Thank You for the Netherlands
May 7th, 2023, 07:50 AM
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Thank You for the Netherlands
My husband and I have just returned from a week-long trip to the Netherlands and I want to thank many on this forum for all their suggestions and reports. I read many great pieces of advice and opinions and they made our trip richer. Here is a quick summary of the trip.
Day 1
We had spent two days in Belgium and took a train to Den Haag from Brussels. We had bought 1p.m. tickets in advance (thanks to advice on this forum) to the Mauritshuis to see The Girl With the Pearl Earring (back here since April 1) and other masterpieces and throughly enjoyed the small museum.
It was King’s Day and it was fun to see orange everywhere. There was a big fair near the station to mark the holiday with lots of rides and happy families. We joined in the fun, and then visited the Grote Market. We stayed at the VOCO in the heart of the city, a beautiful hotel very convenient for sightseeing. For dinner we had forgettable — and expensive — tapas at hotel-recommended Tapisco.
King’s Day festivities!
Day 2
The day started with a light drizzle as we walked to the station for our train to beautiful Delft. It was a short ride from Den Haag and another short walk into the town center.
Thanks to advice on this forum we saw a temporary exhibit on Vermeer and his times at the Princehof museum, and also learned a bit about William of Orange and his assassination there. The Old and New churches were beautiful, with Vermeer’s grave in the former and William of Orange’s mausoleum and stained glass window in the latter. Had a lovely lunch at the Bagels and Beans cafe on the town square, wandered the canals-lined streets, including Vermeer’s ‘Little Street’, poked into stores for Delft Blue pottery (had no idea it was so expensive) and then went on to Leiden for the rest of the day. I had read about the town’s Pilgrim history on this forum and was intrigued. I wish we had more time for these two wonderful towns!
It was another short train ride to Leiden. It was still drizzling and damp, so the town was overlaid with grey. We walked to the church where the Pilgrims worshipped and then to the American Pilgrims Museum. museum. Unfortunately that was closed for the week. We did climb up the old defense walls at the edge of the town center — now a park — for some glorious views of orange rooftops. You would think you were still in the 17th century!
We were looking for a Chinese restaurant for dinner and as we were perusing a menu at a restaurant, a local man came up and suggested we try a small place across the square. The best Chinese food in town, he said, and he was right! We had hot soup and spicy chicken at Kwantung, just what we needed after a cold day! It was 10 p.m. by the time we headed back to Den Haag, happy with our meal and determined to visit Leiden again on another trip.
A view of the ‘Little Street’, Delft.
Leiden rooftops.
Day 3
We had a 5 p.m. train to Amsterdam and packed a lot in before heading out of Den Haag! Everything we did that day was inspired by this forum so thanks again!
After breakfast at the hotel I walked about 10 minutes to see Mesdag’s Panorama. It was absolutely breathtaking. Adults and children gasped aloud as they came up the stairs and saw it for the first time and it was fun to see their reactions! The panorama made me want to see the beach so back to the hotel to pick up my husband and catch the No. 1 tram from across our hotel to Schweringen. We spent an hour there, just enough time to dip my toe in the North Sea! The beach is nothing like what Mesdag painted, of course. It was a gorgeous day so it was very crowded, with bars lining the sands. We made our way back by tram as we wanted to see the M.C. Escher exhibition before heading out of the city.
The exhibition and the palace that houses it were both dazzling. I did not know much about Escher and read up on him before the trip. It is incredible that he had such little recognition until late in his career.
Escher
And the palace
We had a quick late lunch at Vienna, overlooking the Benninhof and enjoying the sun. Then it was time to collect our bags from the hotel and head to the train station for Amsterdam!
More on that later!
Day 1
We had spent two days in Belgium and took a train to Den Haag from Brussels. We had bought 1p.m. tickets in advance (thanks to advice on this forum) to the Mauritshuis to see The Girl With the Pearl Earring (back here since April 1) and other masterpieces and throughly enjoyed the small museum.
It was King’s Day and it was fun to see orange everywhere. There was a big fair near the station to mark the holiday with lots of rides and happy families. We joined in the fun, and then visited the Grote Market. We stayed at the VOCO in the heart of the city, a beautiful hotel very convenient for sightseeing. For dinner we had forgettable — and expensive — tapas at hotel-recommended Tapisco.
King’s Day festivities!
Day 2
The day started with a light drizzle as we walked to the station for our train to beautiful Delft. It was a short ride from Den Haag and another short walk into the town center.
Thanks to advice on this forum we saw a temporary exhibit on Vermeer and his times at the Princehof museum, and also learned a bit about William of Orange and his assassination there. The Old and New churches were beautiful, with Vermeer’s grave in the former and William of Orange’s mausoleum and stained glass window in the latter. Had a lovely lunch at the Bagels and Beans cafe on the town square, wandered the canals-lined streets, including Vermeer’s ‘Little Street’, poked into stores for Delft Blue pottery (had no idea it was so expensive) and then went on to Leiden for the rest of the day. I had read about the town’s Pilgrim history on this forum and was intrigued. I wish we had more time for these two wonderful towns!
It was another short train ride to Leiden. It was still drizzling and damp, so the town was overlaid with grey. We walked to the church where the Pilgrims worshipped and then to the American Pilgrims Museum. museum. Unfortunately that was closed for the week. We did climb up the old defense walls at the edge of the town center — now a park — for some glorious views of orange rooftops. You would think you were still in the 17th century!
We were looking for a Chinese restaurant for dinner and as we were perusing a menu at a restaurant, a local man came up and suggested we try a small place across the square. The best Chinese food in town, he said, and he was right! We had hot soup and spicy chicken at Kwantung, just what we needed after a cold day! It was 10 p.m. by the time we headed back to Den Haag, happy with our meal and determined to visit Leiden again on another trip.
A view of the ‘Little Street’, Delft.
Leiden rooftops.
Day 3
We had a 5 p.m. train to Amsterdam and packed a lot in before heading out of Den Haag! Everything we did that day was inspired by this forum so thanks again!
After breakfast at the hotel I walked about 10 minutes to see Mesdag’s Panorama. It was absolutely breathtaking. Adults and children gasped aloud as they came up the stairs and saw it for the first time and it was fun to see their reactions! The panorama made me want to see the beach so back to the hotel to pick up my husband and catch the No. 1 tram from across our hotel to Schweringen. We spent an hour there, just enough time to dip my toe in the North Sea! The beach is nothing like what Mesdag painted, of course. It was a gorgeous day so it was very crowded, with bars lining the sands. We made our way back by tram as we wanted to see the M.C. Escher exhibition before heading out of the city.
The exhibition and the palace that houses it were both dazzling. I did not know much about Escher and read up on him before the trip. It is incredible that he had such little recognition until late in his career.
Escher
And the palace
We had a quick late lunch at Vienna, overlooking the Benninhof and enjoying the sun. Then it was time to collect our bags from the hotel and head to the train station for Amsterdam!
More on that later!
May 7th, 2023, 02:47 PM
#4
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Glad you enjoyed the trip report HappyTrvlr and Adelaidean. It is fun to write and even more fun when others find it so. More soon!
