Continent-Hopping: Where?Wednesday

Last week we were in sunny southern California, home to the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. Said to contain the oldest building still in use in California, the mission is a beautiful place to visit. In addition to the gardens and buildings, there's plentiful wildlife: the famous swallows, other birds, lizards, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Highly recommended if you find yourself in this part of the world.

Towering Above

The current form of Delft's Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) was started in 1396. The tower is the 2nd tallest in The Netherlands. Erected in 1872, it stands 108.75 meters high, and if you are interested in the view you can walk the 356 steps to the top.

Sorry, you won't be seeing any photos from the top of the tower on this blog. You'll have to be content with the ground level view.

The Nieuwe Kerk holds the crypt of the royal family and the memorial tomb of Willem I.

Medieval Belgium

In the Belgian city of Tongeren, the area known as the "beguinage" or "begijnhof" is a quiet area containing some of the oldest homes in the town. The area dates from the late 1200s, when it was developed as a walled area with homes for women who devoted their life to serving the church. The spire of St. Catherine's church towers over the old houses.

Princely Window

Detail from the Prinswillemraam (Prince William window) in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in nearby Delft. This is the same church that holds the memorial to Prince William and the crypt of the House of Oranje-Nassau. The windows are from the early 20th century, as the old windows were destroyed in previous fires and gunpowder explosions.

We've been awarded the You Made My Day award by "Blue Chic" from Chicago Daily Photo. Thanks, B.C.! We invite readers to take a look at other photo blogs from The Netherlands:
The Hague, Rotterdam, Texel, Zeeland, and Naarden. Also, visit the blogs from our previous homes from Chicago (Chicago, Chicago, Inverness, Nunda) and Detroit.