Foto’s

Fireworks in The Hague (Or: The final edition?)

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Niki

In theory this was the last year that fireworks could be purchased for New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands. I say in theory because the government said they were banning it, but they still need to work out compensation for the companies who sell fireworks. But I do expect it will be the last year.

Here’s a look at the aftermath in just one corner of The Hague the day after:

A lot of people don’t clean up after themselves as they expect the city will do it for them…

You can also check out a short 3 minute video of fireworks over The Hague just after midnight on New Year’s Eve.

And, just because I’ll forget to post otherwise, here’s a final picture of the holiday displays by Bijenkorf from a few weeks back:

In other news, we got some snow this weekend! The people setting off fireworks got really lucky because the weather turned on January 1, after the festivities were over. Of course, it is mostly slush here in The Hague. But there are some good pictures out there – check out Reddit for some beautiful pictures someone took today in The Hague.

Categories: Culture, Holidays, The Hague | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas tram in The Hague (With: A Santa hat)

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Niki

I recently saw the Christmas tram riding around in The Hague. It was the second time I have spotted it this year, but this time I was able to stop and take a picture.

Don’t you think the Santa hat on top is cute? Apparently it has 6,300 lights on it and it also plays Christmas music non-stop. Haha. (I wouldn’t mind, though. It isn’t like you are in the tram that long.)

You can check out ovzoeker.nl to see where the tram is riding. The URL looks for HTM tram #3109.

Also, if you are in The Hague, check out the Royal Christmas Fair, which is open on the Lange Voorhout until December 23.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague, Transportation | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Flags for Princess Amalia (Or: Decorations at the De Passage)

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Niki

Today when walking through De Passage I noticed that Dutch flags had been raised. After a second it clicked ー today is Princess Amalia’s 22nd birthday (Wikipedia). She is next in line for the throne.

Although you can’t see it that well in the photo, one of the big clues was the strip of orange also hanging by each flag, for the royal family.

In other news, if you are looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, check out this article from indebuurt.nl (in Dutch): Everything about New Year’s Eve in The Hague.

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Golden lights (Or: Christmas tree in De Passage)

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Niki

Last week, the Christmas tree arrived in De Passage, a covered shopping area in The Hague.

This is in the older part of De Passage, outside of the Apple Store. The older part meets at this point. De Passage is designed in such a way that the Christmas tree is visible from everywhere.

Here is a photo from a bit further away, to give you an idea of how the area looks:

It’s a great place to walk through, especially when the weather is bad. The older part is a bit cold in the winter, but the new part closer to Grote Marktstraat is much warmer.

If you click the “De Passage” tag at the bottom of this post, you’ll see similar blog posts about this part of The Hague.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Toothpaste and tanks (Or: Unexpected art)

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Niki

Recently I was walking along Prinsestraat in The Hague and I noticed some eye-catching art in the window at the art gallery Chiefs and Spirits:

Pretty cool, huh? I also squeeze my toothpaste tube to get every last bit out, so I enjoy it even more because of that, I think.

The Hague’s official website has a list of art galleries in city. For instance, De Affiche Galerij, or loosely translated, the poster gallery – it’s found in tram tunnel at Grote Marktstraat. Most people walk right on past, myself included usually. I need to stop and check the posters out more often!

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Surprise (Or: Giraffes walking through the Grote Marktstraat)

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Niki

Well, not real giraffes of course. But as part of De Betovering (an art festival for the youth), there were performers walking through the city centre a few weeks ago dressed up like giraffes:

And a close up:

Apparently there was also a hippo, although I didn’t see that one. You can read more about De Betovering on the official website, which translates to “The Enchantment” in English. The event was from 17 October to 25 October, during the autumn school holiday.

If you can, don’t forget to vote tomorrow! The vote is for the Dutch House of Representatives. In theory for the next four years, though the government seems to collapse faster than that lately. Of course, you need to have Dutch citizenship to vote, so I won’t be voting in this one. I do plan on getting it, but at this point it is easier to wait and do the option procedure, which I can do once I have lived here at least 15 consecutive years (and because I am married to a Dutch citizen for at least 3 of those years). So that would be after December 2027. Time flies…

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Christmas time (Or: Window decoration by Bijenkorf)

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Niki

The holiday window decorations are now in place by Bijenkorf, a high-end department store here in The Hague. Here’s a look at one of the windows:

The window reads: “Ook 100 jaar geleden bezorgde de Bijenkorf al aan huis”, or “100 years ago, de Bijenkorf was already making home deliveries”.

I found a news article which mentioned that their Christmas departments opened on 11 September (!). It’s early, of course, but going to Bijenkorf to look at Christmas ornaments and other decorations is a tradition for a lot of families. It sort of reminds me of the mall scene in A Christmas Story, only there is no Santa!

Categories: Holidays, Shopping, The Hague | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Sun and blue skies (Or: A look back at August)

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Niki

Here is a reminder of how blue and bright August looked…

On the plus side for October, the oliebollenkraam is back! An oliebol is like a doughnut (in fact, an oliebol was the inspiration for donuts – see also Wikipedia). I believe the stand opened on October 1, the first date it is legally allowed to open. Here is a photo from October 2:

And this year they have a large message on the back, visible from far away:

It is quite bright and draws you in. That’s a good thing, since the stand is at the end of the shopping street. Visibility is key.

The website of the stand is available at https://www.dehaagscheoliebollenbakkerij.nl, although it doesn’t seem to be completely loading for me at the moment. But still – oliebollen!

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Rainbows in The Hague (Or: Gone as fast as it arrived)

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Niki

A few weeks ago I noticed a rather well-formed rainbow in The Hague’s city centre. It was quite prominent and colorful.

Here it is on the Prinsestraat, near the Chinese restaurant Zheng (on the right side, just past Prinsestaete).

Here was the rainbow in the city centre, near Sting, a clothing store. Sting is the building in the middle with the colorful bricks. The building itself received the nickname De Snoeptrommel (or candy jar) years ago. I’m sure you can see why.

It was a good photo, although the tram lines got in the way of the rainbow a bit.

Shortly thereafter, the rainbow was gone. It lasted somewhere around 5 to 10 minutes in total. But it was nice to see!

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Spotted in The Hague (Or: A German volunteer fire truck)

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Niki

Occasionally I’ll come across a German volunteer fire truck parked in the streets of The Hague:

Of course, someone bought it and it is just their vehicle now, but it is still eye-catching.

Here’s a close up:

The similarities between Dutch and German are interesting.

English = Dutch = German

Fire department = brandweer = Feuerwehr

Or volunteer = vrijwilliger = Freiwilliger

Of course, it’s always easier to read German than to speak it.

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