The Hague. Den Haag in Dutch. The important city in The Netherlands that I should've gone to earlier. But alas, it took me a fourth trip to Europe before I got here.


Transportation
From Delft, you can either take the train or the tram. I took the tram instead because I wanted a slower ride so that I can watch the neighborhoods. I was paying the tram driver for the fare but he said the machine is not working, so I can ride for FREE. It was unfortunate, but I was so happy. It would’ve cost me EUR2.50. The tram ride was a little less than 20 minutes.

Accommodation
I opted to stay in Delft knowing that The Hague is a train/tram ride away. I was staying at Hostel Delft. You can read up my time in Delft here.

Things To Do

I arrived in The Hague or Den Haag in Dutch a little after noon. I was on my way to the Passage or De Passage when I got entranced by the parade that was happening. The main streets were closed and there were veterans and paratroopers marching, giving salutes, and older ones who were waving hello from tall tankers. The marching bands were a hit of course! Apparently it was the Dutch Veterans Day that Saturday. The lolos and lolas (grampas and grandmas) were too adorable!

Pressed for time, I went to the Passage which is a historical passageway or covered street built at the end of the 19th century. It has impressive high ceilings and tall pillars and it houses high-end shops. You can see dates engraved on the floor too.

I went straight to Binnenhof after and it was SO BEAUTIFUL. Very picturesque. I didn’t have time to visit Mauritshuis inside, nor even see the Peace Palace. Or anything really. I just walked and took photos and then that’s it. (Why are you reading this again?)

I was hungry by 4PM and didn’t have time to eat so I got the emergency chocolate from my bag and ate under the tree while admiring the classy Binnenhof.

It was really sunny that week and everyone was telling me to head off to the beach – so I did. I brisk-walked to the nearby bus station that will bring me to Scheveningen Beach.

Scheveningen Beach
The beach is a 40 minute bus ride away from The Hague center. It was summer WITH sun and blue skies, so naturally people are all heading to it. The first scheduled bus was already full and didn’t stop anymore, so I with a bunch of people got on the second one. It was crowded. I stood for a good part of the trip. And it was HOT. My first time ever in the Netherlands to be HOT and wishing I had a fan with me. Oh, and the ride was FREE again, thank you very much.

Finally we arrived and WOW. The amount of people was incredible. The weather was truly exclaiming “BEACH DAY!” and everyone was on their bikinis and board shorts lounging on the sand beneath the direct sunlight and swimming. I’d let the photos below show it to you.

Knowing the amount of people I was contending with for the public transpo, I opted to go back to Delft early at around 7PM. The sun was still so high up in the sky and I was so excited I was going to witness sunset at 10PM that night.
From the beach I know I only took 1 tram ride (the hot and crowded tram). I was waiting for the second scheduled one when a guy approached me and asked if the tram is going to The Hague cos he wasn’t sure. I looked at google maps and said it will make a stop there. He asked me if I was studying there and I answered, “Nope, I’m here for work.” He had a surprised looked on his face. (I’m not sure if it was my height but everyone on this trip seem to think of me as either a student or a very lost Asian teenager.) His name was Mehmet and he lives in Rotterdam but his family is from Turkey. He asked me if my eyes were real, I said “Nope. Do they freak you out?” He got embarrassed for a bit there but recovered with a comeback. We exchanged instas.

It was almost 9PM when I arrived in Delft and the stalls from the Saturday flea market were almost all gone. I hung out at the roof deck and found Hissan (pronounced at ha-san) who was from Canada and was in the Netherlands for a study program. He’s taking up medicine and I was like, “You must be really smart!” Also I told him I hear Australian accent and not Canadian. “Really?” he asked amused. It was a free-flow conversation from there.

I found my roommate So Jeung watching on her phone and cheering for her beloved Ronaldo of the Spain football team on the world cup. I opened the big window from our room and introduced Hissan to So Jeung. As they talked, I went to the kitchen and heated my kebab and couscous leftovers.

Sleep was begging my eyes to close, and before I knew it, the sunset began, its slow, slow dimming of the orange sun and blue skies and the seemingly wrapping of the earth in a starry night canvass. It was a very lovely day. Very lovely day indeed.

Sorry, I’m currently reading To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, thus the writing tone. I tried to be “informational” but storytelling caught up. 💛

Dutch Veterans Day Parade

The Passage

Mauritshuis

Beautiful, beautiful Binnenhof

Scheveningen Beach