As I noted in my last blog post, Marco and I visited the BlowUp Art exhibition which was on the Hofvijver. Sunday was the last day. I also took a few photos of some gorgeous flowers on the platform which I just have to share.
And a close up so you can see the raindrops on the petals:
Here’s a random story from the Netherlands for you: Woman on TikTok fries chicken on the train and claims it is allowed.
Crazy.
Today Marco and I went to the Hofvijver to check out BlowUp Art The Hague. Note: tomorrow is the last day to see it! This time we went on the platform itself, which was an experience to say the least. The walkway area leading to the platform is quite wobbly. The best way to describe it is to say it is like walking on a swing bridge as it sways in all directions, especially if you choose a less than straight path. If you walk straight forward it doesn’t move around as much.
You can get some great pictures here with the Binnenhof in the background. The Binnenhof is the parliamentary building for the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives). The eggs were pretty cool because they are reflective so you can get some interesting photos, especially if you come as a group. The other thing to notice is the tower at the far left of the Binnenhof building – that is normally the office of the prime minister, when the Binnenhof isn’t in the middle of a 5-year renovation.
I mentioned the tower being the office of the prime minister because this pink tower is actually a homage to it.
There is also one colorful egg which will end up in a lot of people’s photos for sure.
Finally, here’s a look at the platform itself to show that you are actually on top of the water.
I think I’ll miss this art installation. When it first arrived it didn’t look like much, but not all of the blow up art was in place yet. It was also more fun than I expected to walk on the platform, although I was glad to get back on stable ground after!
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.
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.
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…
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…
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.
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.
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.
A few weeks ago I visited the Paleistuin (Palace Garden), not far from the city centre. See also Google Maps.
The sky was a lovely shade of blue:
It’s hard to imagine that this was taken in the Palace Garden, since there isn’t much open space without flowers in it. But if you take a picture at the right angle, it makes the garden look even larger.
There wasn’t too much color yet when I visited (see the photo below) but it was, as always, a peaceful place to walk around.
I did find some nice purple flowers though.
Maybe I will go back next week to see if even more flowers have started blooming. We have since had a few days of really good weather (including yesterday which was the first “no jacket” day of the year for me).
Did you know there is also a secret entrance to the Palace Garden? You ring the doorbell to get let in. During the day, at least. See also this news article in Dutch from indebuurt.nl.
Life in the Hague 