Delft with a Vengeance!

First of firsts, I'm glad to be back home. After hemming and hawing about the pros and cons between staying another day (Saturday) and going back straight to Delft on Friday, we chose the latter.

Plainly speaking, we are sick of the place - hotel food, hotel room, hotel surroundings - and don't let me start (again) about the humdrum existence that living in Groningen denotes to me.

We arrived home around 8:15 pm, after a 3-hour train ride (excluding 30-minute waiting time for Delft-bound train in Den Haag Centraal train station). We were pooped, mentally and physically.

Upon entrance into our apartment, Sadia went directly to her toys, sitting proper and idle for two weeks at her corner of the living room. She even took to ride on her tricycle, with her mom maneuvering of course! Needless to say, sleep seemed to elude her as she got reacquainted with most of her stuff and in general the familiar environs. She was more vocal than usual and actively engaged with her playthings, ranging from the press-and-go merry-go-round, Po the Red Teletubby, Nelly the Giraffe, press-and-go Musical Box to the comfy and plush Dutch clogs (thanks to 'Uncle' Robert from Canada).

While hubby went out to get dinner, I, on the other hand, simultaneously switched on the wireless internet connection and the MacBook. To say the least, it's sheer bliss! Like Sadia, I even fought against any signs of drowsiness and surfed the Net until the midnight hour. By then, my tired body beckoned me to assume a restful, supine position by joining my two honeys who had already dozed off.

Saturday was a day of relaxation and dropping by our favourite haunts to buy groceries and toiletries, and eat ice-cream cones on one of the wooden benches by the canal at Moslaan, the so-called heart of the town. It was also Market day, where row upon row of stalls filled up the streets enticing the public with food (for instance, kibbeling, stroopwafel, patat and bakery goods), fresh produce, fruits and colourful flowers.

However, to commemorate the Queen's Day today and the start of Spring's tourist season, there were also additional stalls propped up at Delft Square and along the canal at Koornmarkt, focusing chiefly on antiques, baubles, trinkets and other Delftian souvenirs. A multitude of tourists - Dutch and foreign - seemed to invade every possible space in Delft yesterday. We even had to wait for our turn on an empty bench at Moslaan!

The pandemonium all over town was in stark contrast with the tranquil, natural setting in Groningen. It's great to be home! (Have I said this already?) Familiarity does NOT breed contempt after all. If it does, why do people stay married for so long? :)

Digression aside, having eaten rice only once while we were in Groningen - courtesy of Yam Yam To Go to which we had to fall back on for 'ricescapade' - we already had a few menus in mind for when we returned to Delft! :) Oh before I delved further into that, the first night home we relished our usual Turkish Pizzas, packed with slices of chicken meat and on Saturday's afternoon, Turkish Pizzas again but only with cheese. We miss you, Turkish Pizza!

Back to our dinner menu, nasi lemak with ikan kembung (or mackerel) stuffed with hot sambal was served on Saturday night and last night, nasi ayam with specially marinaded fried chickenwings bought on Sunday afternoon in Den Haag. It'll be rice dishes until Kingdom come.....or at least, until we reach a surfeit!

Speaking of Den Haag, we were there even before the shops opened at noon. We took our time getting ready, and instead of taking the tram service to Centrum (shopping arcade area) right after the train, we ambled from the Centraal Station. It was a beautiful day to go on foot. Despite the lethargy from an exhausting two-week 'break', a sorely missed watering hole must be visited, we reckoned. The streets enroute to Centrum were dotted with food kiosks, strategically-placed big speakers and searchlights and a temporary performance stage for the festivities to be had for Queen's Day today.

Our regular lunch date in V&D's La Place was followed by scouring the Centrum for Sadia's summery pyjamas (her current enclosed sleepsuits will deter from a peaceful slumber in our non air-conditioned apartment), some halal meat (from chickenbreasts to hotdogs) and, a digits-friendly keyboard for my hubby's laptop (his featherweight laptop comes with equally tiny keyboard pads). The new one will facilitate the flow of ideas whilst writing his thesis, which I might add, is slowly nearing its deadline.

Of course, we stopped as wont for coffee. This time, we decided to give Lebkov & Sons a try. It is situated on Turfmarkt, on the way to Centraal Station. It was a month ago that we stumbled upon it when our tram diverted to the aforesaid Station from its normal stop at Centrum due to some road closure. Now the second time around, we simply had to taste what its sign said "The Best Coffee in Town'". Regrettably, the iced espresso topped with vanilla syrup and milk negated the purported excellent coffee claim. Perhaps, we should stick with their acclaimed hot beverages. More so since the ones we bought was the ONLY cold selection on the menu. The alfresco long tables and benches were the sole redeeeming feature in our thirst-slaking experience. Alas, Coffee United is exclusively available in the northern parts of the country.

We came back home thereafter only to hop out again in an hour's time to eat ice-cream cones and buy some bread and vegetables for breakfast and dinner respectively. With most shops closed, Delft's Sunday scene is relatively quieter than Saturday to enjoy our stroll on cobblestone paths. Obviously, savouring the common sights and sounds this past weekend has been our main agenda.

Happily back to our daily routines. How fantastic it is to be home sweet home!