2019-04 - Brugges to The Hague (the Netherlands)

Belgian waffle with fresh fruit

It was a travel today for us. However, first, we fortified ourselves with more Belgian waffles and pots of tea at Verdi. This time, I ordered the "fresh fruit" Belgian waffle, which had strawberries, raspberries, grapes and even half a passion fruit. My first time eating a passion fruit raw.

Inside the Begijnhof Garden

Then, we walked through Brugges one final time, walking to the gardens of the Begijnhof. As we got closer, we started encountering bus tours of tourists walking toward the city center. The Begijnhof was a complex for women who took vows but were not associated with a particular religious order. It included widows and spinsters. There are still sisters living there today. However, their central garden is open from 6:30 am - 6:30 pm, for the quiet tourists to enjoy. It was a calm and tranquil experience.

On our walk back to retrieve our car from parking, we accidentally activated a wooden sculpture by Ugo Dehaes (who is actually a dancer) along the walking trail. It looks like a body lying horizontally. However, at minimum 15 minute intervals (when someone passes in front of a motion sensor attached to a nearby tree), the statue is activated. It ripples up and down, almost swimming in space, as it slowly makes it's way to the top of the display case. My video didn't turn out. However, you can watch someone else's video of it here.

Wind Tower along the highway from Brugges to Den Hague

Our drive to Den Hague was broken only by a stop for lunch at a shopping mall because our credit and debit cards did not work for any of the parking meters for every other parking spot in and around Delft. A very nice local showed us where the 3 hour free parking was for the shopping mall. We ate inside at a little restaurant that was mostly serving retired locals at two in the afternoon on a Friday. Our most non-touristy meal yet!

Den Hague is full of restaurants and places to shop but feels less touristy than either Amsterdam or Brugges. It also does not all the historic sites and buildings (or at least not as popularized or open to the public) as in the other cities. We've already walked through the Binnenhof, seen the outside of St Jacob's Grotto (a de-consecrated church) and walked by the Noordeinde Palace and statue of William the Silent in front of it. There is another Willig Cheese shop here, giving me one final chance to bring home some Dutch cheese as a souvenir from this trip!

More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N19MsskY85La8LRh6