Delft - The City of Bikes and Canals

Written by Pavan Raj, Student Ambassador for HousingAnywhere at TU Delft,

Netherlands
If you want to experience what is Netherlands in one day, you just have to visit this
little university town called Delft. Decorated with picturesque canals and bustling bikes

passing over its bridges, Delft is one of the most beautiful towns in Western Europe.
Geographically as well as socially, we can divide this town into two districts: the Old
Town and the New Town, both being connected by a bridge across the main canal of
Delft.
While the Old Town, also known as the Delft Centrum comprises of the aged buildings
such as churches and museums, the New Town contains all the university buildings
and student accommodation of TU Delft. Most of the people here speak good English
and are friendly in general. So, you will be able to live in Delft by just knowing English.
However, the people here would appreciate if you try to make some simple
conversation in the local language, Dutch. It is good to know at least two words from
Dutch- Dank jewel for thank you and Alsjeblieft for please :)
Despite having strong rains and winds for most part of the year, the inhabitants of
Delft prefer to ride bike for their daily commute and there are separate lanes for bikes
throughout the town. The bike symbolises down-to-earth attitude, simplicity, energysaving and health-consciousness of the Dutch people. Almost every student in Delft
travels to the university on his/her own bike and hence he/she does not have to
depend on the public transport.
The food habits of the Dutch are quite meagre, because they think that one should not
waste much time in preparing and eating food, although it is important to maintain a
healthy diet. Therefore, dont be surprised if you see a Dutch student does not take a

Delft - The City of Bikes and Canals

lunch break and consumes a cheese sandwich for his/her lunch while he is still working
on an assignment. Moreover, the Dutch, however social they may be, do not believe in
inviting their friends for a dinner even if they have known each other for quite a long
time. Heard about a Dutch date? If you go on a date with Dutch guy/girl then make
sure you carry your purse because bills are always split equally here!
Netherlands has got some unique festivals such as Kings Day in April and Sinterklaas
in December and people in Delft look forward to these festivals all round the year. On
Kings Day, everyone come out on to the main streets wearing orange dresses, which
is their national symbol to celebrate the Kings birthday. You can find groups of people
enjoying cruises on their private boats through the big canals being in a party mood.
Sinterklaas or Sint Nicolaas comes a couple of weeks before Christmas along with his
companion Zwarte Piete the Black Peter. This festival is celebrated with the same
spirit as Christmas is being celebrated in other parts of the world. The Flower
Exhibition in Keukenhof, a place about 50 km from Delft typically held during the
spring season presents the words largest tulip garden, which is definitely a must-see
for anyone visiting this country.

Delft - The City of Bikes and Canals

The courses offered at TU Delft are quite advanced and keeps up with the pace of the
fast-changing world. In recent years, the focus has been towards sustainability in
engineering and internationalisation of faculties. Master tracks are offered to the
students, which emphasise the importance of Sustainability and Renewable Energy in
the current industrial scenario. This attitude towards renewable sources such as wind

energy is manifested in the form of numerous wind farms across the country. It is well
known that most of the Netherlands have regions lying below the sea level and was
highly prone to floods. TU Delft has produced several civil engineers over the years,
who has contributed to the DeltaWorks, construction of dams and dykes across the
coastline to manage the floods. Delta Works has been declared as one of the Seven
Wonders of the Modern World!
Keywords: town, student accommodation, courses, festivals, canals, bikes

Delft - The City of Bikes and Canals