NETHERLANDS: Den Haag

We decided to shake things up a bit and try something different. 

Instead of staying in places for 3 or 4 days, or maybe up to a week, we decided to take advantage of a great opportunity and have a home base in Den Haag (The Hague) in the Netherlands for July and August.

Den Haag is the third-largest city in the Netherlands with a population of just over a half million. 

A little bit of confusing trivia: The Hague is the country's administrative centre and seat of government. But, the official capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. 

Den Haag has been described as the country's "de facto capital". 

The centuries-old Binnenhof serves as the seat of the Dutch government. 

Parts of the Binnenhof date back to the 13th century. It’s one of the oldest parliament buildings still in use anywhere in the world. 

The Torentje, the little octagonal tower, is the office of the Prime Minister. 

In contrast, the new modern high rise buildings are also government offices.

The old architecture style in The Hague, and all of Holland, is interesting. 

Many of the buildings are narrow with steep roofs.

 This is because taxes were determined by how wide the street-front of the buildings were. So it was cheaper to build narrower and higher. 

The city, and country, is incredibly bike oriented. 

There are dedicated bike paths getting you pretty much anywhere in the city quickly and easily. 

One of the first things we did was bike to the coast. 

I have to admit, I had no idea there were sandy beaches within a 15 minute bike ride from where we are staying, which is in the central part of the city. 

The bike paths go for miles up and down the coast. 

The city has scenic canals. 

There used to be a lot more canals, but they have now been made into streets for cars.

One of the great things about Den Haag, and, all of Holland for that matter, are the number of museums and galleries. 

I bought us a Museumkaart which gives us access to over 400 museums across the Netherlands (YES, over 400 museums and galleries!) As a bit of a newly found Museum, Art and History Geek, I am in heaven.

One of the many beautiful museums in Den Haag is the Maurtishuis. 

It was built in the 1600's as the private home of Johan Maurits. 

It is now home to a collection of over 800 Dutch and Flemish Golden Age paintings from the 15th to 17th century. 

One of their prized possessions is Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring. 

Also in The Hague is the Peace Palace, the home of the International Court of Justice. 

It is the only judicial body of the United Nations that is located outside of New York. 

Security is tight and tours are super hard to get because it is a working court. I was lucky to be able to get us two tickets for a tour of the grounds, but, photos are not allowed.

All in all, we are looking forward to having a home base in The Hague for two months. 

We think we have scored Big Time!