My friend Karen in the Netherlands: 4 nights, 2 countries, 5 cities (Part 3, Eindhoven & Den Haag)

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Eindhoven & Den Haag

Fietsenstalling, Piazza, Eindhoven
     I wish I'd had more time to show Karen Eindhoven's city center, but unexpected things happened and we ended up hurrying to catch a train to Den Haag. How come? First of all, and as you well know, it wasn't raining so the possibilities were endless! Anyway, after having visited La Piazza's underground bike parking lot, seen Sissy Boy's organic architecture from the inside with its original jungle-style restaurant, eaten a yummy toasted sandwich at Krok Madam and while hanging out at Van Pierre, she saw a book on Escher and exclaimed, "Escher! Such an incredible mind!" Oh, I thought, should we go to Den Haag? Can we? Should we? Do we have enough time? You might understand how I could not miss catching a train to Den Haag and visit Escher in Het Paleis. 

      Before we get to Den Haag, I'll like to share two tips. One, have an extra OV-chipcard for your guest. You save lots of time and, most importantly, money. The fee difference between paying with the OV-chipcard or with a bank card on the bus is unbelievable; and two, if you have an NS subscription, remember it's possible to share the 40% discount on off-peak-hour trips with friends. All you have to do is to go to an NS Ticket Machine or the NS Service Desk. For more info, read here. 

     Back to our adventure. We activated the OV-chipcard discount and caught the train to Den Haag. It was a bright, sunny autumn afternoon, which had the effect of lightening our hearts while we merrily chatted all the way, admiring the beauty found in the simplicity of the Netherlands' landscape: dreamy farms and homes, uncountable bike paths, iconic cows, and some ageless windmills in between.  We arrived around 3 p.m. This meant, being optimistic, we still had a couple of hours to enjoy the Paleis. 
Escher in Het Paleis

To explore the impossibility of Escher's creations with an educator and friend: priceless. We talked about what we could see, what surprised us most. For example, check out the columns on the next lithography. Can you observe how a few of them are unexpectedly attached to an unexpected side of the rail?

Belvedere, 1958

     If you wish to explore this work of art in more detail, here's a video where you can see what happened when someone recreated The Belvedere in 3D print (you could fast-forward to 02:15).


     Additionally, if you wish to learn more about him and how he worked with mathematics, here's a 4-minute long video for you to wa:


     At the end of the day, we found a place to have dinner. I'm sorry I'm not sharing the info, but we both have forgotten its name. What was best was to just relax and be able to continue talking about what we've done in our lives for the last three years and what we wish to accomplish in the next few. May we find the inner strength to continue striving on being the best version of ourselves we can be, at least as much as possible. Amen.

     The next post will be the last of my friend Karen and our day in Amsterdam; but don't despair (I know you won't ;-)), I've got a new post in the oven about which should be your first opera, why, and how to approach it in an exciting and fun way. Stay tuned!

Tot de volgende keer!
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands

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