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!!!!

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!

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...

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!

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!

What's up doc?

Isn't it nice to be able to pass by geese while walking in the park? This one was quietly following me, chewing its grass, and looking right into my camera.

By the way, if you want to enjoy Bugs Bunny in the original What's up doc? scenes, click here!

The Hague Daily Photo is taking one week off. See you next Friday!

Sick trees

I spotted this open wound on this tree in the haagsche Bos the other day. Many trees in the city are suffering from this kind of haemorrhage caused by a new bacteria. The same sympoms have been reported around the country on chestnut trees, beech trees and maple trees. A specialised organisation is working on studying this bacteria and is trying to find a solution to this problem. So far, we regularly read in the local news that sick trees need to be cut down, a sad ending story.

Red frog

Look at this pretty frog looking at me this morning in the Haagsche Bos. She was terrified as my kids were trying to touch it with... a leaf! Nice colors, and nice leg position! Enjoy your Sunday!

Reflection

Just a nice reflection of trees in water in my favorite park in Clingendael. I can,t wait for the temporary Japanese garden to open at the end of this month to show you more natural beauty.

Many horse carriages!

Do you want one of those? Click here, and you can have a brand new one for an average €3,000! I'm sure you never thought of this kind of leisure time! In case you wonder, the horses were resting, and the owners were having a big pancake for lunch in the nearby pancake house. This is in Meijendel of course, a favorite week-end destination if you live in The Hague!

Handy bike (2)

The only nice spring day of the week! I couldn't help talking this photo of this "bakfiets" again as I found the setting very colorful. Though those bikes are wonderful to carry more than one kiddy, they remain very expensive as they can easily top €1,500 depending on the brand and the options fitted on the bike...More photos of this kind of bike here.

Puss in Boots in Westbroekpark

If you live in Europe, you probably know the story of the "Puss in Boots". As a child, I could read the fairy tales from Charles Perrault or the Grimm brothers for hours. I wonder whether those fairy tales have also found their way to America and Asia... Among my favorites: Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Cinderella.

The photo shows one of the many statues you can find in Westbroekpark, here a bronze from Johan Keller. Isn't it very elegant?

What kind of duck is this bird?

Given my non-existent knowledge in ornithology, could anyone tell me what the name of this duck is? It is a common view in the parks of The Hague, here in Zuiderpark.

Update: Thanks to Wassenaar DP, I can now tell you that this is an Egyptian goose!

Green zone

This quiet park is situated in the Benoordenhout neighborhood (North-East of the city), on the Jozef Israëlsplein. At the end, a monument to Queen Emma designed in 1936 by the Belgian artist Toon Dupuis and the architect Co Brandes (1884-1955) On the sides some white benches unfortunately tagged with graffiti.

Cut trees

Walking in the rose garden of Westbroek Park... I cant wait for June when 20.000 roses from 300 varieties will be blooming.... Expect some nice flowery posts then! I just also read that an international rose competition is occurring in July with rose growers from all over the world gathering here, hoping to win the coveted "Golden Rose of The Hague" for their roses!

As you can see looking at those trees, there is still a long way to go before the garden gets its full shape. In the background, you can see one of the two WWII bunkers I was looking for last time when I posted this.

Family outing in Meijendel

Meijendel is an area of 2000 of sand dunes between The Hague, Wassenaar and Katwijk. Above 1 million visitors a year come and enjoy the quietness and beauty of those grounds. It is believed that Van Gogh lived here in 1882-1883. The name comes from the Meijendel valley where many hawthorns used to grow.