Recently I was in Holland with my husband on a work related trip, but we did get a day off and went to Delft. It is a beautiful town and is where Vermeer, the artist lived ('The girl with the pearl earing' -
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335119/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer ). We enjoyed an exhibit that explained his life and works and also had a demonstration of his painting methods, including his use of light. Here I am having fun with a setup they provided. Light makes such a difference to our perspective.
In Delft we also visited the cathedral where the dutch monarchs are buried. It was stark and bright with no ornamentation. Interestingly the pulpit was in the middle of the church and the seating was arranged in a semi circle. The pews were like none other that I had seen. They sloped down, each row being slightly lower than the last so that people could see over the heads in front. By contrast we also went to England to see family in Chester and we visited the cathedral there. It is also beautiful but as it was Anglican and less reformed, it was darker with stained glass and reddish stone and it had a much heavier feel. It did have a greater sense of mystery which I like, having grown up Anglican, but now that I attend a Presbyterian church the Dutch one appealed also.
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