Den Haag

A trip to the Netherlands had been on my travel wishlist for a while. My kids have Dutch ancestry, and I have long heard of how pretty the scenery is in Holland and of its rich culture and history. But the cause for our first trip to the Netherlands was a simple, and rather American, one: Taylor Swift. After not being able to purchase tickets for her show in Inglewood, California thanks to the Great Ticketmaster Fiasco of 2022, Sami was over the moon when the European portion of the tour was announced in 2023, and conveniently for us, she was headed to Amsterdam for three nights at Johann Cruijff Arena.  In short order, Emily’s fiancé purchased the tickets as her wedding present, and it was then we began planning our Netherlands adventure. However, although Tay Tay was a big reason for the trans-oceanic trek in July 2024, it certainly was not the only reason. Mees is Dutch, and this vacation was a wonderful opportunity to spend time as a family, and to get to know his parents and his homeland better.

We landed at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on July 2, leaving the California heatwave for the cloudy cool of the Netherlands. Our Airbnb was located in Voorburg, about 30 minutes south of Amsterdam, and close to where Mees’ family lives. This was convenient for getting around as it was a two minute walk from the train station, which connected us to Schiphol, as well as Amsterdam, Delft, Gorinchem, and the rest of The Hague.

We spent the first two days and the last two of our trip visiting family and exploring Den Haag, with the help of our awesome local tour guide. Even so, I feel there was probably much that we missed; there is much to do in this historic and politically important city.

While Amsterdam is the official capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Hague (Den Haag in Dutch) is the seat of government for the country. The Parliament buildings are located in Binnenhof, which at time of writing is undergoing renovations. There are also two royal residences located in Den Haag: Noordeinde, where the King’s offices are located, and Huis ten Bosch in the forest. We also walked by many embassies and consulates from literally all over the world.

Den Haag is perhaps most famous, though, for being a seat for international peace and politics. The Peace Palace building itself was funded by the Scottish-American steel mogul, Andrew Carnegie. His view was that peace, along with science and education, were important factors in working toward progress. With that in mind, the Carnegie Foundation was created to manage the funds and the construction of the palace. Today, the Carnegie Foundation continues to manage this famed building, which houses the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the UN International Court of Justice. It also houses The Hague Academy of International Law, which offers courses in private and public international law.

We visited the Peace Palace on our second full day in Den Haag. We stopped at the museum as part of our Google-assisted walking adventure, which took us through Paleistuin, the Palace Garden and past Noordeinde. While were were able to visit the museum portion of Vredespaleis, there were unfortunately no tours available for the day. As such, we were not able to walk on the grounds; we could just admire them from the museum and from outside the gates.

After viewing the exhibits, we headed back outside. There was a wish tree, to which visitors could add their wishes for peace. A quick glance at some of the messages yielded many wishes for an end to the conflict in Gaza. Other human rights issues were also written out, along with messages in languages I cannot understand. With so much hurt in the world, this was a humbling reminder for me that I am from a country where I have much in terms of privilege, and at the same time, there are still many issues and inequities.

We then walked back toward Paleistuin. The gardens are a lovely place to picnic and enjoy a pleasant walk. Indeed, there were a number of visitors enjoying the cool, sunny day. At the time of our visit, the hydrangeas were in full bloom, with their pinks, blues, and purples.

There was so much more to see on our walk through Den Haag, some of which I’ll cover in my next two posts. Appreciating the politics of peace and the role that The Hague has played in international relations helps me to understand the complexities of diplomacy, and I hope will help give Sami a more global perspective as she starts her high school course on U.S. Government this coming school year.

Some things to consider:

We learned the hard way that the grounds of the Peace Palace are not open to visitors unless part of a tour. Tours are offered in both English and Dutch, and sell out quickly. As the Peace Palace is a working building, tours are published only two weeks in advance. There are tours offered for inside the palace as well as outside; just be sure to schedule the correct tour. Click here for tour scheduling in English.

There are a number of other gardens and historic sites that can be visited near both Noordeinde and the Peace Palace. We walked through the gardens of Gotische Zaal, the Gothic Hall, just opposite Noordeinde. The hall was built in the mid 1800s at the behest of King William II. It was a peaceful short walk through the garden, with many interesting statues.

Transportation throughout Den Haag is very easy via tram or bus. Tickets for HTM, The Hague’s public transportation system, can be purchased on the HTM app. Easier still, fare can be paid using a tap credit or debit card with the OV Pay system. We just tapped our Apple Pay on entry and exit when using the trams, busses, and trains.

Famously, the other popular mode of transportation is by bike. I’ll write more about my terrifying- and short- experience trying to bike from the beach in Den Haag. But for those who are more adept on two wheels, biking is a flexible and popular way to go. There is even a cute coffee shop we found on our walk that offers up some great coffee and a bike rental and workshop.

I think it is safe to say that I have fallen in love with the Netherlands. I’ll be sharing more of our adventures in Den Haag and beyond in the next several posts. After all, life is an adventure meant to be shared. Proost!

References:
“Andrew Carnegie.” Peace Palace, 30 May 2024, http://www.vredespaleis.nl/carnegie/andrewcarnegie/?lang=en.