We spent our last couple of days in Europe with Michiel and Stefan in Amsterdam. We drove from Hannover to Düsseldorf arrived then packed our suit cases to leave for Amsterdam when Michiel and Stefan get home. We cut our visit to Europe short due to a death in the family. We changed our flights home to Grand Rapids to 3November.
We arrived early in the evening in Amsterdam, got settled in then Michiel, Keith and Wayne headed over to Ocha for dinner. Ocha is a Thai restaurant, no frills, not expensive and fantastic cuisine. Three sisters own and run this tiny restaurant not far from the flat.
After dinner we called it an evening.
Fri: 2Nov
When we woke in the morning, we ran out to the market to get food and fresh croissants for breakfast. Michiel and Stefan had planned a trip for the four of us to Den Hague (The Hague) for a day trip. They had been telling us this was a must see place for us but so much better to be with them and share the experience.
The train to Den Hague was seamless and easy. We already had train passes for the rail in The Netherlands. We walked over to the
We stopped at Lola’s Bikes and Coffee for coffee and cake, I had the most delicious date cake and Keith had Banana Cake. Next stop is Panorama Mesdag.
Panorama Mesdag is a panorama by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. Housed in a purpose-built museum in The Hague, the panorama is a cylindrical painting (also known as a Cyclorama) more than 14 metres high and about 40 metres in diameter (120 metres in circumference). From an observation gallery in the centre of the room the cylindrical perspective creates the illusion that the viewer is on a high sand dune overlooking the sea, beaches and village of Scheveningen in the late 19th century. A foreground of fake terrain around the viewing gallery hides the base of the painting and makes the illusion more convincing.
Mesdag was a notable marine painter of the Hague School; in 1880 he was engaged by a Belgian company to paint the panorama, which with the assistance of his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten and some student painters (including George Hendrik Breitner), was completed by 1881. However, the vogue for panoramas was coming to an end, and the company went bankrupt in 1886. Mesdag purchased the panorama and met its losses from his own pocket. The panorama is now the oldest surviving panorama in its original location.
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| Panorama Mesdag |
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| Panorama Mesdag |
We had not heard of the Panorama Mesdag, Michiel and Stefan had not experienced it since the painting had undergone restoration. It is one of the most amazing spectacles, you feel like you have gone back in time and standing on a platform experience being on the dunes looking over the beach.
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| Peace Palace |
Neo-Renaissance style building, which was actually the winning design of an architecture competition in the early nineteen hundreds, and the organizations.
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| Scheveningen Pier and Beach |
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| Scheveningen Beach and The Kurhaus |
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| Scheveningen Pier |
On 17 September 1959 the current structure, designed by Dutch architects Hugh Maaskant and Dick Apon from Rotterdam. Its construction boasts two levels for the main pier, the lower deck a closed-in section, the upper open to the elements, and four terminal sections called 'islands', each originally with a separate focus. Its total length is 382 meters.
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| Keith and Wayne at the pier overlooking Scheveningen Beach |
We returned to Amsterdam then went to dinner at Hotel Jakartaar and went to the Cocktail Bar Marabar.
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| Dinner with Michiel and Stefan at Hotel Jakartaar in Amsterdam |
We had a wonderful time with them in this beautiful building on an island overlooking Amsterdam. The food was Indonesian cuisine, delicious and unique dishes. The Hotel takes you into the forests of Indonesia with high ceilings and large palms in the common area. The design is like a 'flat iron' building.
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| Having a cocktail in the bar on the upper floor looking over Amsterdam |
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| View from the Cocktail Bar Marabar at Hotel Jakartaar |
On Saturday, 3 Nov we are up and out with all our things for Amsterdam Centraal to Schipfol Airport by 7:00. Michiel and Stefan were up to say goodbyes. We arrived at Centraal and took the Inter-City train taking us to Schipfol. We checked our luggage and then went to the United Lounge (Aspire). The flight was on time for us to land in Washington Dulles.
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Us at the Aspire Lounge at the airport.
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We are so thankful for this trip and spending quality time with our dear friends, Michiel and Stefan hold a very special place in our hearts. We look forward to coming back to Europe to spend time with you and you joining us anywhere in the World to share our lives.
