Marco visited the Binnenhof last week to take a picture of the fountain for me (an area I have mentioned a few times).
Binnenhof fountain
Posts Tagged With: Tourist attraction
Look out (Or: Attack of the giant birds!)
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!
Indecent exposure (Or: Americans are such prudes)
(Rejoice! The blog finally switched over to “8 months” from “9 months”. It seems to only update itself on the 1st of each month.)
In yesterday’s post I mentioned that I did not have a picture of the fountain that resides in the Binnenhof. I realized today that that was not technically correct, as I do have a picture of it… from Madurodam (the place where Dutch landmarks are done in miniature).
Binnenhof square at Madurodam
At first I thought this represented Koninginnedag, or Queen’s Day, which will happen later this month – since it is now April after all (!). But it seems this represents a day in September (the 3rd Tuesday of the month) when the Queen gives her annual speech within the Binnenhof. You can see her golden carriage near the church.
Cobblestone (Or: Church in the Binnenhof)
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.
Tongue-tied (Or: William the Silent statues)
I was digging through my photos from my various trips to the Netherlands and came across more touristy-type photos. I found one that was in reference to William the Silent (just like a previous statue post about him). I have no idea why he was called William the Silent, but internet research (hi Wikipedia!) seems to suggest it was because he never spoke up regarding controversial topics.
statue of William the Silent in the Hague on a horse
I must admit I also like the deep blue window coverings behind the actual statue. Too bad the flowers can’t be that color as well!
Speaking of red flowers…
Cold & wind (Or: Where did Spring go?)
I knew I was going to be in trouble when I left work this afternoon as my earrings were basically horizontal against the wind gusts. Forget keeping the hair somewhat decent-looking – pieces of it were flying out of my hairband with every hard-fought step.
I think the hardest thing about this brief weather transition is the short taste of Spring we were given. But here I am again, zipping up the liner back into the coat and pulling out my hat and gloves for tomorrow’s use. The wind gusts will continue into tomorrow, albeit abated. After that, the temperatures will rise again, though not to their previous levels.
On the plus side, I did manage to take some pictures of the trees and flowers on campus where I work, for a future blog post. This was partially because I am not sure how many plants will survive tomorrow’s sudden temperature shock. …I am not sure I will!
In the mean time, here is another picture of the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, my favorite painting:
Painting in the Royal Palace of Amsterdam
I love the use of the wall to divide the painting into two from the ceiling on down. The white is a good contrast to the paintings themselves which really makes it stand out against the art.
Paleistuin (Or: Quiet gardens to relax within)
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. 🙂
Zondagen (Or: Spending the day inside a church)
Zondagen… Sundays. An apt day to post about churches.
But first, I spent a remarkably short time at the Palisades mall again today — just long enough to pick up my engagement ring, which was successfully resized. I managed to get the same bus both ways, having arrived at 3:45 and getting back outside in time for the 4:10 route back out.
While I was waiting at the bus stop to go back home, I heard a large rapping on the glass divider separating the different benches of the bus shelter. I looked over and it was a young child. He peered at me briefly, grinned, and then hid his face behind the metal framework in the middle. Ah, so it’s peek-a-boo you want. I quickly peered around the left edge. He grinned. I waited a moment and looked around the right edge. He laughed. We continued for a bit longer. Just a quick harmless game that reminds me of my own childhood, way back when.
Back to churches…
Another Delft site that we visited was Nieuwe Kerk, which began construction in 1396. It’s a Protestant church used as a burial site for many of the royal families. There was even a grave site there for a child who was born in May of 1822 and died in October of the same year.
Chandeliers (Or: It eclipses even the art)
I have a weakness for chandeliers. I love how beautiful they look – and how they come in all shapes and sizes. I had mentioned the chandeliers in a previous post about the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. The ironic thing is that I recall those chandeliers with more fondness than the actual art itself, though that of course was beautiful too.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the chandeliers…
Renovation (Or: Outside the Royal Palace of Amsterdam)
As mentioned in one of my previous posts earlier this month, the royal palace of Amsterdam had been undergoing renovations to its exterior when I visited. Roger was kind enough to take a picture of the outside for me recently (taking time out of his sprint-from-the-train-to-the-ferry commute!):
Amsterdam Royal Palace, 2012
As you can see there is a lot of people walking through the courtyard — and a lot of birds who have no fear of humans anymore.
In other news, het is vrijdag! It’s Friday! But I have to work tomorrow afternoon, so any weekend exhilaration I might have is dulled by this fact — for now. Tomorrow at 5PM, I might be singing a different tune…
The next thing I am doing for my Dutch language learning is viewing episodes of Het Klokhuis — an informational program aimed at kids which still manages to have interesting content for adults. I’ll admit that part of the reason I chose this program is because most of the episodes have ondertitels (subtitles) in Dutch. It makes it a bit easier to follow along, though it’s still not that easy.
Life in the Hague 