The four Girls with a Pearl Earring

Why Delft has stolen my heart - and will conquer yours too

There are cities you walk through, and there are cities you stay in. Delft is of the latter kind. It is not a city that shouts or overwhelms - no, Delft whispers. She winks. She beckons. And before you know it, you're hopelessly in love.

When I step out my door in the morning - with my hair still slightly tousled and a coffee mug in hand - and cycle along the cobblestones of Oude Delft, I feel it every time: this is no ordinary city. This is a painting I live in the middle of. On the left, the gentle murmur of the canal, on the right a façade from 1623, and above me the sky that seems as blue as the porcelain in the window of that one antique shop on the corner.

What makes Delft so special is that it is small enough to be intimate, but big enough to surprise again and again. You think you know her, and then suddenly you discover a courtyard behind a wall, a gallery you never saw before, a bakery where the cinnamon rolls smell of memories. And as you stroll, you see people greeting each other, students on folding chairs in front of their houses, tourists taking a wrong turn and accidentally discovering something wonderful as a result. Everything and everyone here moves in a kind of gentle harmony - like brushstrokes on a canvas.

But Delft is not just old and beautiful. It is lively, young at heart and a touch rebellious. There are festivals in hidden gardens, theatrical surprises in small venues, beers brewed behind canal houses, and ideas bubbling in places where linen used to be woven. The city breathes history, but meanwhile talks cheerfully along with the present. Just the way I like it.

Sometimes people ask me: why Delft? And then I smile. Because Delft cannot be explained - you have to feel it. You have to wander, get lost, be seduced by a smell, a light, a smile from a stranger on a terrace. And if you pay attention, you might see me sitting there. At a table in the sun, with a pearl earring dangling in the light, and a steaming cappuccino in front of my nose.

So come. Discover Delft with the Girl with the Pearl Earring. She comes in several versions today. Go for the girl you recognise yourself in or get inspired by all versions!

But be warned: once in Delft, you never quite get away from it.

Have you already fallen for this city full of gems?