Che Viaggio!: 1980 Den Haag/The Hague (7/2/1980)

Wednesday, July 2, 1980

I think we have learned our lesson. It doesn't pay to sleep in train stations, especially when you are politely kicked out at 01:00 and told the station is closed until 04:00. It was drizzling so we put on our respective ponchos and decided to walk to Den Haag's "main" station to kill time. We felt like three monastic ghouls with our peaked hoods and capes, in bright yellow and orange, too! We expected the stares as we walked along the cobbled brick streets along the canals. We passed a couple of red-lighted store windows with scantily dressed females posing in them. We had stumbled upon the Red Light District? The main station was locked and we were unable to find out when it would reopen. We decided to sit and wait in a tram stop shelter. We thought we were somewhat obscure, but apparently not enough so. A dark-skinned guy left his car across the street and jabbered away to us in Dutch, although he had asked if we spoke just about every other language in the world. He seemed worried that we needed to sleep at a tram stop, and whether we had enough money, etc. He offered to take us to his house, to have us sit in his car, etc. I think he even warned us against the police, but it was him they wanted for leaving his car in the street. But then he only parked it on the sidewalk and came back to try to get us to more comfortable environs. He finally gave up, but his place was soon taken by a persistent beeper, then an old man sidler (someone who sidles). We decided to wait right at the front of the main station, and weren't able to understand what the sidler and his new companion, another dark-skinned fellow, were saying about when the station would open. We then went looking for an open hotel for at least a bathroom for Kathy. The new companion followed us offering coffee, and then put his arm around my shoulder. I none-too-gently shoved his arm away. He took a couple steps backward and fumbled in his jacket pocket for some shiny metal object. In sort of a karate stance I glared at him and fortunately he turned and walked away. All the hotels were closed up, so we returned to the main station where the metal-object handler then “apologized.” He left, and we decided to go back to the Central Station, passing tram track reconstruction being done under spotlights. The Central Station finally opened up at about 04:15 and we sacked out in the waiting room.

Warmed up with some hot chocolate from an automatic dispenser where the cashier had to show us the button to push. That was about 07:00. Then we went to the restroom for a clean-up and to layer on the clothes -- it was cloudy, windy and cool. We hiked past the Binnenhof Parliament buildings, McDonald's, the Prison Gate, and up a narrow street to a hidden Catholic Church (had an anonymous front; tours by appointment only).

Gevangenpoort/Prison Gate

We passed the Pizza Hut while dodging dog-dirt towards the Peace Palace.

Peace Palace

Postcard of the Vredespaleis/Peace Palace

Hiked on through a "forest," being chimed off the bicycle paths, to Madurodam. We all got in at student rates and wandered through the scale-model

Netherlands,

seeing famous buildings and landmarks, a burning tanker in a port, a working amusement park, an airport, all sorts of transportation, aerial cable cars, and typical towns. Also saw a photo exhibit on Queen Beatrix.

Madurodam ticket

Madurodam tanker fire

Madurodam's Peace Palace

Madurodam railroad bridge

We then went to what I call the Escher Museum (Gemeentemuseum/Municipal [Art] Museum). The friendly guard had us check our own bags, and then asked if we wanted a guide-map. We saw porcelain, china, musical instruments, tiles, silver work, modern paintings including Mondriaan, but no Escher. "He" is apparently touring the world. One guard said "tchin’(a)" to us, and we couldn't figure if he was questioning our origin or the time. But he just wanted to direct us towards the Ming vases. After retrieving our bags and having the guard tell us Escher was most likely in New York (!), we trekked back towards the center of Den Haag. We got our lunch at McDonald's (there was a need for a quickly prepared lunch!) which we took out to eat by the Binnenhof "moat," where the spray from the fountain threatened to make us wet. Some men were fishing with long thick poles, but we didn't see them catch anything. After eating we went to find the Carillon Tower. It wasn't playing at the promised time, so we went in the tourist bureau. While Terry bought a map, I went to the post office to mail a postcard. Our next stop was the Maurithuis, which we managed to completely circle before finding the front door. It happened to be a free day at this museum where we saw the first of what will probably be many, many Rembrandts and Rubenses.