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AMSTERDAM x THE HAGUE



This past January, I visited The Netherlands for the first time.

It was just a short trip, offered by the Law society at my university, to visit the International Criminal Court, The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY - inside and outside of which no pictures were permitted, *sigh*), and the Hall of Knights in the Hague (I'll save details for another post though).

However, I also got the opportunity to explore Amsterdam (and its tram system, made slightly more complicated by the language barrier) and The Hague with some friends.

We visited all the typical tourist sites, including the Anne Frank House and the 'I Am Amsterdam' sign, and took the typical touristy pictures (which I totally appreciate).

Here are pictures of some of the places we visited, featuring some bikes (there are definitely more bikes than people in Amsterdam - unqualified fact), a few of the [dozens of] awesome canals we passed by, and many beautiful buildings, which definitely beat the ones I see in England on a daily basis.



A few of the many totally original and unique canal shots I took.



The Hall of Knights - this is located in the Hague, and is where the opening of the Dutch Parliament takes place. The Monarch travels here to give a speech from the Throne on that day each year.

A pretty terrible shot of the working Royal Palace of the Dutch Monarch (King Willem-Alexander, since 2013) in the Hague.

The 'I Amsterdam' sign in the city, which doesn't even require a caption (featuring a small me standing awkwardly between the 'I' and the 'am'.

The Peace Palace, located in the Hague. It was opened in 1913, and the materials forming the palace were donated by several nations who attended the Second Hague Conference. Two of
these nations include Germany, who donated the gates, and Switzerland, who donated the Clock in the tower.

A beach in The Hague which our epic coach driver/tour guide, Walter, took us to visit.

The International Criminal Court, situated in The Hague, which has 124 member states. The court has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes
against humanity, and war crimes. One of the ongoing cases that is being tried there is the case of Dominic Ongwen, who
is an ex-commander of Joseph Kony's Lord Resistance Army in Uganda.

A silhouette of bikes, which does not capture the extent of the bike situation in Amsterdam - it's serious.

Overall (just to make it feel even more like a review), Amsterdam and the Hague are beautiful cities, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to experience them for even just three days.
I hope to return for a longer trip in the near future, visit more of Holland, and be the first person to learn the entire Dutch language simply by learning and memorizing the Tram maps (anything is possible if you just believe).

P.S. I visited a restaurant in the Hague called Jamey Bennett in The Hague on the second day (GO THERE), and their truffle fries changed my life (I will be back for you x - that's definitely a promise).

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