Delft and Gouda
Yup, as promised, I am taking another stab at the mammoth undertaking that is: blogging Amsterdam. I don't think too much time has passed to record my observations of a day spent in the Southern Holland towns of Delft and Gouda. Mind you, that day took place on July 24, over two months ago, so the details may be a little fuzzy. Fortunately for my taxed memory, we did not stray too far from the expected program. In Delft, the first order of business was visiting a pottery factory, or excuse me, a Delftware factory. This is where they make those ubiquitous blue vases, plates, flower holders etc. that line the shelves of every souvenir shop in all of the Netherlands. We got to watch as the artisans hand-painted all the aforementioned objects and learned some facts about the pottery-making process (such as: the paint used on the ceramics is actually a blackish color, it isn't until the glaze is added and the item is put into ...