Bocce!

The young guy in the green hat, and his partner, the girl to his left, seemed to be the "young guns" on the field.  They were very, very good, as were their competitors

Another throw...

looking to see which bocce ball is closest to the marker

This is one third of the area in which set were played,

and there were six games going on each section at once

Bocce:  does anyone play this game in the US?  I've always wanted to know more about it.

Today has been lovely:  perfect weather for the annual bocce tournament!  When we ventured out of our hotel this morning, the market square had transformed:  three-fourths of the square had been cordoned off and a 4-5 inch layer of sand had been covered over the surface.  Inside were countless bocce teams playing in heats throughout the day.  It was interesting to sit and observe the players inside and outside the tournament-area.  I know nothing about this sport, but one thing I really loved was the fact that all ages were playing with and against one another.  Older women were playing against young guys.  It was  great.  I sat and tried to figure out who the bocce "rock stars" were.  

Here's a little more info about the game:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocce

The Dutch East India Company Building

The logo of the Dutch East India Company is located above the doorway

Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC, the D is for Delft

interesting shutters stand out from the side of the building

The historical information about the Dutch East India Company is worth revisiting.  I had forgotten most of what I was taught in school about this.  I'm posting two links, the first is a description of the company, and the second is (I hope) info about Vermeer's painting "A View of Delft".  The red-roofed warehouse on the left side of the painting is the warehouse for the Dutch East India Company.  This is what happens when you spend enough time hanging out with a Vermeer expert:  painting trivia!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company

The Family Vehicle

A typical scene in any Dutch community:  mom and baby on one bicycle and another young child on a separate bicycle

Here's another configuration:  a three-wheeled cycle which is used for multiple young ones or hauling groceries

One of the hazards of a bicycle:  

how to haul stuff home?

If you have never been to the Netherlands, here's a little tip:  Watch out for the bicycles because they have the right-of-way!  This fact was somewhat disorienting to me when I first spent time here last year, but it is easier to remember this time.  So far I have not seen a pedestrian "flattened" by a cyclist, one of my first sights from the train enroute to Amsterdam last year.

The entire country is flat which makes for easy cycling.  Everyone, it seems, rides a bike.  Even newlyweds in their wedding finery.

Delft on Saturday: Market Day and a major Bocce tournament

The Delft market was huge!

Here is one of the many cheese vendors

The fish monger:  you bought cooked and ready-to-eat fish on the left, or fresh uncooked on the right

(we bought chunks of cooked whitefish and calamari-yum)

a family navigates through the canal on their scow.

Note the mast has been dropped, and the skipper will need to duck very soon.

Inside the Oude Kerk, we see the newest commemorative plaque for Johannes Vermeer.

No one is certain exactly where in the church he is buried.

We wandered through Old Delft and took in the Saturday Market.  It seemed to be a combination flea/farmer's market, as near as I could tell.  We stopped and ate freshly cooked fish and calamari, which were both delicious.  We bought a small packet of freshly roasted mixed nuts which we later enjoyed while watching the bocce tournament.

Tim met with a woman potter who uses the same techniques as were utilized in the 1600's.  He hopes to return to interview her for part of his documentary film.  After visiting with her, we entered the Oude Kerk, we met with the gentleman who is the director of the church.  He allowed us to take a peek at the mechanism of the largest (of the 3) pipe organs, which still have the manual bellows intact, something Tim said he had never before seen in an organ.  These are usually replaced with automated bellows.  We climbed up a very precarious set of steps in order to peek into the space where this was housed.

I took numerous photos of the floor crypt surfaces.  I could stay in a place like that for hours looking at them.  The uneven surfaces, worn with time and so many footsteps across them, and all the elaborate and sometimes macabre carvings:  oh my!  I love them.

The town was a flurry of activity compared to the day before:  it seems the market and the tournament brought everyone outside!

Rainy night scene in Delft

A poor guy rides his bike through the rainy streets of Delft

(I took this shot with my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II)

Whee!  If I upload these high-res shots one-at-a-time I seem to be able to get away with it.

Enjoy...

Weddings

The newlyweds bicycle around Market square after leaving the courthouse

As we sat in an outdoor cafe we observed one wedding party after another enter and leave the Town Hall.  Most departed in fancy vintage cars and limos, but the last couple of the day rolled down the courthouse ramp (to the cheers of the crowd!) on their red bicycle.  Then, in true Dutch form, the bride sitting sideways on the front fender of the bike, they made a couple of laps around the square.

Delft Graffiti

Another typical scene:  bicycle parked next to the wall of a building 

and some colorful graffiti

I have to say that I find the graffiti I encounter in the Netherlands to be pretty interesting.  It is certainly more colorful/artful than most of the stuff I see close to where I live.