Rose festival 4

Here is my last rose pic for the month, my favorite red rose! If you happen to be in The Hague in the coming days, you'll need to pay a visit to Westbroek park, where the 48th International rose competition will take place on 10th July this year.

The Hague Daily Photo is going on holidays for 2 weeks, so I'll hope to see you here by 21st July!!!

Rose festival 3

Give it a try! Count the number of petals of those beautiful white roses! Check out how the white can be different!

Rose festival 2

I loved the time I spent in the Rosarium yesterday, so I'll show you a couple of more shots. Together with deep red roses the pale rose and white are my favorites. You can actually vote for your favorite rose and deposit your vote in a glass box at the entrance of the park, and hope it will be chosen as the public's preferred choice.

Rose festival 1

The Rosarium in Westbroek Park just looks wonderful now. Equipped with a new 100mm macro lens, I've been trying to catch in the earl morning some of the beautiful roses that strews the grounds with their lovely colors. First experience of macro photography, which was without counting on the permanent Dutch winds!!!!

Month theme : "No...." sign

I wanted to post this sign for a while already, so when I got July month theme I knew exactly what I had to post!!! This dog sign stands in my street, chained to a tree! This is the only one of its kinds I found so far. I praised the person who had the clever idea to design it. My kids love it as well, as every time we walk by (and that is quite often), they feel obliged to explain again and again what it is meant for!!!!!

172 city blogs around the world are participating in this month's theme, and I'm very curious to get to discover other "no" signs!!!!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

It was still raining when I made this picture this morning on Het Plein; all the cafes on this square are preparing for the soccer match of tonight of Netherlands v France... You can expect crowds tonight, and many more orange flags!!!

Detail of a door

One of the nicest doorways in the city...

Best kept secret in town

If you dared coming in the Pulchri studio to enjoy the latex wall I talked about yesterday, you'll discover one of the quietest outside cafes in town where you could have a rest. This is really a lucky find!

Latex wall

I saw this massive latex wall (20 meters * 3m) today in the Pulchri Studio. This installation from the young Dutch artist Marisja Smit is made of three panels attached to each other, (each of them can be bought separately for €20,000 euros btw...) and is supposed to be a reflection of our society, naked. I immediately thought of the photographies of Spencer Tunick which I love, where bodies are really treated as a substance in our nature and landscape.

Go and have a look at this installation if you can, it was inaugurated last Friday and will only be displayed until the end of the month!!!

Berlage Kiosk

With the renovation of the Buitenhof, the architect H.P. Berlage built this kiosk in 1924. This small building is made of a combination of concrete and bricks, two distinct materials used in his works. It housed originally a newspaper stand, as well as a ladies restroom underground.

Flag day 2008

It was extremely busy yesterday in Scheveningen, when 250,000 visitors made it to the harbour to celebrate the 2008 edition of Vlaggetjesdag (Flag day), which celebrates the arrival of the "new" Dutch herring. Hollandse Nieuwe is the name given to young herring caught between mid-May and the end of June with a body fat of at least 16%. The fish are gutted and salted but the pancreas containing an enzyme which helps the fish to ripen is left in place. The first barrel of new herring was auctioned for charity last Tuesday, raising €55,000. The barrel was bought by online restaurant guide Iens.


Here one of the 100 fishes from the presentation of 100 kinds of fish caught in the North Sea. One had to evaluate the overall weight to win some prizes.

NYPD in The Hague

I spotted those Smart cars in a Smart dealer in The Hague today and was wondering whether they actually were real cars or just an ad to promote the brand... as the Smart car was launched in the US not so long ago (see here).

See the answer on this forum (a sticker promotion!!!!!!)

Roots

Tree roots have always had a fascinating impact on me, I can always see animal shapes or wild hands trying to get a grip on soil... They are also a fantastic playground for kids and a nice place for animals to hide!

Het torentje

The stroll along the river opposite the Binnenhof (Dutch Parliament) is always a nice walk, especially when the weather is not too bad. You can see on the left the famous Mauritshuis museum, and next to it, the small tower, dubbed the "torentje" in Dutch which since 1982 is the work office of the Dutch Prime Minister.

Garbage tree

I know this is common in parks around the world, but I'm always shocked when I see disclosed garbage in a natural environment. Obviously, this is the result of a nice afternoon break among youngsters: beers, crisps and sweets hanging in a tree...

Day of the building sector

31st May was the "Day of the building sector" in The Netherlands, and a certain number of works were open to the public. This was the case of the Hubertus Tunnel, a 1600m long tunnel which is going under the Hague and should be inaugurated next September. 3400 people walked into the tunnel that day. It was quite impressive to see!

Month theme : "My corner local shop"

Paagman is the perfect destination to go to on a grey Sunday like today. It combines a bookshop, office supplies, CDs and videos and a nice inside cafe. It is in the area one of the only leisure shops open on Sundays, so I've spent there many hours hanging around books and magazines!

Every month new cities are joining the CDP community and are activiely contributing to our theme days. Click on any of them to travel around local stores around the world.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey by afyonblog, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by Digger, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Belgrade, Serbia by BgdPic, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Brookville (OH), USA by Abraham, Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by agrajag, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Cavite, Philippines by Steven Que, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Château-Gontier, France by Laurent, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chennai, India by Shantaram, Chennai, India by Ram N, Chicago (IL), USA by U R us, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, Edinburgh, UK by Dido, Evry, France by Olivier, Folkestone, UK by Clare Unsworth, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA by Gigi, Gainesville (FL), USA by Leah, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hangzhou, China by Chanin, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Old Hyde, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Knoxville (TN), USA by Knoxville Girl, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Los Angeles (CA), USA by Martha Perez, Mainz, Germany by JB, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Misawa, Japan by misawa mama, Monroe (GA), USA by Tanya, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montego Bay, Jamaica by Ann, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Nancy, France by yoshi, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Delhi, India by Delhi Photo Diary, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Oklahoma City (OK), USA by ananda.tashie, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Owasso (OK), USA by Jennifer, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Perth, Australia by Elevation7, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Petoskey (MI), USA by Christie, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Portland (ME), USA by Corey, Posadas, Argentina by Lega, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea by Jules, Ramsey, Isle of Man by babooshka, Reykjavik, Iceland by Vírgíll, Riga, Latvia by Fotos. Riga Photos, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Rouen, France by Bbsato, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, San Francisco (CA), USA by Louis la Vache, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Seoul, South Korea by Phil, Sequim (WA), USA by Norma, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, Springfield (IL), USA by Aubrey, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Sydney, Australia by Ann, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Tel-Aviv, Israel by Olga, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torino, Italy by Fabrizio, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Torun, Poland by Glenn, Toulouse, France by Julia, Turin, Italy by Livio, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Urayasu, Japan by Zono, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,

Nice walk

I discovered this small park located between Oostduinlaan and the Wassenaarseweg (close to Shell headquarters) yesterday and found it very nice and quiet. Well maintained, clean, quiet, it offers a nice environment to go for a walk (dogs allowed in certain areas) or for a picnic.

Banana in a park

In the serie of realist pieces of "street" art, this banana placed in Zuiderpark.... Colorful!

Puzzling street scupture

I am very puzzled by this teapot hanging in the Noordpolderkade in the Laakkwartier, I cannot find it very attractive to look at, and don't think I would like to see it from my windows... I managed to find on the internet that this piece was called "ECHTELIJKE RUZIE" (Marital fight), which I reckon is pretty creative. It is designed by Jo Klingers. It represents a coffepot and a broken chair.

Fishing ropes

For some reasons, I always like the colors you can find around in the harbor, being the boats, or like here fishing ropes and nets.

Elegant shopping in the Bonneterie

Maison de Bonneterie is an elegant store in the centre that carries exclusive men's and women's fashions and a cast of brand-name household goods and personal items. It is a multi brand fashion store with an accent on luxury and tradition. Until today, Bonneterie has remained a family business.


The main shop is located in Amsterdam. I found on a touristic Amsterdam website the history behind the name: "At its beginning in 1889, Bonneterie has been established in by a couple Joseph Cohen and Rosa Wittgenstein as shop with hosiery(mainly stockings), in the times when it must have been a crucial piece of ladies clothing. Bonneterie run personally by Rosa Wittgenstein, had an enormous success. In 1913, the present building of the Bonneterie has been built. Designed by a then known Dutch architect A.Jacot, with an interior in the style of Louis XVI, an imposing staircase and a glass roof. Soon after, the second Bonneterie shop in The Hague has been opened, again with an imitating the palace of Louvre interior".

Kids' little kitchen gardens

My 5 year-old son was allocated a little piece of common garden for 2 months to go with his class gardening once a week during school time. aren't those gardens cute? They are just so proud of bringing home their harvesting! It is just a great idea!

Colorful flower pots

You can notice everywhere in the city that Spring is definitely here with (too) colorful flower pots. I have spotted them in different places in the city like above on Het Plein, and the same flower arrangements in front of the Kurhaus below.

No feet please!!!!

Do you have an idea where I found this post today, which reads: "Only wash your hands please, not your feet"....?

The passage

The "Passage" in the city centre (just around the corner of the Buitenhof) is the oldest shopping arcade in the city (opened in 1885), and was then fully renovated in 2007. It is designed in a neo-Renaissance style and is a unique street as it lies under a roof of glass. It is now listed as a historical monument. There are a couple of very nice shops in it (including the Apple store and the great DOK cookware one), so you have a very elegant stroll in it, especially when the weather is not so nice. Click here for a panorama of the arcade.

Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is a great location to go to to show your friends and relatives a very typical corner of Holland. This place, located 50 kms North East of The Hague has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1997, when the 19 well preserved windmills built between 1738 and 1760 were recognised as being the symbol of the way The Netherlands managed their water ever since. Those mills were used to get the surrounding Alblasserwaard polder dry, as it was under sea level. The name Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Child's Dike". The Wiki entry on this explains the origin of the name as follows: "in 1421 during the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waard flooded, but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is said that when the terrible storm had subsided, someone went on to the dike between these two areas, to see what could be saved. He saw in the distance a wooden cradle floating. There was no hope that anything would be living in it, but when it approached, movement was seen. When the cradle came nearer, someone saw that a cat was in the cradle trying to keep it in balance by jumping back and forth so that no water could come into it. When the cradle eventually came near the dike, someone fished the cradle out and saw that in it a baby slept quiet and dry. In some of the stories the cat kept it balanced and afloat. This folktale and legend has been published as "The Cat and the Cradle" in English:.

The amazing thing is that most of the mills are still inhabited!! One of them is open to the public and you can get an idea of what it can look like to live in one of those.

Try to get there on a windy day, when the mills are working, and if possible, bring your bikes with you (at least for the kids!) as you will need to walk around to get closer to the mills.

Two real wild Storks!

I could finally catch today a nest housing a couple of young storks, in Ottoland, a small village in a wide farmers' countryside 50kms away from the Hague. A local person told us this couple had been coming on top of this church every year; the nest is growing bigger and bigger, and will soon need some (artificial) consolidation. You can see on the photo below how big it is now.

For those who are not familiar with my previous posts on storks, this is the symbol of the Hague, and I have been trying to catch a sight of them for months, with no success so far in the city!

Art in the streets of Scheveningen

On 31 October 1995, a foundation supported by the local council was created in Scheveningen called Straatkunst op Scheveningen withe the aim of stopping and preventing any sort of pollution of our local environment (graffiti, paint, etc...). This special panel was inaugurated in 1997 and you can find in the Neptunustraat. They have used a lot of mosaic work to complete this work, as shown on the picture below.

Shopping tip

The actual store of Woodleaf & Furn at the Haagsche Bluf 43 is closing down at the end of June. Rush there is you want to stock on beautiful Christmas (and fantastic Halloween) decoration as they are all discounted at 50%! Their miniatures lighted houses are beautiful and are now a real bargain!

The wonderful Japanese garden

Don't miss the temporarily open Japanese garden in Clingendael. It can still be visited until 8th June. The garden was placed on the list of national historical monuments in 2001.
The Hague websites explains that "the Japanese Garden was created in the beginning of the 20th century by the former owner of the country estate of Clingendael, Marguérite M. Baroness van Brienen (1871-1939), also called Lady Daisy. Lady Daisy sailed off a number of times by ship to Japan and brought back to the Netherlands a number of lanterns, a water cask, sculptures, the pavilion, the little bridges and several plants. The original design with the serene pond, meandering brook and the winding pathways has remained intact all these years".

The garden is not big, but the entrance is free and if you can get before the crowds come in, you'll have a wonderful experience!

North Sea regatta 2008

The edition of the North Sea Regatta 2008 ended yesterday. It was very busy in Scheveningen harbor in the last 4 days as nearly 400 boats competed in 24 classes along the Scheveningen coast. There was a very nice atmosphere, also due to the beautiful weather conditions over the week-end. Ver

Shocking!

If sometimes you may think it's nice to live on the waterside, forget it when it is abnormally hot and sunny and when everybody in the city and around has decided to enjoy a day out on the beach.....

The worst experience was to see all the garbage left on the beach by uncivilized Dutch people...it was hard for me to believe I was in the Netherlands. What do they think? That because the beach is cleaned every night it gives them the right to throw away cans and plastic bottles where they sit? It reminded me of El Rodadero beach in the Colombian city of Santa Marta; when I then asked locals why their beach was so dirty at the end of the day, they then answered that they were not bothered because that would give some work to all the poor people who would during the evening gather and then sell the garbage...... This is not the case in Holland, and I suggest the Council to stop cleaning the beaches for a week to see whether they would be a reaction in the papers!

Memories

Just to finish on posting on MuZee Scheveningen (see the last 2 days posts), here is a pic of the last exhibition they showed on the first floor: "Remembering is life", an art project developed for senior people when during 6 workshops senior people had to paint on textile their most vibrant memories (favorite food as a child, self portrait, favorite flower etc....).

I found it very interesting, especially the fact that you realize that kids' drawings are not far away from drawings made by senior people. What about us in between? We just do not take the time to draw!!!!!

Still in Muzee (see yesterday's post), you'll find this strange bathing machine in use about 1830 to 1920.

The description reads:
"The bather would enter the bathing machine, undress and put on a bathing costume. A horse pulled the coach into the sea to a depth of 70cm, the bather then enjoyed a dip in the water and after bathing he re-entered the coach. Then the horse pulled hte coach back up on the beach. During the bathing there was always supervisin by a "bath man" attendant". In case of affluence, people had to get a number to get on the waiting list.

Any idea of how we will be having a bath in the sea over 150 years?

In the old days, ...

I was pleasantly surprised by the MuZee in Scheveningen. This small museum offers a nice picture of what the activities in this popular bath resort and fishing harbor used to be around the beginning of the last century. It is also a nice place for the kids to celebrate their birthday, as they offer some activities like looking for shells (the museum owns a big collection of shells from around the world), as well as climbing to the top of the Scheveningen lighthouse.


If you wonder what those wooden picks on the pic above are for, then think of smoked eels. The fishes were hung on the stick before being smoked. If you want to see how they used to do it, then you must pay a visit to the harbor next 7th June on "Vlaggetjesdag" or the day celebrating the new haring season.

The Hague, cultural capital...in 2018 (maybe)

This was my intended post for the month theme on "Numbers".

The Hague has set its sights on becoming a European Capital of Culture for ...... 2018 with a new International Dance and Music Centre on the Spuiplein. The Netherlands and Malta will each have a turn in 2018 to supply a European Capital of Culture, which shows off the richness of European culture. Dutch cities wishing to make a bid for the title have to submit their plans to the national government by October 2012. If you want to know what it means for a city to be a European Capital of Culture, then click here. In 2009, Vilnius is the capital city.

Student house

This is one of the main student houses in the Hague around the Haagse Hogeschool (The Hague Highschool), a tower with approximately 1100 student flats, managed by the Duwo organisation. I have not spotted many round buildings in the city, apart from that one.

There is a sharp shortage of student housing in the city, and there is at the moment a real boom in the design and building of new facilities for them.