The Hague

Another picture from Madurodam…

Uh oh... watch out for the large bird!

Quite fitting, since I just saw a trailer for The Raven, an Edgar Allan Poe movie. It comes out later this month (or in the latter part of June if you’re over across the ocean!…). It looks interesting. I actually wrote my undergraduate honors thesis on the humor in his work. Though I am sure some of it focused on the more morbid side of the humor.

Miniature building in Madurodam

And here is another view of the building from the other side, although it is currently bird-less. Madurodam was pretty cool. I might have to go back someday, once I have a sense of where most of these buildings are from so I can appreciate them better. Though Keukenhof is high on my list of destinations next Spring. I can’t wait!

Another post about the Binnenhof. There’s only a few things that I remember about this place. One of them is the beautiful golden fountain in the middle of the square. Another is the entrances you walk through to get to the square itself. The middle entrance is fairly large, or at least large enough for a car or two. There is also an entrance on either side, small enough for a few pedestrians (or more frequently, a bike).

I remember when I went, there was also a parked cop car and some police milling around, though I got the sense that this area was their regular assignment.

Church in the Binnenhof in the Hague

The other thing that I distinctly remember is the cobblestone that the square and surrounding areas are made of. I have a habit of always looking where I am walking (not that it prevents the occasional trip) so I always note the ground itself. Here the cobblestone is actually fairly wide, with a lot of space between each stone. This is somewhat noticeable, since it can get uncomfortable if your foot hits the stone wrong.

All and all, a beautiful if somewhat sparse square.

During my last visit to the Hague, Marco took me someplace in the Hague that I had never been to before. (Not hard considering I have only been there three times!) But it was a garden area – Paleistuin to be exact, or the Palace Gardens.

Paleis Noordeinde - one of the working palaces of Queen Beatrix

The garden is open from sunrise to sunset. It is a very relaxing place to be, usually. Since it is so close to the Noordeinde Palace, you will come across police officers every once in a while. Who of course can be fascinating to stare at for a few minutes, except that you don’t want to stick out and get into trouble… I do remember there was a pair guarding the entrance to the palace as we walked past it.

Playground area for the little ones

Here is a playground area within the garden. One of my memories of this park was a little girl, maybe 3 or so years old. She was very independent, and was frequently far away from her parents (even at times out of their line of sight). They seemed oddly okay with this fact. But she was quite happy, skipping along the path and running this way and that.

a pond within the Paleistuin

verboden te vissen – Fishing is forbidden

verboden te zwemmen – Swimming is forbidden

…Just in case you were getting any ideas.

I also remember sitting on some steps with Marco, just resting for a while and staring at the pond above. Watching the ducks swim around, looking for handouts from unsuspecting humans.

Definitely a place to visit again. With Marco. 🙂