Kurhaus The Hague

Delft is primarily known for its typically Dutch town centre with canals, also for the Dutch painter Vermeer and Delft Blue Pottery.<br>Thera drove us from Zevenhoven to this picturesque city in the province of south Holland where I was very impressed with the charm, pottery and the history surrounding the life and assasination of William of Orange at the Prinsenhof.

... The U.S. donated a ceiling, while Nicholas of Russia donated the world's largest faberge egg. <br><br>The ICC is housed in a building that used to be a large telecommunications company's headquarters. Because of the need for security, it looks a little like walking up to a prison. Unfortunately, no pictures could be taken inside the building, so we just heard some information from one of the prosecutors with the ICC, as well as one of the judges ...

... expected here, its like a religion. My lack of punctuality severely clashes with this culture, but I'm learning to be more on time. And now I have a beautiful watch to help me! Thank you to all who sent beautiful birthday wishes, they meant a lot and I wish that you were here to share in the celebrations with me! It was a great day even though I had to celebrate so far from home and all the people that I love (and miss!).

... As you can tell by the pictures it was a very long beach area with tons of restaurants on the beach, soccer, bungy jumping, etc. It really was a nice place to be. It wasn't quite beach weather, but there were still a lot of people there because of all the attractions and shopping. This was a part of Holland I had never seen before since last time I was here it was January, and it was really fun to have that ocean/beach atmosphere that I personally do not associate with this country ...

... palace- Het Loo National Park. It is said that Versailles in Paris is a cousin for it's grandeur. What beautiful gardens (being renovated partly) and such a palace with so ...

... show how fit they infact they were. However the the museum did not last for ever and we walked around Amsterdam to together for a bit then we decided to try find Anne Franks House so we separated. We spent two hours walking round trying to find this tourist spot however two hours later we had tired legs and we were not culturally bettered. we were not making much sense now and we decided to head back but we had no idea where the **** we were or what our hostel ...

... churches because they have a cross on the top. The protestant churches have a rooster on top....much like a weather vane. We had our first sample of Dutch pancakes which is like a open faced crepe with fruit or meat and cheese on top. We had a cheese and pineapple on that tasted like pizza. We had to sample one with strawberries and whipped cream. Delicious! We visited Anne Frank House...which, you will remember if you've read ...

... I like to think of it as a more "nature-filled" version of Venice. Everyone rides their bikes here, and there are literally more bikes than people! The canals are filled with houseboats, and lined with trees up to the beautiful canal-side homes. It's tough to choose a street to take a represenative photo of, because almost all of them offer postcard-perfect views. Our hostel is probably about what I expected - it's an H.I ...

I should also say that Haarlem itself is interesting. A small town of narrow alleyways and streets with a large square and cathedral. Originally surrounded by a moat and walls, the walls have gone but the moat/canal is still there. I want to find out more about the 'hoftje' and there is a museum in the old town, but closed by the time I got there. Its only 15minutes from Amsterdam so I might pop back one afternoon.