Some old, some new – our motto for this year's tour through the Netherlands. The old: Amsterdam. We had not been to Amsterdam in years, and just enjoyed doing standard tourist things: soak up the unique atmosphere at Leidseplein, stroll over the flower market, visit the busy Van-Gogh museum, sip coffee with friends at De Waag, or hop on a scenic sunset cruise. We were even treated to our own private concert! When our boat went through Prinsengracht, a floating Big Band just started playing "Aan De Amsterdamse Grachten", ...last rehearsals for the Grachtenfestival 2011.
The new: Den Haag, seat of the Dutch government.
We've been to the Scheveningen beach before, but I never saw the city center of The Hague. So Florian showed me the famous food stall, where prime minister Balkenende is said to buy his matjes filet after work. I don't particularly like canned herring, but the fresh fish at Balkenende's place was delicious! We continued in the footsteps of the Dutch government with a tour through the medieval Ridderzaal, known for the queen's annual speech from the throne. In a modern annex of the Ridderzaal sits the Dutch parliament. Fortunately we had two kids in the group, so our tour guide explained the Dutch political system extra slow and easy. The audience was all Dutch (except me), but you could see on their puzzled faces how relieved they were about all the children's questions. Nobody had a clue^^
The new: Den Haag, seat of the Dutch government.
We've been to the Scheveningen beach before, but I never saw the city center of The Hague. So Florian showed me the famous food stall, where prime minister Balkenende is said to buy his matjes filet after work. I don't particularly like canned herring, but the fresh fish at Balkenende's place was delicious! We continued in the footsteps of the Dutch government with a tour through the medieval Ridderzaal, known for the queen's annual speech from the throne. In a modern annex of the Ridderzaal sits the Dutch parliament. Fortunately we had two kids in the group, so our tour guide explained the Dutch political system extra slow and easy. The audience was all Dutch (except me), but you could see on their puzzled faces how relieved they were about all the children's questions. Nobody had a clue^^
