Delft - a painter's canvas

DELFT, Netherlands - You don't have to be in Delft long to see what inspired Johannes Vermeer.

With countless bridges stretching over canals, soaring spires and slender houses, the city and its life exude charm.

It's this life - with its scenes of domesticity, milkmaids, and yes, that girl with the pearl earring - that the famed Dutch master so cherished during his lifetime in the city in the 1600s. Anyone who visits, even centuries after Vermeer's time, will be captivated.

Delft, population 100,000, is often overlooked as a tourist destination in favor of its larger, more cosmopolitan neighbors: Amsterdam, an hour away by train, and Den Haag (The Hague), about 25 minutes.

But quaint does have a place and a time - and Delft exemplifies it. From the factory where the famed blue-and-white Royal Delft porcelain is produced to old Gothic churches, streets bordered by canals, and miles of bicycle paths, Delft is an ideal stop in the Netherlands. It's also close enough for day trips to The Hague to visit the M.C. Escher Museum and, if you're there in the spring, to see the famed tulips at Keukenhof.

Royal Delft

It's open for tours and even offers would-be painters the chance to get a feel for the craft through workshops. Visitors get a thorough look at the history of the porcelain and see it in the present too by watching any of the factory's seven painters or handful of artisans who make the pottery. There's also a cafe and a shop where you can buy Delftware.

Workshops must be booked in advance and start at $21 (14.5 euros), which does not include the pottery. Regular entry is $11.50 (8 euros). Skip the guided audio tour; there's plenty of information on the walls and in pamphlets, http://www.royaldelft.nl/index.asp?lang=2.

Central Delft