Netherlands: Den Haag

Got back from a trip to The Hague, Netherlands a couple of days ago, and thought I'd share a few pictures. It is a great city. I visited Amsterdam in 2009, and while I enjoyed it, I was ready to see some of the other sights the Netherlands has to offer.

the Houses of Parliament

I talked my friend into a trip on a ferris wheel, and it paid off in beautiful views of the city, including this one of the Houses of Parliament.

While getting to the ferris wheel, we passed this entertainment:

The kids climb into the ball, then they close it and pump it full of air. Then they get to run around on the water. How fun would that be? The water was only about 2 feet deep - if that. The kids were rolling like gerbils. It was awesome.

We took a canal tour, which wasn't as fun as it is in Amsterdam. The canals run around the downtown area, so you only get to see the sights on the outskirts. But one thing I noticed there, as well as in other areas I passed through, was the number of residences with decorative windows. The Dutch must really like them. Or all the houses were built in the Art Deco era, and the windows are still there. Regardless, I thought it was interesting to see various houses and apartments with beautiful decorative windows.


My friend lives right on the shore of the North Sea, and has a beautiful view of the sea. (It's almost as beautiful as my view of the Mediterranean - except it isn't the Mediterranean, which makes my view better.) One morning we walked along the boardwalk before eating a pancake breakfast at a restaurant on the pier. Here's a hotel that is built right on the beach. It was a gorgeous (but not warm) day.


The boardwalk and the hotel from the back.


The people on the beach. You can see that they are mostly dressed for the weather - even the crazy people who are wading in the sea.


I had to include this apartment building because it is just such interesting architecture. I wasn't sure at first if it was residential, but all the windows are of the variety that can be opened, and office buildings don't usually offer that. I'd be curious to see the blue prints of apartments located in a round building.


While in Holland, I had the chance to visit the LDS temple in Zoetermeer. It was another beautiful day, and the location is lovely. This view is from behind the temple, where a canal runs. There is a small town market area just behind me as I take this picture. It is a great neighborhood.


And finally, I just found this statue to be very moving. The woman looks out over the North Sea. The plaque on the statue reads (roughly):

for all those who left and never returned

Stay tuned: more to come from the Netherlands!