The Hague

Well, with a weather forecast of dry but cloudy I thought this was the day for a trip to the Hague. So off I go to Amsterdam station. I do like Dutch trains. Very reliable and on top of that - double-decker trains.

The Hague is well worth a visit. Its big site is very easy to reach from the station, and its the Gothic Binnenhof complex which houses, amongst other things the Dutch Parliament.

Unfortunately, far from being a dry day it never stopped raining, so I was quite keen to head quickly into the Mauritshuis, the cit'y main art gallery hosed in a classical palace amidst its Gothic neighbours.

Now this was probably the most delightful of all the galleries I visited in Holland (and not just because it was respite from the rain.) The collection is superb, but so is the gallery with an excellent audio-guide.

A Holbein that I had never sen reproduced anywhere before

Portrait of Jane Seymour.

A much reproduced Rembrandt self-portrait

A Vermeer landscape - only one I have seen. Beautiful

 Most famously the gallery contains Vermeer's Girl in a Pearl Ear-ring. All in all a very enjoyable trip. But eventually had to go out into the rain again.

Well after a short walk I took in an odd combination. The Prison Gate Museum with a next door art gallery - all through same entrance.

The prison is very dull. This is the governor's dining room.

 The gallery is just one big room hung high with a lot of not very great paintings, but enjoyable none the less just to hunt down the good room the bad.

 Next up had to Great St James' Church, dating back to the 13th century

 

 The Hague is also home to the Dutch Royal Family. Unfortunately one can't do more than poke one's camera through the railings.

But perhaps the most enjoyable part of the Hague is just wandering around the artificial lake in front of the Binnenhoff. Just very photogenic. Brace yourselves.

 And yes there is a modern part to the Hague too.