The Hague, Netherlands – Travel Europe’s New Hotspots
What happens when an often-overlooked city sheds its stolidimage to uncover a new kind of cool?
Lynn Langway reports on her discovery of The Hague as an appealing weekend
jaunt for Netherlands-bound travelers.
Except when eternal supermodel Naomi Campbell shows up at a war crimes tribunal
to testify about “dirty” diamonds, The Hague tends to be overshadowed by the
Dutch capital of Amsterdam, 40 miles north.
But if the government seat of the Netherlands is not quite as sexy as its big
sister, this sparkling city still offers plenty of PG-rated pleasures that make
it well worth a weekend detour.
Home to the Dutch parliament, Queen Beatrix and the International Court of
Justice (aka- the “World Court”) the Hague long suffered from an image as
high-minded but dull—much like Washington, D.C., used to be seen.
But if that sleepy reputation was ever deserved, it’s not accurate now.
Today, The Hague is a cosmopolitan, polyglot place, where
stately historic buildings mix with striking modern architecture.
The restaurants, wine bars, boutiques and galleries are mostly multi-cultural,
and the lively beach resort ofScheveningen is just a short tram ride away. And if
it’s cutting-edge culture you seek, The Hague has plenty of avant garde dance,
theater and art—not to mention the fact that Earth’s first Klingon opera, u,
staged its universal (that’s what they called it) premiere here this fall before
moving on to Amsterdam.
These days, the city’s most celebrated resident may be “The Girl with the Pearl
Earring,” the luminous Vermeer portrait of book and movie fame. You can see this
17th century masterpiece and others by Dutch and Flemish masters like Rembrandt,
Rubens, and Holbein at the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery, a
jewel-box of a museum in an 18th century royal palace near the Parliament
building.
Nearby, another former palace is dedicated to showcasing the mind-bending
graphics of M.C. Escher, plus remarkable modern chandeliers in the
shapes of skull-and-crossbones, a spider and more.
This is a walker’s city, with contrasts at every turn: a 13th
century cobblestone street lined with chic shops flows into a spacious square of
18th century mansions—or veers into an open space surrounded by tall buildings
from “starchitects” like Rem Koolhaus and Richard Meier.
On a Sunday stroll through the city center, I encountered model-ship builders on
a picturesque pond, scores of soldiers and mounted police cantering down a
boulevard to practice for the Queen’s annual opening of Parliament, and a burst
of street theater, as a trio of dancers in giant blue bird costumes boogied
through a stately square to Fatboy Slim’s “Rockefeller Skank.”
At the Peace Palace, which houses the
international courts, a little girl rubbed noses with a dove of peace mosaic,
while sightseers gazed silently at the eternal torch surrounded by stones from
the Berlin Wall, South Africa’s Robben Island prison, and other landmarks of
global turmoil.
After my morning ramble, I’d worked up an appetite, and enough courage to try
Holland’s favorite street eat: raw herring. If you like sushi, you should enjoy
this sweet, non-salty fish; grasp your selection by the tail, beware marauding
seagulls, and chow down.
Other typical Dutch treats—flaky meat pastries, overstuffed
sandwiches on delicious dark bread—are served at the cozy Café Restaurant Rootz, which boasts
more than 60 beers from the Netherlands and Belgium.
For dinner, try an Indonesian restaurant such asKeraton Damai, heritage of days when
Indonesia was a Dutch Colony. Or admire the immense mural of the “Girl” on the
wall of the Grand Café Pearl;
try the tiny North Sea shrimp with avocado and strawberries Romanoff.
On a small canal overlooking the Royal stables,Hilton has converted the 1952 brick
headquarters of Royal Dutch Telecom into an attractive, art-filled new hotel
with 195 cheerful rooms. Close to the City Center museums, art galleries and the
Peace Palace, the hotel makes an ideal launch-pad for walkabouts; ask the
concierge to mark a map for you or arrange a walking tour.
If you’d prefer to stay at the beach, the historicSteigenberger Kurhaus Hotel in Schevingnenen, site of some annual
Jazz Festival events, is another five-star option.
Text and photos by Lynn Langway for PeterGreenberg.com. Lynn Langway is an
award-winning editor, writer and journalism teacher. Visit Lynn on the Web at www.lynnlangway.com.
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