Posts Tagged With: Centrum

Pink (Or: A different tree in De Passage)

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Niki

De Passage (a covered shopping area) has a tree in the center, where the Christmas tree usually stands. A few weeks ago a tree with pink leaves appeared.

It is fake, of course, but still pretty. Since it is in the center, you can see it from far away no matter how you enter De Passage.

In other news… today it was -3C (about 27F). That is actually pretty cold for the Netherlands these days.

Ice rinks open in multiple places in Netherlands after freezing night from nltimes.nl. It is an artificial ice rink, created by spraying many layers of water and letting them freeze overnight.

Dutch skaters out in force to enjoy the ice – before it melts from dutchnews.nl

We will have another day or two of cold before the weather freakishly jumps up to a high of 15C (60F) on Friday. I am sure all of the terraces will be overflowing with sun-starved Dutchies then.

Now that’s a mental image for you!

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Art, Centrum, De Passage, Weather | Leave a comment

Chinese New Year in The Hague (Or: 2025 edition)

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Niki

The Hague celebrated Chinese New Year today in the city centre. This holiday is always celebrated on a Saturday in The Hague, although Chinese New Year was on Wednesday this year.

We are now in the year of the snake, in case you’re wondering.

I was in the area this morning while they were setting up for the event. Here is a photo of the rooster:

Here is the snake (the star of the show this year!):

Here is a photo of the rabbit, with the Nieuwe Kerk (new church) in the background:

As you can probably see from the photos, it was a very sunny day (one of the few sunny days this month). And finally, here is a photo of what I think is a dog…:

And in other news, Dutch supermarkets want to print labels in English to combat rising prices from nltimes.nl. The supermarkets argue that the Netherlands labels could be accessed via a QR code. I don’t think I agree with this one. English is indeed everywhere in this country, especially in the larger cities. However not everyone can speak it, especially the older generation. The local expat store, Kelly’s Expat Shopping, posts signs saying Dutch labels are available on request, but their target market is obviously English speaking.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this one.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague | Tags: Centrum, Chinese New Year | Leave a comment

By the old library (Or: Unassuming bridge in The Hague)

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Niki

Yesterday I was walking near the old library, where the theatre school Rabarber is now at. See also Google Maps. That link also lets you see where the canal runs.

The old library used to be in the building on the left side, where the orange signs are. Yesterday I noticed for the first time that the bridge had a name – Bibliotheekbrug, or “Library bridge”. The library moved to the city centre, in the same building as the city hall, in 1995.

And of course, it’s not a photo of The Hague without some bicycles!

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Canals, Centrum, Libraries | Leave a comment

Holiday lights on New Year’s Eve (Or: By the statue of Johan de Witt)

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Niki

Last night I took a few pictures of the holiday lights by Steltman Jewelers, with the statue of Johan de Witt (English Wikipedia) in the foreground.

This was taken a bit after 17:00, as darkness was falling, but before the Netherlands turned into the warzone they are known for on New Year’s Eve. If you don’t know what I mean, check out this four minute video from last night’s fireworks in The Hague, but make sure you turn down your sound first! Or check out the bonfire and (legal) fireworks celebration held in Scheveningen on Monday. It should have also been last night, but it was moved forward a day due to high winds last night.

Here is a close up of the holiday lights:

Happy New Year’s! Have a great 2025.

Categories: Culture, Holidays | Tags: Centrum, New Year's Eve | Leave a comment

The Hague’s coat of arms (Or: Christmas decorations)

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Niki

At the crossing of Venestraat and Gravenstraat, near the Grote Kerk, you can find a Christmas decoration in the form of The Hague’s coat of arms (well, at least the stork):

And here’s a close up:

Venestraat (the street the camera is pointed at) also has some nice Christmas lights above the street. It’s pretty nice to walk along it as the sun sets.

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

A bit of holiday cheer (Or: ‘t Goude Hooft decorations)

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Niki

Additional Christmas decorations have been added to ‘t Goude Hooft since the last blog post I wrote:

And here is a close up:

It has been looking pretty festive in the city centre these last few weeks!

Categories: Holidays, The Hague | Tags: 't goude hooft, Centrum, Christmas | Leave a comment

De Passage’s Christmas tree (Or: In the spotlight)

Posted on December 3, 2024 by Niki

De Passage (literally “The Passage”) is a covered shopping area in The Hague’s city centre. Here’s a look at the 2024 Christmas tree which arrived a few days ago:

It’s in the middle of the old part of De Passage, visible from every part. To be fair, I think it is the same decorations as last year, but that doesn’t detract from it. It does make me realize I should check if Bijenkorf has their Christmas tree up yet, though…

Categories: Holidays, The Hague | Tags: Centrum, Christmas, De Passage | Leave a comment

All lit up (Or: Holiday lights by ‘t Goude Hooft)

Posted on November 30, 2024 by Niki

There is now a Christmas tree by ‘t Goude hooft (the oldest inn in The Hague).

Of course, there’s so much light in this area that it is difficult to see the decorations on the hotel itself, but it is the building on the right where it says “bites to go”. The last part is an automat (English Wikipedia) to purchase food at any hour of the day. I haven’t checked in a while to see if it still has food in it, though.

On the right is the clothing store The Sting. The building is nicknamed either “the cookie jar” or the “candy jar”. If you don’t believe me, check out the Dutch Wikipedia page.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague | Tags: 't goude hooft, Centrum | Leave a comment

Holiday decorations (Or: At the Hoogstraat)

Posted on November 29, 2024 by Niki

Here’s a look at the holiday decorations around the Hoogstraat (=high street), also called the Noordeinde (=north end).

Schaap en Citroen, pictured on the right, is a jewelry store. The first store opened in Utrecht in 1888 and the location in The Hague opened in 1921.

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

Christmas tree on Grote Marktstraat (Or: Bring on the winter?)

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Niki

Last week the city added a Christmas tree to the Grote Markstraat, the main shopping street in The Hague’s city centre.

It’s nice, but the photo definitely shows the weather we have been experiencing the last few weeks. Cold, rain, you name it. The Netherlands even saw some snow in the north of the country last week (and when it melted, it weakened some train tracks, causing a bit of chaos up there). Bring on the winter?