Rebecca SMS'd tonight...

Our friend and former colleague Rebecca, from the Garden City of Toowoomba, texted me tonight to turn on Getaway, a travel program on Channel 9. Lo and behold, The Hague in Holland was featured. By the time I got around to tuning in, the presenter and a driver were in a carriage coming up outside Queen Beatrix's work palace, Noordeinde, just two blocks from my school. They then went to the beach at Scheveningen and the beautiful Kurhaus Hotel was featured, looking absolutely stunning. Lovely memories. Interestingly at the end of the segment the distance from Amsterdam to Den Haag was mentioned as 45 minutes by car (no train travel was mentioned - the only way to do it in my opinion). Just where one left the car at either end wasn't featured. Now that in itself can be interesting. Anyway, the place looked beautiful, and mention was made of the fact that only about 1% of tourists ever visit The Hague. The presenter was even asked by local Dutch people why she was even bothering going to the city. Well, for my money, it has lots to offer the visitor, being home to so many cultural and political institutions. It's attractive, vibrant and above all very much on a human scale. Not a huge city, but a significant one. This link will show you, especially my Dutch friends, what was featured (they missed Vermeer and The Girl With a Pearl Earring just next door to the Prime Minister's office). http://getaway.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=225959