Easter in Holland

It's Easter and for us that means a trip to Holland to watch the Euro Hockey League  - this is the third year we have watched this stage of the tournament. This year Rotterdam Hockey Club were hosting the tournament and we decided that we would stay at a campsite in Delft and cycle to the hockey stadium - a round trip of some 15 miles.

We ferried from Harwich to Hook of Holland - it's so much cheaper than from Hull to Rotterdam.

We arrived a couple of days before the hockey started, so took the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing in Delft

Delft is a small city located in the west Netherlands about halfway between Rotterdam and The Hague. It is one of Holland’s historical centres and home to the Dutch royal family, The House of Orange. William of Orange also known as William the Silent was killed and buried here in 1584 at the end of his struggle against the Spanish in the 80 years war.

Historical buildings and other sights of interest include:

Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), constructed between 1381 and 1496. It contains the Dutch royal family's burial vault, which between funerals is sealed with a 5000 kg cover stone.

A statue of Hugo Grotius - (1583–1645), a lawyer who laid the foundations for international law - made by Franciscus Leonardus Stracké in 1886, located on the Markt near the Nieuwe Kerk.

City Hall on the Markt.

Delft is probably best known for the blue and white porcelain and pottery that originates from the area known as Delftware.

Cheese is also much in abundance!

Not sure what this statue is supposed to represent

We stayed at a campsite in Delfte Hout ...

... and also took the opportunity to cycle to ...

... a windmill.

Details of our visits to the Euro Hockey League will follow later