(Part 6) The Land Called The Netherlands: Around Amsterdam Again

- July 14, 2019, Sunday.

- Though Amsterdam's main attractions can pretty much be covered in a day (click here), I can assure you that there is so much to explore even within the city center! There are small museums on anything you can imagine, art galleries with new and famed artists, and other experiences that can make your visit to Amsterdam more worthwhile.

- On our last day in Amsterdam, we had a more relaxed day after several days of traveling outside Amsterdam. We paid for our breakfast buffet at the hotel as a small reward for seeing so many things in the past few days, and it was a good change from the usual croissant-and-juice breakfast we'd usually have since we were always in a hurry to catch an early train out of Amsterdam (so this is a tip: try to find hotels that have a separate breakfast fee from the room fee if you're like me who always likes to catch an early train out of the city. I usually catch a train way before my hotel's breakfast hall opens, so if I would paid for my breakfast beforehand, I'd just be throwing away money! If you pay for breakfast separately, that is, if you wish to avail your hotel's breakfast services, you'll save a lot of money! However, if in case you are absolutely sure that you'll be eating breakfast at your hotel everyday, by all means, go ahead and pay in advance as there might be some promos if you pay it together with your room fee and so on.)

A typical Dutch breakfast: bread, some butter, and hagelslag ("hailstorm"; refers to the chocolate sprinkles.) 

- After breakfast, we rode on the tram to Koningsplein stop (trams 2, 11, or 12) to see the Dutch Costume Museum (Het Klederdrachtmuseum.) It is a fairly new museum, being established only in 2016, inside a really old 17th-century building. It houses a wide array of costumes from the different parts of the Netherlands. The best part about this museum is that there is a photo studio at the basement where you can have your photo taken wearing a traditional costume from the fishing town of Volendam (and you'll also get to see this kind of  "cultural" photo studio in case you plan to visit Volendam, though we didn't visit Voldendam for this trip to the Netherlands.) The photo studio will ask you to pay a certain amount, and for that you'll be able to wear a traditional costume, have one copy printed out, but they're also kind enough to send the rest of the other photos to your e-mail, so I guess that's a bargain if you're interested in this kind of cultural experience.

You'll see this.

I intentionally placed that headdress on my head HAHA.

Costume from Urk.

Costume from Marken.

Zeeland costume. (Yes, New Zealand was named after the Netherlands' Zeeland.)

My turn!! Wearing a traditional Volendam-style costume.

- It was a bummer when the rain decided to pay Amsterdam a visit that morning, and it nearly spoiled the next thing that we had planned to do. Most travel guides would suggest doing a canal cruise in Amsterdam. My mom and I chose the Lovers Canal Cruise 1.5-hour cruise since it was the cheapest that we found, and its boats had roofs over them (this is way cheaper and more worth it than an overpriced gondola ride in Venice, Italy!!); it was still raining and as much as I wanted to have a roofless boat, it wasn't practical at that time. Most canal cruises can be found outside Amsterdam Centraal, Kaizergracht, and other random stops depending on the company. You can find ticket stalls and inquire details from them. Based on my experience, the canal cruise was actually not as overrated as I originally thought. Apart from the cool experience of sailing down Amsterdam's various canals, the audio guide also told us stories about the canals, some buildings facing the canals, and the houseboats that lined the canal banks. I was glad that it didn't so hard, so I was at least still able to enjoy the view even though the skies were gray.

Canal cruise (do you notice my wooden clog necker slide?)

Singel, the most prominent canal. The big building on the left is the Round Lutheran Church (Ronde Lutherse Kerk.)

Our boat sort of looks like this. This is another Lovers Canal Cruise boat.

Househoats are apparently a thing in Amsterdam. People really live inside boats rather than the usual houses on land. 

Hi Goofy!!

- After having lunch at a Syrian restaurant as a small celebration for finally doing one of the most touristy things ever (i.e. the canal cruise,) we rode the tram to Spui stop (trams 2, 11, or 12) to visit the Amsterdam Museum. Originally opened in the early 1900s, though it only moved to its current location in 1975 at a 16th-century orphanage, this museum sought to educate people on the history of Amsterdam. I like a lot of things about this museum, but one thing that doesn't sit well with me is the confusing layout of the museum. Not sure if it was because it was an old building, but to summarize how confused I was with the museum's layout: it was a maze. It was especially difficult for my mom who cannot walk too much because of her age.

It's a really nice museum, but be warmed about its maze-like layout.

So many portraits of Dutch noblemen!!

With my Dutch burgher friends.

Dresses from way back when as part of the museum's fashion exhibit.

This wooden Goliath statue, around 9 feet, used to belong to an old "amusement park." Its eyes could move!!

- Finally, we had one last walk around Dam Square, taking a peek inside the Nieuwe Kerk, before calling it a day. If you ask me, if was more of a "goodbye walk" to Amsterdam as I don't know when I'll have the chance to go back to the Netherlands.

Inside Nieuwe Kerk

A puppet show in the middle of Dam Square. The kid looks very happy!!

No edits whatsoever. I was pleasantly shocked at how dramatic it turned out. HAHA.

- The Netherlands exceeded my expectations in all sorts of ways, especially on the simple yet glorious beauty of its cities, especially those away from the urban center of Amsterdam. It was hard to leave the Netherlands after a week's stay, but it was time to embark on a journey to it's neighbor down south - Belgium! 

- Please don't forget to read all about my other adventures in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg here!!

THE NETHERLANDS

Part 1, Amsterdam: here

Part 2, Zaanse Schans: here

Part 3, The Hague/Den Haag: here

Part 4, Haarlem: here

Part 5, Hoorn: here


BELGIUM

Parts 1 and 5, Brussels: here, and here

Part 2, Ghent/Gent: here

Part 3, Bruges/Brugge: here

Part 4, Antwerp: here


LUXEMBOURG: here

(Part 3) The Land Called The Netherlands: Hey Hey Hey, It's The Hague!!

- July 11, 2019, Thursday.

- Everyone knows that Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands - but it is not the political capital of the country. Most government offices of the Netherlands, embassies, as well as the International Court of Justice, are all located in a city called The Hague (pronouned as "heyg"), or as the Dutch call it, "Den Haag" (pronound as "Hahh.") This split between Amsterdam as the main capital of the Netherlands and The Hague as the political capital is stated in the Dutch constitution, which stemmed from The Hague's status as the seat of government the County of Holland, and Amsterdam as a significant port/trading city.

- The Hague is around 40-50 minutes from Amsterdam by train; we bought a roundtrip day-return ticket, which meant that we had to come back on the same day. Upon leaving The Hague train station, I immediately saw busy men and women in suits and coats walking in all directions with coffee in their hands. They looked like busy black ants (as most of their coats are black) who were in a hurry to work. 

Saw this awesome tram tunnel with colorful street art!!

Passed by the 17th-century Nieuwe Kerk (New Church.)

- My first stop for the morning was the 13th-century Binnenhof ("Inner Court,") which was a short walk to from the train station. Formerly the residence of the counts of Holland, it has since been used as the offices of the parliament until today; this makes it one of the oldest parliament buildings to still be in use though not continuously.

The Ridderzaal or "Knights Hall," the main building of the Binnenhof.

Another photo with the ornate fountain in front of the Ridderzaal.

Walls surrounding the Binnenhof.

- From the Binnenhof, my mom and I had a stroll along the banks of the Hofvijver lake before riding a cab to the Peace Palace (aka "Vredespaleis") north of the city. The Hofvijver lake is quite picturesque because of the flower bushes and the view of the Binnenhof's facade; ducks, geese, and swans that freely swim and waddle in and around the lake add life to the view.

Thank you for posing, geese.

- The northern part of The Hague can be reached by tram or cab. We decided to take the cab since we were in a bit of a hurry. The Peace Palace houses many important courts, including the International Peace Court of the United Nations, and the oldest of courts in the building, the Permanent Court of Artbitation (since 1913.) Today most visitors can visit the visitors' center on a regular basis, but can only visit the main building during weekends or courts are on recess.

It's an honor to see you.

The world peace flame, that has been burning since 1999. The rocks in front and around the flame represent the member states of the United Nations.

In front of the Vredespaleis.

"Peace" in different languages.

Paraphenalia from the 1907 Hague Convention.

A judge's costume.

- We rode the tram back to the Binnenhof, and visited a cozy mansion just behind the Binnenhof that currently used as an art museum. Called the Mauritshuis, after Prince John Maurice who lived in that building in the 1600s, it first became an art gallery in the 1700s but appeared the way it does today in the 1990s. One of the prominent paintings housed in the museum is the the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer (1600s.)

Mauritshuis.

"The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp," Rembrandt (1632). The context of this painting lies on how people back then would examine dead bodies, usually of executed prisoners, in public. It was through these public examinations and anatomy lessons that the Western world had a better understanding of the human body, and of course, medicine.

"The Bull," Paulus Potter (1647).

"As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Yong," Jan Steen (1680). I like this painting because it is quite psychological in nature. It shows how the young follow the footsteps of the elders, based on what they see them do (Bandura's Theory of Learning maybe?) In this case, the old are bad examples to the young.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring," Johannes Vermeer (1665). Though this does not look like much, this painting is unique as the face on the painting is not based on a real person, but simply from the imagination of Vermeer.

"Alexander the Great Visiting the Studio of Apelles," Willem van Haecht (1630). Absolutely one of my favorites of the museum, and you can see why. This is a painting made up of little paintings!!

A close-up from the above painting. See the detail of each mini-painting?? Amazing!!

"Night Scene," Peter Paul Rubens (1616). My mom's favorite in the museum. It reminds me of Caravaggio's chiaroscuro technique (extreme light-dark contrast,) and unsurprisingly, it's because Rubens was influenced by Caravaggio's style.

A horrifying lamp/lamp holder.

- From Mauritshuis we checked out some stores around the Binnenhof area before eating at KFC (of all places.) Europeans, I noticed, usually start their day late, which usually includes shops and restaurants. Since we only had one day to spare, we had to eat at the only place open at that time in the area - KFC. After having lunch, we went to the Prison Gate Museum ("Gevangenpoort") across the Hofvijver Lake. This was probably my favorite place to visit in The Hague, as the mandatory guided tour takes visitors on a journey inside the dungeons and gives visitors information on how discipline and punishments were regulated from the 1400s to the 1800s.

Guillotine.

I found executioners' capes lying around. (I was given permission to wear it haha; these are not authentic ones, but actually made for kids to try on. Well, I'm a kid at heart haha.)

Interrogation room.

Cuffs.

Only darkness would penetrate these halls in the past.

A "fancy prison cell" for those who could afford to pay. The guy in the painting is Johan de Witt, a politician who, with his brother Cornelis, was suspected of going against the royal family.

Prisoners' halls.

Old school vandalism.

A whole-body torture device.

A torture device for thumbs.

The prison from outside.

- Finally, I had a brief visit to the Grote Kerk (aka Sint Jacobskerk) built between the 14th to 16th centuries. It's currently used for baptisms and weddings, but not anymore used as a regular church. This seems to be a trend for many churches across the Netherlands. I also passed by he 16th-century old city hall of The Hague.

Grote Kerk.

Old City Hall. I like its color!!

- We went back to Amsterdam after a nice day at The Hague. Since The Hague was a busy politically-charged city, I thought of visiting a rather laid-back place city the day after. If you know Harlem in New York City, well, we're visiting the city from which it was named after - Haarlem!!

- Please don't forget to read all about my other adventures in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg here!!

THE NETHERLANDS

Parts 1 and 6, Amsterdam: here, and here

Part 2, Zaanse Schans: here

Part 4, Haarlem: here

Part 5, Hoorn: here


BELGIUM

Parts 1 and 5, Brussels: here, and here

Part 2, Ghent/Gent: here

Part 3, Bruges/Brugge: here

Part 4, Antwerp: here


LUXEMBOURG: here