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.

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 dolfinarium in Harderwijk (110 kms from the Hague) is a nice place to go with kids to spend a day watching dolphins, walrus, seals, sea lions... Kids love it, especially because you can see them so close. The park would benefit from some renovation as it looks a bit oldish. And it's not cheap! But....what wouldn't we do for kids?!

Lighthouse

How can I have this blog for over half a year, and not have shown the lighthouse of Scheveningen, one of the landmarks of the city!! This red 12-sided cast-iron tower is 49m high. It became operational in 1875. It is still in use now, and can also be visited on Wednesday's and Saturday's. More photos of the view you have from the top here.

Let's finish off February on an optimistic touch, and the birth of the first lambs this year in this wonderful kids' farm in Zoeterwoude "Het Geertje". This dynamic cheese farm opens its doors the all year around to kids. It is the most fun when lambs are born, as then you can buy small bottles of goat milk and feed the baby goats directly. Just be prepared to spend there a couple of hours there, as once in, the kids do not want to leave anymore!!

Month theme : " When People Think of My City They Think of..."

Haagsche Hopjes!!!!!!

This candy exists for......215 years, and is still The Hague's very own sweet! Haagsche Hopjes are hard coffee flavored candies with the taste of coffee, packed in the original Rademaker's tin cans.

The hopje was named after the baron Hendrik Hop, whose doctor advised him not to drink coffee. He ordered his baker Theodorus van Haaren to invent a sweet with coffee flavouring. After some experimenting, van Haaren created a sweet made of coffee, caramel, cream and butter. The enthusiastic baron Hop was keen to let his guests try his 'Hopjes', which quickly gained popularity. A typical characteristic of the hopje is that it does not stick and that it does not go soft over time. The Hague has a museum called "Museum voor het Haagsche Hopje", which is dedicated to the hopje and its history.

Besides being a local speciality it has become a Dutch national candy.

Buy it here!!!!!!

There are 133 cities participating in this month's theme, so do spend some time visiting some of the following cities:
Portland (OR), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Memphis (Tennessee), USA - Manila, Philippines - San Diego (CA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - New York City (NY), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - San Francisco (CA), USA - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - Mainz, Germany - Weston (FL), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Turin, Italy - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Bicheno, Australia - Durban, South Africa - Joplin (MO), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Brussels, Belgium - Chicago (IL), USA - Montpellier, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mazatlan, Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Toulouse, France - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Susanville (CA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Helsinki, Finland - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Lisbon, Portugal - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Trujillo, Peru - Dunedin (FL), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - London, UK - Baziège, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mumbai, India - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Stayton (OR), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arradon, France - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Athens, Greece - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Jackson (MS), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Budapest, Hungary - Rotterdam, Netherlands - St Malo, France - Chandler (AZ), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cleveland (OH), USA - Nottingham, UK - Kansas City (MO), USA - The Hague, Netherlands - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Wrocław, Poland - Chateaubriant, France - Cheltenham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Monrovia (CA), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Toruń, Poland - Grenoble, France - Lisbon, Portugal - New Orleans (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Boston (MA), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Wichita (KS), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Christchurch, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Wailea (HI), USA - Aliso Viejo (CA), USA - St Francis, South Africa - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Seattle (WA), USA - Pasadena (CA), USA - Vienna, Austria - Orlando (FL), USA - Torun, Poland - Delta (CO), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Paris, France - Stavanger, Norway - Niamey, Niger - Le Guilvinec, France - Bogor, Indonesia - Saarbrücken, Germany - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Juneau (AK), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Glasgow, Scotland - Chicago (IL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Sydney, Australia - Riga, Latvia - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia

Kids' farms

The Hague counts 11 city kids' farms! There are nice places for the kids to meet and discover the everyday life of pets and other farm animals (cows, rabbits, goats, sheep...). Tours are often organized with schools, during which they learn how to take care of the animals, feed them, clean them, etc....

Illusion....

No more storks for the moment (though I have spotted a few more already that I will picture later). Time to move on! If you have never heard of Escher before, than you must have a look here. He is the most famous Dutch graphic artists. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs and mezzotints which feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity and architecture. He has a dedicated museum on the Lange Voorhout, that you should absolutely not miss if you visit The Hague.

"Sea Horse"

As the temperature did not climb above 0 degree (celsius) today, I brought the kids to the aquarium, where we found a new room dedicated to sea horses. To me, this is one of the most amazing species in the underworld. I love the way they look and move.

Did you know by the way that with pipefishes, they are notable for being the only species in which males become "pregnant"! Seahorse fishing is strictly illegal as it became an endangered species but it is still widely used in traditional Chinese herbology (they are used to treat a variety of ailments including asthma, arteriosclerosis, incontinence, impotence, thyroid disorders, skin ailments, broken bones, and heart disease...).

New sculpture?

No, this is neither a new sculpture from Tinguely, nor a Calder mobile, but only a new playground for the kids in the centre... Quite futurist.

Here they are!!!

The three angels are hooked on the facade of the "Het Van Kinderen Museum" that opened in March 2004 and is located in an old school building on the corner of the Elandstraat and de Waldeck Pyrmontkade. I think the angels stand from the time when pupils were studying there and symbolize art, technics and graduation. The museum itself is very nice as it designed by and for children.


The building itself dates back around 1907, and was also used as a girls school, and later as a squat. It now houses, apart from the museum, the Grote pyr foundation and a restaurant.

Flower

I went to visit a butterfly garden in Leidschendam on the outskirts of the city. This is a very nice trip to do when it is cold and rainy outside. Butterflies fly around you in a tropical garden. Worth a visit!