No Tourist

Psst... need chocolate at midnight? No problem, there's a chocolate dispensary on Piet Heinstraat in the Hague. #chocolate #DeBonteKoe

King's Day is coming up, I'll be buying plants for my tiny balcony and chilling out in the city. But King's Night - wow, what a party #koningsnacht #koningsdag #kingsday

The Dutch government is in the Hague, but the capital is Amsterdam. But why? Blame Napoleon. #history #capitalcity #amsterdam #denhaag

Why is Amsterdam the capital of the Netherlands when the government is in the Hague? I always assumed it was one of those weird political compromises – like Canberra being in it’s own territory to avoid a power struggle between Australian states. But the truth is far more interesting. It turns out it’s all Napoleon’s fault. The Ridderzaal in the centre of the Hague was built in the thirteenth…

It's a big old church. In the middle of The Hague the Grote Kerk is one of the oldest buildings in the city. #DenHaag #TheHague #history

What’s in a name? It’s usually called Grote Kerk, which is Dutch for “Big Church”, and given that the tower is 92.5m tall it’s a name that works. For centuries its tower was the tallest building in the city centre, and it’s still the 11th tallest building. The tower served many functions; a watchtower for invading troops, watchtower for fires, and the city’s clock – as the carillon plays on the…

On a visit to Amsterdam I accidentally visited the very moving National Holocaust Names Monument. The design is a simple concept laden with meaning.

A bit of history - turns out the cute statue opposite the Parliament buildings was a real person, and at the age of 12 he ran the place. #DutchHistory

In a moving speech King Willem-Alexander apologised for the role the Netherlands had played in the ownership and trade of people. It's an amazing step, let's see what actions follow. #netherlands #slavery #history

On the 1st July, at a commemoration of National Remembrance Day of Slavery Past at the National Monument Slavery Past Amsterdam, King Willem-Alexander, the Dutch King formally apologised for the Dutch history of slavery, and announced that there is currently an inquiry into the role the royal house has played. Why this date? It’s 150 years since slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch…

I went to the World Press Photo Exhibition, it was somber and sad. But the bravery of the people taking the photographs is something special. #photography #worldpressphoto #amsterdam

I had a day in Amsterdam, I went to the World Press Photo exhibition at the Nieuwekerk for the first time in about five years! It’s always a somber experience, the images document the most newsworthy events from the year’s news, and the news is rarely good. This year was no exception, the winner was an image from the war in Ukraine of a very pregnant woman being moved on a stretcher. Iryna…

I did a royal tour, OK, a tour of a royal thing. The waiting room for the Dutch Royal Family at a train station to be specific #DutchRoyal #DenHaag

I managed to get tickets to a guided tour of the Royal Waiting Room at the Den Haag Holland Spoor train station, one of three royal waiting rooms in the Netherlands along with Amsterdam and Baarn. It’s rather magnificent, and of course there are no ticket check gates. The entrance is just to the left of the station’s main entrance, through a pair of dark wooden panelled doors. Inside it’s cool…

Henry Moore's sculptures pay a visit to the sea-side museum. #HenryMoore #MuseumBeeldenAanZee #Art

I’ve always loved Henry Moore‘s sculpture, the fluid lines seem organic yet the human form is recognisable. Some of the sculptures are so monumental that they seem to be of the landscape, others seem to be like long forgotten fossils . So the exhibition of Moore’s works on at the Museum Beelden Aan Zee is a must-see for me. The most impressive exhibit for me was the massive piece shown above, it…

What's in the Mauritshuis while the Girl with a Pearl Earring is visiting Amsterdam? #vermeer #art

These are the five winners of the “my girl” submissions, I can’t decide which of these is my favourite. The Hague’s most famous girl, the Vermeer painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is currently visiting Amsterdam for the incredible Vermeer exhibition, so what can the Mauritshuis display while their most famous resident is away? Everyone’s interpretation of her. There are the five winning…

Which language to use? All of them. #overheard #overheardinTheHague

There’s a peculiar language dance that sometimes happens when I try to figure out whether to use my imperfect Dutch or my native English. I went to a local bakery, famous for its French style breads and pastries. I’d usually use Dutch in this situation but this particular shop often has visiting students working for them and so I just asked whether Dutch or English would work best. Shop guy…

Take a stroll around the wonderful bookstores of the Hague for #bookweek

It’s book week this week, reading is one of my favourite things to do. I’m not fussy about format so I will read e-books, listen to audio books and read the traditional paper versions. However nothing compares to the absolute joy of browsing a bookstore. So here’s my summary of English language books around the city. Most bookstores in the Netherlands will have an English language section but…

There’s an incredible exhibition on at the Rijksmuseum showcasing the largest collection of his works ever assembled in one place, a total of 28 of the 37 paintings known to exist. From the moment the exhibition was announced I knew I’d have to go. I bought tickets in January and today I went. It’s an astonishing exhibition, grouped by theme which is a great way to do it, and the explanations in…

The statue looks out to sea, and she's waiting; who is the #Scheveningen Fishwife? #history #sculpture

She stands, calm and resolute, facing the sea. But who is she? And who is she waiting for?She’s the wife of a fisherman, and she’s waiting for his return. This monument is to the women left behind to go on with their home, their family and possibly a family business while their husband was at sea. More than 1300 of those men never returned and their names are engraved in stone on a memorial…

I made a thing, there's still time for you to make one before Christmas... it's a simple chunky knit hotwater bottle. Happy Knitting! #knitting #christmas

I’m so pleased with how this turned out, and it’s super quick so still possible to knit one for someone’s special Christmas present. You will need 100g Chunky wool 6mm circular needles with a short cord, you might still need to use magic loop to knit the neck30cm narrow ribbon, I used 12 mm wide satin ribbon. Cast on 45 stitches Join the circle using the invisible joining method, which will…