“So, what if we go to the International Court of Justice? You know, go learn something about crimes against humanity..” So started our planning for a day trip to Den Haag, which was really just an excuse of sorts to ride the trains around. About an hour from Amsterdam, I really wanted to go for a walk on the North Sea. I also have many pleasant memories there, from trips in high school to a model United Nations conference that happened once a year. I think I once went as the Deputy Ambassador to Cambodia. A definite high point from high school.
It turns out we never made it to the North Sea, nor did I have much to show Victor that I recalled from high school. We did go to the gorgeous, manageable, and packed with treasure, Mauritshuis. This made me feel not bad about not going back to the Rijksmuseum for a second day to see the Dutch Masters. Yes, there was a huge crowd around Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” but otherwise, it was easy to get up close to so many incredible paintings.
Being cold and gloomy, we decided to skip the long walk to the Halls of Justice and look at the Escher museum. This wasn’t something I was particularly interested in, but I thought my husband would like it. I’ve seen enough Escher to last a lifetime of puzzles. I did go through it pretty darn quickly and headed over to a little pub to drink some beer while waiting for my husband, but I’d recommend it to get a chance to see the early work. It makes the latter stuff you already know well, fresher, and more interesting.
Such a handsome fellow.
Escher’s early commercial work.
Medlars for sale! Wow! We grow them, but almost no one has heard of them here.
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