TRAVELERS WORLDWIDE are converging on Amsterdam for the Rijksmuseum’s “Vermeer” retrospective, arguably 2023’s hottest art ticket. I was eagerly among them, but after touring the splendid exhibit (running through June 4), I felt compelled to dive deeper. And so I undertook a day-trip to the painter’s hometown, the small Dutch city of Delft, less than an hour away by train, to explore the place that figured so memorably in his art. On a frosty morning in early February, I walked from the train station past coffee houses bustling with locals and shops to the Oude Delft, the city’s oldest canal. Along the way, a waterside restaurant, Bij Harry, looked inviting, and I made a mental note to have drinks there if the day stretched late.

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