Den Haag & Haarlem

Den Haag & Haarlem

The next day was my day trip to Den Haag. I left the hotel around 9:30 and got to Den Haag around 11am. Den Haag was a complete 180 from Amsterdam. It was a lot less touristy and had a much more relaxing pace. It’s definitely a good side trip if you want to escape from the city.

Den Hague

My first stop that day was the Mauritius Museum. I paid separately for an admission ticket, which also included entry to the Prince William V Museum. The main highlight of the Mauritius is Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. While the painting was smaller than I had pictured, it was worth seeing it in person. Similar to the Rijksmuseum, the Mauritius has an impressive collection of Dutch paintings from the Golden Age. Overall it took me a little under two hours to finish going through all the rooms. Right before I left I had a nice lunch at the museum restaurant. Afterwards I walked over to Prince William V Museum to see the rest of the collection. 

Den Hague Den Hague

Since I didn’t have definite plans for the rest of the day, I ended up walking around the city for the remainder of the afternoon. Originally I was thinking of staying close to the train station, but by the time I realized it I was already at the Peace Palace, which is about 40 minutes away on foot. In retrospect I totally should have rented a bike for the day, but by then it was too late. =P


Before I returned to the station I stopped by a shop which sold poffertjes, which are Dutch mini pancakes. The pancakes were made fresh to order so they were super fluffy and delicious. I think I liked these more than all the waffles I ate later in Belgium!


Haarlem

After leaving the Hague I was on my way to Haarlem. I had a bit of a dilemma at first cause I didn’t realize train services to Haarlem were very limited on weekends. Luckily the station attendant was able to print me directions so I knew exactly which trains to take. (Side note: the downside of not renting a pocket wifi or changing my SIM card was relying on public wifi and asking lots of people how to get to places. The latter was actually much easier than I expected.) It ended up taking me an hour and 20 minutes, with three transfers, before I made it to Haarlem. (@_@)

Haarlem

It was starting to get dark by the time I exited the station, so I first headed off to see De Adriaan, which is a popular windmill in Haarlem. Afterwards I spent some time exploring the Grote Market, which is Haarlem’s central square. The church was closed by the time I got there, so I ended up having an early dinner at the Grand Cafe Brinkmann, while people watching from their patio. Thankfully heading back to Amsterdam that evening was much easier, as it as a direct train to Centraal Station. =D

Haarlem

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