I've been obsessed with Flanders since my first visit to Bruges (have you seen this movie? so funny, and sort of surreal) and Antwerp some time ago - there's something about it, a quality of light, that made me think all the time: now i understand how the Flemish school came to be (check out this awesome online presentation of Flemish art!). The light, the colours - it's all somehow so mellow.
So of course i was thrilled when i got a chance to visit some friends in the Hague! After a long ride on the worst train ever (well, ok - it probably wasn't really the worst train ever. But still - the train that connects the three "capitals" of the EU, Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Brussels, has no snack bar, no coffee machines, no plugs, no wi-fi, no nothing. It's a six hour trip, people!), anyway, after a long train ride i was there, all excited and happy despite the fact that i'd been incredibly ill the past few days (i'm still convinced it was swine flu. The doctor didn't agree, but what does he know).
Have you ever been to the Hague? It's a cosy little town, very pretty (as are, in my humble opinion, all little flemish towns), and soooo young and lively and funky! It's full of students, and there's a ton of cool things to see.
We visited the Binnenhof, home of the Senate and the House of Representatives - that's where the Prime Minister and his Government work, too!
We walked around the courtyard, and then walked all the way to the other side of the Hofvijver (the rectangular "court lake" right next to it) to admire its gorgeous reflection in the water:
On the other side of the lake is also the amazing Mauritshuis museum,
where we saw this, and this, and this - the museum feels warm and intimate, with small rooms and low lighting, and the collection is so beautiful.
We spent most of our time there walking around (snacking on stroopwafels, of course... ***sigh***). We went to the old city hall,
and checked out the sand sculpture contest in the city centre:
Also, we went to the home of the International Court of Justice,
where we got to see the world peace flame (in case you hadn't noticed, it is in dire need of some rekindling....)
(I also wanted to visit this, but... so many museums, so little time... :-) )
We also got to spend most of our evenings at friends' houses - it was great! We cooked and talked and got to meet lots of cool people. Everybody was so friendly, and somehow very relaxed and open about everything. And they all had these gorgeous flats! Did you know that it used to be legal, in the Netherlands, to squat any building that has remained empty for longer than 12 months? So in order to keep squatters out, the owners usually let young people stay there for a fraction of the cost.... We're talking unbelievable bargains. How cool is that! (Update: apparently, a 2010 law put a ban on squatting, sparking a series of riots in Amsterdam... squatting is now a criminal offence!).
So of course i was thrilled when i got a chance to visit some friends in the Hague! After a long ride on the worst train ever (well, ok - it probably wasn't really the worst train ever. But still - the train that connects the three "capitals" of the EU, Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Brussels, has no snack bar, no coffee machines, no plugs, no wi-fi, no nothing. It's a six hour trip, people!), anyway, after a long train ride i was there, all excited and happy despite the fact that i'd been incredibly ill the past few days (i'm still convinced it was swine flu. The doctor didn't agree, but what does he know).
Have you ever been to the Hague? It's a cosy little town, very pretty (as are, in my humble opinion, all little flemish towns), and soooo young and lively and funky! It's full of students, and there's a ton of cool things to see.
We visited the Binnenhof, home of the Senate and the House of Representatives - that's where the Prime Minister and his Government work, too!
 |
| I waited forever for the stupid police car to go away - then got bored and took the picture anyway... |
We spent most of our time there walking around (snacking on stroopwafels, of course... ***sigh***). We went to the old city hall,
and checked out the sand sculpture contest in the city centre:
Also, we went to the home of the International Court of Justice,
where we got to see the world peace flame (in case you hadn't noticed, it is in dire need of some rekindling....)
(I also wanted to visit this, but... so many museums, so little time... :-) )
We also got to spend most of our evenings at friends' houses - it was great! We cooked and talked and got to meet lots of cool people. Everybody was so friendly, and somehow very relaxed and open about everything. And they all had these gorgeous flats! Did you know that it used to be legal, in the Netherlands, to squat any building that has remained empty for longer than 12 months? So in order to keep squatters out, the owners usually let young people stay there for a fraction of the cost.... We're talking unbelievable bargains. How cool is that! (Update: apparently, a 2010 law put a ban on squatting, sparking a series of riots in Amsterdam... squatting is now a criminal offence!).
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