Author Archives: Niki

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About Niki

I run the blog http://www.lifeinthehague.com

Looking down (Or: Construction on the tower by the Binnenhof)

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Niki

The Binnenhof in The Hague’s city centre is currently being renovated. For a very long time – the current estimate is that it will be done around the end of 2028. If they are lucky.

One thing the city is working on is a tower (uitkijktoren in Dutch) where visitors can look up and over the Binnenhof walls to see the construction that is currently going on.

Here is a look from a bit further away (and a look at the beautiful sky today):

The tower is about 28 meters tall (92 feet). There is of course no elevator (!) but entry is free. The city is hoping that this will keep tourists interested in the area while the Binnenhof is closed since the Binnenhof is a main draw for tourists. The tower hasn’t opened quite yet, though.

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Not as special (Or: Cruffin from Albert Heijn)

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Niki

Last week I posted about the cronut Marco purchased for me which was delicious. This week he decided to try the next croissant variation that the world has thought of: a cruffin. Even Safari’s spellcheck doesn’t know what to make of this invention.

It wasn’t nearly as impressive as the cronut, though. It was a lot less sugary, except for the bottom. It could be something tasty to eat for breakfast, though.

In other news:

There is actually a lot more going on this weekend. Check out The Hague’s weekly agenda.

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Interesting design (Or: Horse drawn carriage in The Hague)

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Niki

A few days ago I spotted a horse drawn carriage in The Hague’s city centre. It was near Buitenhof and the H&M store.

It is definitely an interesting choice to have the seats facing inward, since you have to turn around to see anything outside. But maybe conversing with the group at the same time is also important?

Happy Sunday everyone! If you live in the Netherlands, happy day off tomorrow (Monday after Pentecost), unless you work in the horeca. ho = hotel, re = restaurant, ca = café.

Horeca is probably my favorite Dutch abbreviation…

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Sugary goodness (Or: A cronut from Albert Heijn)

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Niki

Apparently cronuts (a crossing between croissants and donuts) were first made in New York City in 2013 (Wikipedia). But I first had one last year, from the Dutch grocery store Albert Heijn. Technically I’m not a huge fan of sweet stuff – I like it in moderation – but this is a nice exception. A few times a year.

Check out Marco’s lovely knife work to show off a cross section of the cronut. So much flaky goodness! And the texture does indeed taste different than a normal donut.

Consider this your public service announcement (PSA): if you live in the Netherlands and have an Albert Heijn nearby, see if they stock cronuts. They come in packs of two. Put it in the fridge for a few hours so it gets a bit colder before you eat it. It’s also great with a cup of black coffee to counter the sweetness.

Although you’re talking to someone who loves storing her gummy bears in the freezer, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt…

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Hamster pasta (Or: Albert Heijn is selling what?)

Posted on May 12, 2024 by Niki

Here is an unexpected item which you can purchase at the local Albert Heijn:

It will definitely cause you to do a double take! The reason it is hamster pasta is because that is the mascot of the Albert Heijn. The hamster forms are definitely cute but I wonder how the form affects the taste. What I do like is the use of the apron as part of the label – that is nicely done.

Today was a lovely day full of sunshine, no rain and not too much wind. Marco and I even went to Florencia and got an ice cream, our first of the year. I had mocha and Marco had lemon and mango. (Note: I linked to the website but it is pretty sparse at the moment. The website owner left a note that they are working on it.)

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Ingenious uses for a bike (Or: Flower pots everywhere)

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Niki

Last week I came across this bike converted into a flower holder:

Definitely some great choices of flowers to display. The pink ones pop out immediately.

Of course, the bike itself won’t be going anywhere anytime soon – check the tires. Or what is left of them…

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BlowUp Art The Hague (Or: 2024 edition)

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Niki

The 2024 edition of BlowUp art has arrived in The Hague and is available through 2 June. This time the focus is around the Hofvijver area. Here is a look at some of the artwork currently on display:

The yellow pot is from the theme “larger than life”. The pink tower is a play on the Torentje or “little tower” that the Dutch Prime minister would sit at, just out of view behind the tree above. There’s even a Dutch Wikipedia page about it.

Here is a close up:

The floating garden near the pink tower is also part of the temporary art exhibition and was designed by second year students in the “Urban Green Development” program.

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Dutch flags in the sun (Or: At the Hofvijver)

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Niki

This weekend is Remembrance Day (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5). The first day is a somber event where all war victims with ties to the Netherlands are remembered, and the second day is a celebration of freedom. For instance there is a festival going on at the Malieveld this afternoon and later tonight.

While in the city centre I took a picture of the Dutch flags on display at the Hofvijver:

May has been just as rainy as April, with only a few exceptions. Therefore, any bit of sun deserves a trip outside, even if you still need to wear a jacket.

The Netherlands still has two more holidays to go before we enter June – December drought. This Thursday is Ascension day and Monday, May 20 is Pentecost. After that the next holiday is Christmas… eek! However, we do get more days off than the US does. If you work full-time in the Netherlands you are entitled to 20 days off at a minimum. I get 25 days off, although when I started at this job we only got 20 days. Some lucrative companies even give 40 days off, although that is not the norm.

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Party time (Or: Photos from the Life I Live festival, 2024)

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Niki

First: today is the first jacket-less day of the year! Bring on summer!

Second: we had an awesome thunderstorm in the middle of the night last night. Both Marco and I woke up to the loud crash of nearby thunder and then stayed awake for a while listening to the storm. This is newsworthy because proper thunderstorms are quite rare in this part of Europe.

Back to the blog post: The Hague was host to the Life I Live festival last Friday, held on the night before King’s Day (and back in the day, Queen’s Day) every year. Here are some of the photos Marco graciously took for this blog. He’s tall so he usually can get the camera over everyone’s heads. Thank you Marco!

First up was the Dutch band Droom dit (Dream this). See also Dutch Wikipedia. The podium was at Lange Voorhout.

Here is the band Chibi Ichigo. See also Dutch Wikipedia. This podium was also at Lange Voothout, but at the other end. Kind of a funny moment to take a picture if you ask me.

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Hemaxima (Or: Eating a tompouce on King’s Day)

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Niki

As recently noted, today is King’s Day in the Netherlands, a holiday to mark the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. Every year the royal family (including King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima and their children) visits a Dutch city to celebrate King’s Day. This year they visited Emmen, a city in the province of Drenthe in the northeast of the Netherlands.

The local Hema had a great marketing trick. They added “xima” to their logo as shown in this tweet:

Of course the “xima” is in orange since it is King’s Day. It is also a nice word joke since “Hé” is a way to get someone’s attention, pronounced “Hey”. Therefore Hemaxima becomes “Hey Maxima!” The question above that is “What is your favorite way to eat (tompouce)?”, so it is asking the Queen how she eats the messy dessert that is known as tompouce.

Personally I eat the cream first with a dessert fork and then I eat the top and bottom layers in either order. Any other way results in a mess (for me). The kid in the photo above is eating it in the traditional manner, but then you risk the cream squirting out the other side.

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