Noordeinde Palace Den Haag 22.4.26
We stay local today with a guided walk around Den Haag. Close by the hotel is a statue memorial to the late Queen Wilhelmina and to be perfectly honest if I had any hand in commissioning or approving this monstrosity I would feel that I was disrespecting the history of her reign and the individual. Why can we not be nice about Royal family members? I have not included a photograph of the monstrosity, even more amazing it is almost opposite the main royal palace (above) where the King works.
Lange Voorhout Den Haag 22.4.26
Our tour takes us along the above attractive tree lined avenue to the Hotel D’Indes and then along past the Houses of Parliament (currently closed for reconstruction) and into the City Centre itself. Mainly traffic free and yet still busy.
Netherland Parliament Den Haag 22.4.26
At the end of the tour we can enter the Palace Gardens (and indeed others walk around them – I am at the limit of my walking time). Given we can no longer even enter Downing Street in London the contrast is enormous and I feel reflects badly on our country where there are so many restrictions on where we may go.
Anatomical Theatre Den Haag 22.4.26
We pass amongst other places the Anatomical Theatre where for several centuries surgeons learnt about the body with full dissections taking place several times per annum. The building was constructed for the Surgeons Guild to allow knowledge to passed on and for skills to be developed.
Plane Filling II M C Escher Den Haag 22.4.26
Following the end of the tour we retrace our steps to enable Jackie to acquire a new cabin suitcase to enable easy travelling as it has wheels and it less cumbersome than the bag packed for this trip. Once Jackie is back at the hotel and after a break, I emerge again to visit Lange Voorhout Palace which now houses a museum dedicated to Maurits Cornelis Escher, an artist whose mind perhaps worked in a slightly unusual way. Much of his output was dedicated to transformations where birds turn to fish and similar, he is also known for the impossible where a 2D representation of 3 D items enables things to be achieved which are physically impossible. Although from the Netherlands he did spend a long time in Italy.
In the evening we dine at BlueBloods which is a short walk each way and we are able to get a very decent steak.
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