The day that felt like a week and an hour all at the same time
Tuesday June 2, I had the absolute pleasure of showing a TravBuddy and his wife around in my hometown. It was a perfect day; the sky was clear, the sun was out, my TravBuddies were treasures and our walk around town proved everything I had hoped it to be. The day was filled with so much impressions, laughter, stories and so on, that it felt like a week vacation. On the other hand, time flew by so fast, the day was over before I knew it, so it also felt like just one hour had passed.
Vance (www.travbuddy.com/vances) had thought of the perfect gift for his wife Kim's birthday: a trip to her ancestral homelands, the Netherlands. Vance being the researcher he is, had many questions on our lovely little country and in his naivety thought I had all the answers, lol. Lengthy mails back and forth were the result and of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet them while they were in the country. So, I suggested I 'd show them around The Hague.
The Hague is quite a diverse city. There are several angles from which you can view this city. It is the residence of our royal family, so there is the royal tour. It is the seat of government and it houses most of the embassies in the Netherlands, so there is the political route. The Hague is also the international city for peace and justice which would make an interesting tour in its own right. There's also the wonderful architecture or all of its natural beauty with lanes, parks and dunes to be seen. I had been pondering for many weeks what tour to make with them, but in the end I decided to do a bit of everything. A little sample of each lovely flavor so to speak, so they themselves can decide which dish they like best.
Our tour started at Centraal Station, and took us no more than half a mile to get to a terrace to indulge Kim's desperate need of her morning caffeine fix. After coffee we walked passed the houses of parliament, passed the palace that is our majesty's office towards the Peacepalace. There, we took the English tour (only to be booked in advance) of about an hour. I highly recommend anyone and everyone to take that tour when the opportunity arises. The Peacepalace is a magnificent architectural highlight stuffed with the most beautiful accessories and gifts from countries all over the world. Even more interesting is of course the ideal behind the erection of this court.
From the Peacepalace we returned to city centre for lunch and a bit more sightseeing. The route back took us through our queen's backyard and through a little gate in the back wall of the Office Palace. I had led Vance and Kim to believe I was ringing the bell at the backdoor of the palace. They were shocked when I rang the bell and even more so, when the backdoor actually opened. The door only leads to an alley behind the palace, but the look on their faces is unforgettable, LOL :D
Lunch took place at Café 2005, a review of which I have published earlier. After lunch we went to Scheveningen, The Hague's beach resort. We walked a bit through the dunes and then went to the harbour. From there we went back to my place where my wife had cooked us (as part of our Dutch heritage) a wonderful Indonesian meal.
Late at night and after a wonderful day in which we shared many, by now, treasured memories, we said goodbye but not farewell. Vance is a wonderful (and much better than I) writer. You should definitely read Vance's blog about his trip to The Netherlands: http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/55015
I let pictures paint a thousand words…, so here are some of the photos :)
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