The Hague + A Day in Amsterdam

Aug 8, 2019
4 min read

Before my friend’s brother moved to The Hague, I can honestly say I'd never heard of it. I didn’t know much about the Netherlands as a whole, if I’m being honest, aside from the main destinations. The Hague is in the Netherlands, and it is the capital of the province of South Holland. It’s a beautiful, quiet area just seconds away from the ocean.

I guess that’s the beautiful thing about travel - you visit and learn about places you’d never thought much about before.

By the time we reached this point in our vacation, Mandy and I were tired out from all of the trains, planes and automobiles that we'd taken and all of the sightseeing we'd done. We didn't have many set plans and had a chance to take it day by day. We were able to sleep in, have breakfast, take our time getting ready and then spend the rest of the day exploring (and eating). It was vacation at its finest, truthfully.

It was very rainy and cold during our time there, which I wasn't anticipating, so I didn't always have the warmest clothing or tried not to freeze, until I was able to go to Primark to find some warmer clothes, as you can see in these lovely photos below.

Here's what our time in The Hague looked like:

Itinerary

The Pier/Beach

Mandy’s brother lives just a hop, skip and a jump away from the beach, which made it easy to see the ocean daily while visiting, even if we didn’t make it down to the sand. The Pier has shops, restaurants and other activities, like ziplining, a Ferris wheel and more. We walked it a couple times, and also grabbed a fresh stroopwafel while we were at it.

On Saturday morning, we went down to one of the pop up restaurants on near the boardwalk for breakfast and hanging out, while Mandy's niece played a little in the sand. The pop up restaurants are just there through the summer, and line the boardwalk - all different themes and colors from the other, complete with indoor and outdoor seating and bonfire pits. Breakfast specialties there include croissants and/or bread with Nutella and sprinkles. Their iced coffee favors a milkshake, and I definitely didn't hate that.

Mandy and I visited another pop up restaurant with her sister-in-law to have appetizers later on. Most of the others were closed or stopped serving food around 10 p.m., so when we found one that was still open, we went for it. It was cozy and comfortable, which was just what we needed at the end of a long day.

Farm Life

There's a small farm/petting zoo not too far away from where Mandy's brother lives, so we walked to it one morning, after a stop at the coffee shop. It was closed when we got there, but we were still able to see the animals and feed a few, which Mandy's niece enjoyed doing. There's something so therapeutic about the countryside and animals that kind of rubs off on you. Mandy's niece fed some of the animals and went to the playground for a little bit, then we went back to Mandy's brother's house.

Aquarium

On our last afternoon in the city, Mandy and I took her niece to the aquarium near the pier. It was your typical aquarium with various fish, sea otters and even penguins. We took our time winding from room to room with sea creatures and ended outside with the penguins and sea otters. Things are so much more exciting when you see it from a child's perspective.

Food

While I didn't try the Herring, which is what The Hague is known for, I did try some other cuisines, like Vietnamese, the stroopwafel, dutch fries, dutch pancakes, and even Jamie Oliver's restaurant. I always looked forward to eating out, because it was such an event and always felt like a new experience for me. And who can forget the hot dogs from Hema store with mayo in a circular bun, which was actually not bad?

***

Amsterdam

We took the train into Amsterdam, and only spent the day there, but it was plenty of time. It’s almost like the Las Vegas of Europe. You should have heard the cheering and clapping (yes, clapping) on our flight when we landed in the city. Obviously it’s known for its “cafes,” and I’m not talking about the ones with muffins and scones, none of which I tried by the way. Having said that, it's one of the most beautiful places to see. It's like Fantasyland come alive with the houses, businesses, canals and people passing by.

Foodhallen

We did stop at the food court style place, Foodhallen, which was just near the station. They had something for everyone - pastrami, pizza, seafood and more. There was even an entire section devoted to dessert. Three of us went for the pastrami sandwiches and it was SO good. There was such a buzz of energy throughout and they played classic pop '80s hits. What could be better than that?

Red Light District

I didn't get any photos from this area for obvious reasons and it isn't allowed. For those unfamiliar with the Red Light District, essentially it's a section where prostitution is legalized. Women stand in glass windows and men can just walk in for...Well, you know, intimacy. It was eye-opening, for sure, and made me feel for the women who go through that on a daily basis.

Mandy and I wandered through the city with her sister-in-law. We had a great time getting to hang out and see what else the city had to offer. Beautiful landscapes, unique pubs, and a LOT of bikes. You have to pay attention or you will get run over by one of them. One thing to know is that bikers have the right-away over there.

Overall, it was the best ending to an incredible trip. Each place opened my eyes to something new, either about myself or the world around me (and things that I wasn't familiar with before), which sounds so cliché, I know. But it's one of those things you don't realize will change you until you visit for yourself.