City to Sand

Saturday morning dawned and with it our last full day with Faye, Rem & Ethan. We had a great morning with them acting as tour guides as we explored Den Haag and had a look at all the famous landmarks. Den Haag is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam & Rotterdam and is a mix of old & new areas. The old are very impressive and full of history and we saw the Binnenhof - the political centre of the Netherlands, Parlament (Hofvijver), Holland Spoor (Den Haag Station), Mauritshuis (now an art museum). Queen Beatrice chooses to to live and work in The Hague and we saw the Palace as well as a variety of monuments to her many ancestors. And as always, the Oude & the Nieuwe Kerks. Just wandering through the maze of lane ways and streets on our way to see these wonderful sights was a joy in itself. Some of the shops are very old and picturesque. We had a look inside the lovely old Hotel Des Indes, now operating as a boutique hotel.

Visitors to The Hague who want to shop will not be disappointed as there is a huge range of specialty shops and Department stores, all within walking distance from almost everywhere. Otherwise the tram helps you get around easily. The Passage is a beautiful old shopping arcade (much like the Block Arcade here in Melbourne) and it was there that we stopped in a great bookshop for a much needed morning coffee. On our way there we saw a wonderful little old man with a horse drawn Organ Grinder. Right in the middle of the tiniest lane way but having a good morning entertaining the crowds.

Some of the new buildings are lovely too and the Library is a wonderful example of how the old & the new can mix in harmony. The dancing fountains in front will entertain the kids all summer, though not really sure if they'll have the same appeal in the middle of winter. They might become Ice Swords then.

After a quick pitstop at home for lunch we jumped in the car and drove the 20 mins or so to the coast to see the Seaside town of Scheveningen. Even though it was a fairly cold & windy day the town was very busy with many people walking along the boardwalks and the beach. There were quite a few brave souls in the water windsurfing & kite boarding. There was also a great sculpture park with some very strange creatures watching the beach. Another interesting sight here were the open men's toilets along the boardwalk. They were a free standing 3 sided urinal, just placed along the path. Thank goodness there was no-one using them is all I can say.

The Kurhaus, now operating as a hotel, is the most prominent building along the beach and is a very impressive sight from wherever you see it from. We went inside to see the beautiful architecture that dates back to the 18th century. It consisted originally of a concert hall and a hotel. Having suffered serious damage by fire, it was rebuilt between 1886 and 1887. After deteriorating and closing in 1969, the Kurhaus was saved from demolition in 1975 by being listed as a historical building. it was renovated and re-opened by Queen Beatrice in 1979.

Once home again we packed our bags for a morning departure and settled in for our final night of Wine, Cheese & Chinese. It was a wonderful 4 days in The Netherlands and even though we were sad to be leaving so soon there were still adventures to be had.

The next morning we said our farewells to Faye at home and Rem & Ethan saw us safely to the station. Thank you so much for having us and making our time with you so special. Our trip back to Brussels was without dramas this time and 2 1/2 hours later we were back at St Pancras International looking for a taxi to take us to our hotel in Park Lane.

London was calling...........