Botticelli's Musings: The Hague

After such a long day on the 8th we overslept and woke up later than we had planned. We had a quick breakfast, said our goodbyes and then rushed off to The Hague. We had a date scheduled with Victor Naar and his mother, Tilleke, at Wassenaarse Groendael Golf Course.

Tilleke, Amber, Nadine, Victor, David & Martijn at Wassenaarse golf course

Victor played hockey this season for Victoria University in Wellington's premier division. We became good mates, getting up very early every Wednesday morning (rain, hail or shine) to get in a pre-work hockey training session. We often delayed our departure, especially on sunny days, and simply enjoyed just playing the game. Victor is like a high-powered super car. He is studying financial mathematics at Delft, one of Holland's top universities, is knocking on the door of the Dutch league and is a mountain climber. His girlfriend, Amber, is absolutely lovely. Her English is impeccable. They make a fine couple.

The golf course was quite lovely, albeit on the small side (2500m) and only 9 holes. The members of the club are endeavouring to keep it exclusive, which apparently goes against the grain in the Netherlands. Consequently the club has had difficulty obtaining planning permissions and is finding it hard to secure the extra land needed to build the second 9 holes.

David & Martijn on the first tee

The golf went quite well. It was nice to start hitting the ball well again. My favourite hole was the 500m par 5. There is nothing quite like hitting two perfect 200m shots followed by a pitch perfect lob wedge. The birdy putt just missed on the lower side. Martijn also joined us for the day, and he came home very strong after a shakey start. He hit a beautiful short iron within 2 metres on the par 3 7th, the birdy putt rolling right up to the edge but not dropping. He will be a good golfer if he plays more often.

David teeing off

Nadine joined us on the golf course, wanding about investigating the fauna and flora - as she does! She was particularly fascinated by a small snail and a dragon fly. A golf course provides something for everyone.

Nadine with snail

Dragonfly

After golf we went to the Madurodam, which is a miniature city located in Scheveningen. It is a model of Dutch towns on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical Dutch buildings and landmarks, as are found at various locations in the country. It was absolutely amazing. One tours the Netherlands in an hour, as all the major sites are presented with such accuracy and realism!!

Miniature Amsterdam

Miniature Queen's palace Amsterdam

David's new shoes

Clogged up

We then had the privilege of spending the next few hours with Thijs de Greefe. Thijs is a top man and a person I really enjoy spending time with. Like Martijn, Victor and Menne, Thijs played hockey for Victoria University in Wellington's top division. Thijs is Mr Hockey, having played a handful of games for the Netherlands and for many years in the Dutch League. Currently he is helping his club (of seven years) to get back into the Dutch League (he could be playing in the top league for another club if he chose to). Thijs is very interested in other people's lives and caring of their needs. He is an excellent coach and a team player, and will make an excellent employee once he has finished his Masters in Finance in November this year. We wish him all the best in this regard.

Thijs took us for a walk around the Hague itself, which is a lovely little city. I joined him is munching down a raw herring with onions - much to Nadine's disgust. This is as Dutch as you can get. We sat in the square, shared a few laughs and discussed the future. It was lovely. Just like Wellington except warm, and we were surrounded by grand, ancient buildings and people talking all sorts of foreign languages. Thijs also showed us his messy flat - typical bachelor pad. Nadine almost started cleaning the place and doing all Thijs washing!

David eating raw herring

Thijs eating raw herring

Us in front of Parliment buildings, The Hague

It was sad to leave Thijs. Just like it was sad to leave Menne, Victor and Martijn. Theese guys are the four Musketeers and have enriched our lives so much over the past two years. We are very grateful for having had the opportunity to visit them on their own turf, meet their families and enjoy their culture. Gents, you are remarkable men from a wonderful country - thank you for your hospitality.

We do not know precisely when our time in the Netherlands came to an end because the Dutch/Belguim border is indistinguishable. We think it was around 8.22pm when Vodafone sent me a text saying we were now in Belgium - Vodafone, the new border control. Our original intention was to go all the way to Bruges but we got stuck in traffic for about 1 hour just outside Rotterdam (Dutch traffic is horendous), but we ran out of time and decided on Brussels instead. Just as well, because we discovered the Grand Place, a spectacular square surrounded by grand imposing castles and buildings. We had a very romantic meal in this expensive little a-la-carte restaurant situated in the square and then stopped briefly to watch the light show to a sound track of classical music. Awesome!