By I had taken a blessed trip through the Netherlands and concentrated mainly on Den Haag. However, I had taken tours through this blessed land. I had decided to travel to Delft, the Netherlands. I wanted to visit the New Church, the Old Church, and the Prinsenhof Museum of Delft. The New Church is where deceased members of the Dutch royal family are laid to rest.
The Old Church in Delft is an amazing structure and four mausoleums are still existing and numerous memorial stones for historical figures still remain there.
This was a very sacred place as I felt this unwanted feeling and knew I loved to pray for the dead and the living as we all are but travelers going through the same path. I had then walked to the New Church where the Dutch founding father “William the Silent,” also known in Dutch as “Willem van Oranje” had been laid to rest. I knew this is where deceased members of the royal family are but interred in their crypts.
WILLIAM THE ORANGE, THE ROYAL CRYPT, AND NEW CHURCH
I saw how all were in coffin boxes in a tomb like place where their bodies were embalmed. I thought how does it feel to be sleeping there as if nothing has happened yet there is no life within these bodies. The story of William the Silent was he had unbuttoned some of his shirt buttons to let his soul leave his body. Strange is this was a funeral home where the royal family is brought after their departure from this Earth. I did not feel strange or scared, however I thought how does it feel to remain like this after death.
WILLIAM THE SILENT’S MAUSOLEUM (HE IS BURIED IN THE CRYPT)
I watched the videos of royal family members being brought here and thought how would this feel.
I knew within life and within death, it is but personal choices that should be honored. Also, I prayed for all of these blessed souls.
Strange was this place as if I had known all of these people who were sleeping underneath the floor we were walking above. I felt I had a bond or a special feeling for these people which I concluded as humanity and let it be.
I had a friend who had climbed the 376 steps of the New Church in the second highest tower of the Netherlands. The tower itself is 108.75 meters in height. He had joined us later on the tour. He screamed and told all, ”It’s your dream of William, and all single beds, and the orange tree!”
SOME PICTURES FROM THE TOP OF THE NEW CHURCH
I watched him and he knew I was upset at him for saying this aloud. Yes, I had dreams guiding me through the Netherlands. I saw there was a William, who I knew was asleep. He was linked to an orange tree. Yet, I never knew where this country was. I kept on seeing the orange tree calling me, until one day I had the dream of Mark Rutte. That’s when I had placed a name to this land that calls me from far away.
I prayed for all here as I left and entered “Museum Het Prinsenhof,” the house of William the Silent where he was murdered.
This is an amazing place where history is but left open to the citizens of the future to be a part of.
I walked through this home and knew life is but a complete miracle where even though we have history recording all of the known stories, there are but the unknown which get lost through the pages of history. What happens then? Can the dead be back through dreams or reincarnation to retell the stories of the lost? Only time would know the answers to these questions.
Please do enter the room where there is a huge carpet representing the orange tree of William the Silent. This was an amazing sacred place for me.
ORANGE TREE CARPET IN WILLIAM THE SILENT’S BEDROOM
I walked out of this sacred house and somehow entered the courtyard where we had walked off of the tram to. As we were trying to find a place to eat, we ended up at the place we had arrived after the tram ride.
We arrived at Sint Agathaplein in Delft. This was a strange place where I saw a name from my book again based upon my dreams written within the walls of this courtyard. I don’t know how I arrived at a place in Delft called this and it has the huge church where the first William is buried, and the courtyard where I saw as if Agatha was walking.
SINT AGATHAPLEIN
I found out nuns used to stay there in what is called Saint Agatha Monastery. William the Silent had allowed the nuns to remain there even though new nuns were not allowed to enter as he had converted this to his home. I could not but wonder what had happened to all the nuns. All over I saw there were plaques of Saint Agatha. I only prayed for all the nuns who were here as I know they had dedicated their lives to God. I had wanted to be a nun. Only with some family friends’ insistence, I had realized this was not my calling as I will try to serve God and all of humans with humanity.
Walking through the beautiful streets of Delft, I saw these roads looked like a picture from the Hallmark movies where everything was decorated for Christmas and blessings remain around the corner.
SOME PICTURES OF THE CITY
I also found out there were more witch weighing houses all over the country. Behind Delft’s town hall, there was a building which was also a weighing house. It’s called “De Waag” and it could have weighed goods or witches. This is now a restaurant. I had entered the building like I was within a maze and felt strange. However, I saw this too was a weighing house. As always, I knew witches were taken to Oudewater to be weighed. I wondered how many witches or so called witches had come here to be free from the horrible fate of death.
SOME PICTURES FROM DE WAAG
I wondered if my characters were buried here. Hmmm, I wonder about this book I have based upon my dreams. You could only wonder as even the places in the Netherlands have my characters living through history.
Dreams are just that dreams. Yet, sometimes they lead to the unknown truth where nothing makes sense except faith and belief of the beholder.
I believe in dreams and know perception is but the personal belief of the beholder. Today, as I left Delft for Den Haag where I had my hotel, I could not but stop from thinking about my trip through my dreams. I thought what was going on. Was the Lord taking me on a trip through the past yet within the present through my dreams, yet in reality? I wondered and knew all of life is but a miracle. Delft, the Netherlands is famous for its pottery and is known to all across this globe.
Today though, through the eyes of this beholder, I want you to meet William the Silent, and his family. Meet them through the orange tree.
I want you to meet Saint Agatha and all of the nuns. They had lived in the same house before William the Silent had made this his house. I want you all to remember the witches who had traveled throughout the horrible nights and dreadful days to save themselves. They traveled to prove to all they too are just humans with humanity who too have a right to live.
Come and have fries at this restaurant called De Waag where they might have weighed goods or just maybe witches. During 1550 to 1690, people thought of being witches were weighed at good stations too.
After a long day in Delft, I had gone back to Den Haag. I had dinner at ”Luden” in Het Plein, my favorite restaurant close to my hotel. As always, I was greeted by the wonderful waitress at Luden named Kristine. She had always greeted us with a warm smile. I had told her about Agatha and a weighing house in Delft. She was shocked and said maybe I was guided to go there.
I thought about strangers and their unique ways of becoming family friends through humanity. Luden, a fabulous restaurant is my next blog post.
Until then, please go to the Netherlands even once in your lifetime. I know you too shall love her as I love her. If I could, I would have hugged her and given you all the reasons why I had traveled there for the second time. I will travel to this sacred country again and again as I realized how blessed this land is.
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Love and blessings from Seattle,
*This is the second post in my new blog series A Traveler’s Journal!
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