This is where it all began. Back in the 13th century, William II, Count of Holland, built his fortress here. Through the years, buildings were constructed around it to eventually form this configuration. Since the 15th century, the Binnehof housed the Dutch parliament. The house of representatives has since relocated to a modern structure neighboring […]
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Dutch Touches
From what I’ve seen, life is pretty good in the Netherlands. Dutch culture seems to be laid-back and liberal, everyone is tall and relatively happy looking and the flat topography near the coast (the coast, right, that’s another positive point) can’t be beat. As we were walking around, I couldn’t help but noticing some things […]
Mauritshuis, Den Haag
If I were a dead Dutch artist, I would want my masterpiece displayed in Mauritshuis. The small galleries with tall windows, high ceilings and thoughtfully painted walls is an ideal environment in which to spend some time. Mauritshuis is an intimate yet comprehensive museum located in a 17th century mansion on Hofvijver, the city’s main […]
Den Haag/The Hague
The Netherlands is quickly becoming one of my favorite countries (sorry, France!). It’s a tiny country and a collection of provinces (Holland comprises two of the twelve provinces, Noord-Holland around Amsterdam and Zuid-Holland around Den Haag), with many picturesque and culturally rich cities. This weekend, we set out for The Hague and Rotterdam. Both are […]
Keukenhof Overview
Before visiting the Keukenhof gardens, I knew, vaguely, that there was a lot of tulilps in the Netherlands. I knew this because when I thought of the Netherlands, generic images of fields full of brightly colored flowers sprang to mind (thanks, tourism board!). Wooden clogs and a couple of joints are also always in the […]
Colorful Dutch Bulbfields
Although we were a little early for the tulips, we were able to catch a glimpse of some colorful Dutch bulbfields. Reportedly, there are 10,000 growers in this region. Carolus Clusius, Dutch botanist and gardener to the Habsburg emporer, brought the first tulip bulb from Vienna. The flower flourished in Holland’s sandy soil (about half […]
Keukenhof, Netherlands III
Okay, just a few more images for the flower show-and-tell! Keukenhof, Netherlands, Dutch
Keukenhof, Netherlands II
Having spent hours hunched over, gasping at flowers, I really need to show some of my favorite close-ups! I really got a kick out of the creative names. Keukenhof, Netherlands, Dutch
Keukenhof, Netherlands
This year, we headed right into the heart of spring: Keukenhof! The weather had other ideas (cool, mostly cloudy, windy), but we oohed and aahed anyway, albeit through shivering teeth. Only a cold-hearted soul would fail to be impressed with this gorgeous array in the largest bulb flower garden in the world. Although many types […]
St-Pauluskerk
This church is only open from either April–October or May-November (live in Europe and you’ll get used to these sorts of uncertain schedules) but supposedly has a baroque interior and over 200 sculptures and 50 paintings, including works by Jordaens, Rubens, Teniers and Van Dyck. I say supposedly since our March visit did not enable […]
