Wednesday, April 6th We arrived at Schiphol airport before noon. We took the train to Den Haag, where we checked our luggage, then took a tram to the Peace Palace. We could only observe the outside, since our guided tour is Thursday. Next we stopped at a deli for some lunch before visiting the Escher in het Paleis. Finally we retrieved our luggage from the train station and arrived at Hotel de Emauspoort in Delft. After checking in, We strolled around Delft.
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Thursday, April 7th We started the day at an open air market in Markt Square (between the Nieuwe Kerk and the Town Hall). Then we took the tram to Den Haag, where we spent the rest of the day. We visited the Mauritshuis museum, where we saw some of Rembrandt's work, and some of Vermeer's work. There was a special exhibit of Jan Steen's work, which included a live restoration (sorry, no photos allowed). Then we took an amazing guided tour of the Peace Palace, where we were given a history of the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Peace Palace houses many gifts to the palace, from all over the world. We had a great dinner at a little Italian (Tuscan) restaurant in Den Haag, then returned to our hotel in Delft.
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Friday, April 8th We spent Friday at the Keukenhof Gardens. On the journey there, we rode past the flower growers farms, that cover the landscape with vibrant colors. We wove our way through Keukenhof's stunning gardens for hours. We learned the history of Holland's flower industry during the canal boat tour we took of the fields. After our visit to the Keukenhof, we had dinner in Lisse before returning to Delft.
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Saturday, April 9th We spent the day walking around Delft enjoying the architecture, canals, and pottery factories. We visited two factories: Royal Dutch Delft, and the much smaller De Candelaer, which was just steps away from our hotel. As we walked we saw many of the town's sites and public squares. We finished the day with dinner at a front-row seat on Markt Square, and a walk back to Oostpoort, the city's eastern gate.
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