In the Netherlands we celebrated Mother’s day in May and as a way to spend that day with my mum I invited her to go to one of our favorite Dutch cities for a day of bonding. We arrived at The Hague a little before midday and because the sky was blue and the sun was bright with the wind not too cold (for the Netherlands standard) we decided to start our day off with some lunch at the beach.

Scheveningen

We headed towards Scheveningen and walked along the sandy beach. There were a few people already attempting to sunbathe but it is still a bit too cold for us!

The Pier in the background

Did you know that every year on New Year’s Day people go to the beach and swim?! It is called the New Year’s Dive and is a tradition that has been going on since 1960 and although I had heard of it in the past I have never been brave enough to face the freezing waters.

We walked down the long boulevard with many beach clubs, the famous Kurhaus Hotel and a big variety of restaurants before deciding on one.

Madurodam

After a delicious Lunch we went to one of the most popular attractions in The Hague as well as the Netherlands, Madurodam. Madurodam is a park where all the ‘to-sees’ are represented in miniature kind.

At the entrance there was a statue representing a story I had heard when I was a little girl. The story was about a Dutch boy who put his finger in a dyke, regardless of the cold temperature and that as it became nighttime he stayed put did not move until morning, when adults found him and repaired it. In the story he saved the country.

I had visited the park many, many years ago and what a surprise it was! When arriving we purchased our tickets and received a card to use on interactive screens throughout the park.

If you have been following my blogs you might recognize some of the following:

I was extremely inspired by it and realized how many more places I really want to see, so if you are following the blog stay tuned for my visit to the following few places:

It is a place for everyone and very fun. One of my favourite activities included when you could compare your weight to that of a roll of Dutch cheese. I was eager to see the result!

After seeing all that the park had to offer we moved on to our next destination.

Vredespaleis

From Madurodam we walked through the Scheveningse Bosjes towards the Vredespaleis or ‘Peace Palace’. The park was so beautiful!

I admired the Vredespaleis not only for its architecture but because of what it stands for. It not only houses the International Court of Justice but also an extensive Library, The Permanent court of Arbitration and offers a few more purposes.

I was unfortunately not able to go inside the palace as it is only open on certain days for the public. There are a few key monuments outside the palace which I was happy to see.  Surrounding a little garden the word peace was engraved in every language.

There was also the World Peace Flame surrounded by minerals and the name of every country.

I hoped for peace as I walked around it. There were benches with art representing peace.

After wondering about, taking in all of its meaning, we continued on our day through the Hague.

Binnenhof

In the city centre next to the Hofvijver lake we arrived at the Binnenhof which can be translated to ‘inner court’; one of the Dutch heritage sites.

It is now the office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and is also the location where on Prinsjes dag, the Golden carriage arrives and the King addresses the senate and representatives.

Paleis Noordeinde

Just a few minutes away from the Binnenhof, located very discreetly on a road full of shops, we came across the Paleis Noordeinde. This is one of the few palaces of the Royal Dutch Family and is currently being used as a working place for King Willem-Alexander. In the past it was the winter home for the royal family as the constitution at the time required the state to provide a summer and winter home for the sovereign.

What struck me is that palaces are usually admired from a distance where they are surrounded by gardens. However, this palace can almost be stumbled upon while doing shopping.

It was truly a wonderful day at The Hague and I will definitely be back soon!

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Locations & Attractions

Tags: The Hague