Traveling in Europe Part IV: The Hague

I pushed to add The Hague to our travels for two reasons; one, because it is the International Court of Justice and two, it has the Escher Museum. I. suspected that Hannah would really enjoy the works of M.C. Escher, especially because it is housed in a palace.

By this time we had become pretty good at hopping on to buses and trams, and our hotel was very near a tram that could take us everywhere we wanted to go. 

The Escher Museum was a lot of fun. The top floor had all sorts of interesting things to help one understand the way he might have interpreted the world.

Don't ask me how this works, but we were all in the same little space!

The other museum in The Hague that I sort of coerced the others to go to was the Kunst Museum. 

I really wanted to see the work of Piet Mondrian. Like many other modern painters, he started out painting more realistic work before he began what he is most famous for, geometric shapes using three primary colors. He influenced other painters, starting the De Stijl art movement in the Netherlands. That led to modern furniture, entire room designs and more.

So while I was enjoying the paintings on the main floor, Mike and Hannah discovered the basement. They called me and said I had to come see this place. And, boy, was it a hit for Hannah. 

There is a huge painting that you are invited to touch.

More fun is a bright yellow labyrinth with mirrors, seating and mysterious art. One could really get lost there.

The very best part for Hannah was the wardrobe provided in a spectacular mirrored area with beautiful lighting. She loved being royalty. 

If you look carefully, you can see me taking the photo left of Mike and Hannah.

This was definitely the highlight of The Hague for a 13-year-old. 

We were only 4 miles away from the North Sea, so it seemed crazy to not hop the tram and go take a look. That's where the crowds were, not in the museums

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The North Sea beach and huge hotels.

It was surprisingly cold and windy, so we sat on an enclosed pier to watch the ocean. We couldn't believe people were swimming because we had been shivering while on the shore.

I will end this blog with a picture of the Peace Palace. This was built in 1913, funded by Andrew Carnegie. It was intended to bring peace to the world and end all wars. Now it is the seat of the United Nations International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. And wars? Unfortunately it did not bring an end to wars. 

Next stop, Amsterdam!