Hague

The Hague is a beautiful old city with a metropolitan population of more than one million people, a figure that rises to 2.7 million in the Rotterdam—The Hague greater metropolitan area. It is the seat of government in the Netherlands and the locale of most foreign embassies. The Hague is also home to the Noordeinde Palace of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, as well as the International Court of Justice, located in the Peace Palace. The first thing that stood out to us were the hundreds of bicycles on the roads of The Hague. Holland is below sea level and very flat. If you were to live there, you would definitely own and use a bicycle! The infrastructure has been designed to accommodate cyclists, with designated lanes everywhere in Holland, including between towns. It was still early spring when we visited, and yet whether it was raining, or a bit on the cold side, the cyclists were out every morning. Mothers, fathers, students on their way to school, everyday workers—everyone rides bicycles. Some had carriers on the front or back for holding young children to be dropped off at daycare. It was an incredible sight and such a healthy lifestyle!