On Thursday I arrived at about 12.30pm and Lydia met me at the airport. We dropped my bags at her apartment and later that day we visited the Maritshuis Museum and got to see Vermeer's "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" - how cool!
I had booked tickets online which was probably unnecessary but very convenient.
The Girl with the Pearl Earring painting is not that big but I really appreciated it more seeing it in the flesh. For example, I never realised that it is a drop pearl earring in the picture and also that it is massively oversized.
The next day Lydia and I went off on the tram and visited Delft. I really enjoyed this place, it's very quaint and very traditional. We wandered around the streets, climbed to the top of the tower of the church (my legs are still sore 2 days later!!) and we also sampled cheese in the Kaas Winkel. We tasted so many different cheeses and I have to admit I had a little stroop waffel taste too. All so good.
Lydia had been interested in doing a tour of the Peace Palace for awhile so when she told me there was a tour on the Saturday morning I immediately booked it for her and myself and also our mother once Lydia confirmed that Mam wanted to go on the tour too.
The Peace Palace was conceived in the very late 1800's and Andrew Carnegie funded it on the condition that it had a public library. The building is stunning and the inside is even more incredible than the outside. The Library has outgrown the building and has the largest collection of legal documents and books in the world - there is now a new library building on the grounds.
I look forward to getting back to Den Haag someday soon!
