New Church are located.
The construction of the New Church took over 200 years between the 14th and 17th centuries. The tower of the New Church looked stunning; it is the second-tallest church tower in the Netherlands, just a few meters shorter than the Dom Tower in Utrecht.
Like Gouda, Thursdays are market days in Delft. It was in the early afternoon, so some stalls looked like they were closing, but some were still selling vegetables, baked goods, and other items. It was hard to take a nice photo of the Town Hall because of the rows of stalls...
The Maria van Jessekerk, a 19th century, neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church, was located near the New Church. The interior was richly adorned with colorful murals and stained glass windows.
We walked through the Beestenmarkt, a historic square where cattle trading had been carried out from 1595 to 1972. Today, the square is filled with the outdoor seatings of surrounding restaurants.
Another landmark of the city we visited was the Hofje van Grati or the Courtyard of Grace, a historic 17th-century almshouse courtyard, featuring preserved 17th-century gabled houses used for assisted adult living, traditional brick paving, and peaceful gardens.
We found a windmill at the north-west edge of the historic district. Its name was De Roos or The Rose. Built around 1760, it is the last surviving windmill of the original 15 windmills that once operated in Delft.
We headed to the Old Church, officially founded in 1246 on the site where a wooden church likely stood as early as 1050. Its leaning bell tower is famous. Yes, it looked like it had a slight tilt to the right.
When we got closer to the bell tower, I could tell it was noticeably leaning. Built over a diverted canal, the 14th-century Gothic tower had an unstable foundation that caused it to sink and tilt nearly two meters off-center before it was even finished. The tower is known for housing the Trinitas bass bell, the largest historical swinging bell in the Netherlands, weighing almost 9,000 kilos and with a diameter of 2.3 meters. That doesn't help the tower's lean! Today, this special 16th-century bell is only rung at royal funerals.
Johannes Vermeer, one of the most famous Dutch painters of the 17th century, lived his entire life in the city of Delft. He was baptized on October 31, 1632 in the New Church, and he was buried in a family crypt in the Old Church when he died in 1675. Although we didn't see inside either church this time, it was nice to spot both churches to follow the path of the great artist.
A building with an elaborately decorated sandstone façade near the Old Church caught our eye. It was actually the city's oldest stone-built house. Built in 1505, the Gemeenlandshuis in Delft is a late-Gothic building, serving as the headquarters for the Delfland Water Authority since 1645.
We visited Stadsbakkerij De Diamanten Ring or City Bakery Diamond Ring. Established in 1796, the city's historic bakery was filled with a huge collection of breads and pastries. They looked delicious without frills! The bakery was the perfect place to shop for Ontbijtkoek or traditional Dutch breakfast cake, which was on my shopping list during our trip.The bakery had ontbijtkoek, and even a few varieties of it. I chose one classic. J was curious about something like large round pancakes, called Eierkoeken. We bought a bag of them, too. We asked the cashier how to eat them. She kindly told us we could toast them and enjoy them as is, or with some butter.
We stopped by at a store of Leonidas, an artisanal Belgian chocolate maker, and picked up a couple of pieces for dessert. We enjoyed them right away after stepping out of the store.
Next we walked to Oostpoort or the Eastern Gate. Built in the 1400s, it is the last remaining one of the nine former city gates. The Gothic gate has twin towers and a drawbridge. The view of the gate over the water looked like a scene from a fairy tale.
Crossing the gate, we headed to the Royal Delft factory, located just outside the historic district. Founded in 1653, Royal Delft is the last remaining original Delftware factory from the 17th century. Delftware, also known as Delft Blue, refers exclusively to tin-glazed earthenware produced in Delft. All handmade and hand-painted products from Royal Delft are classified as Delft Blue earthenware. Since we own some Royal Delft ceramics, to see more of their products in Delft in person was one of my wish-list items on the trip. We made it on the very last day!
The factory houses a museum that introduces visitors to the cultural heritage of Delft Blue with an extensive collection of antique and modern Delft Blue pieces, including the royal collection, as well as temporary exhibitions. We met Miffy painted in the iconic blue!
The Delft Blue Night Watch was composed of 480 tiles, in the same size as Rembrandt's “Night Watch”.
A self-guided tour of the museum let us walk through part of the factory where craftsmen were carefully producing the famous Delft Blue.
At the end of the museum tour was the Royal Delft flagship shop. We found the exact same vase we have!
We drove home early the next morning with Dutch goodies and our new family member miffy. Welcome home, miffy!
The ontbijtkoek, or Dutch breakfast cake, is very similar to the French honey gingerbread, pain d'épices. I liked the chewy texture and warm-spiced flavor. On the other hand, the eierkoeken looked like giant pancakes and tasted like madeleines. Both the ontbijtkoek and the eierkoeken were made without butter or oil, so I didn't feel guilty when I spread some butter on both. Both were pretty sweet; they tasted very good with lightly salted butter.
The comparison of the two kinds of stroopwafels from Gouda was enjoyable. Interestingly, they were quite distinctive from each other. Those from Kamphuisen Siroopwafelfabriek were thinner, crispier, and deeply caramelly. Those from Het Stroopwafelwinkeltje were thicker, chewier, and brightly cinnamony. Both were equally delightful, but they couldn't beat my memory of biting into one from Hans Egstorf in Amsterdam, which was freshly made in front of us and served while still hot. That was spectacular.
The collection of Gouda cheese that we brought home included two small round farmhouse cheese wheels: one with cumin and the other with nettle; spring cheese, spring cheese, farmhouse cheese with fenugreek, and extra-matured farmhouse cheese (aged 40 weeks). Each flavor was wonderful! They were wonderfully creamy and melted beautifully. I liked all, but my favorites were nettle and fenugreek.
Everyday during the trip was filled with joyful adventures! Perhaps, the highlight for me was visiting the Keukenhof: the beauty of the countless flowers blooming in a riot of colors was breathtaking. Viewing the unique landscape of Kinderdijk and its historic windmills was also a unique experience. Seeing the miffy traffic light in person as well as tasting Hans Egstorf's just-out-of-the-waffle-maker stroopwafel were definitely in my top 5 favorite moments on the trip. I would love to revisit the Netherlands sometime in the future, of course in the springtime.
