Den Haag and the Netherlands

We spent the most time out of all the cities in Europe in the Hague, almost two weeks, as it is the epicenter of international adjudication and law. Taking our free days to explore the Hague and other cities in the Netherlands, I decided it’s a strange part of the world. Walking down a street next to a picturesque canal complete with swans, you could turn to the right and see the Hague’s Red Light District. We spent a day in Amsterdam where I couldn’t help but feel a little out of place walking between the Rijks and Van Gogh museums and finding ten or so “coffee shops”. I was in the middle of a culture collision: upscale shopping centers, classical art museums, powerful international organizations situated next to the seedier parts of the Netherlands.

In case you were wondering, no, I did not venture into the Red Light District. But I did start off my stay with some site seeing. The Hague is home to the International Court of Justice which is housed in beautiful Peace Palace funded by Andrew Carnegie. It was built right before WWII but spared as the Germans were afraid that they would be crossing into international territory if they entered its gates. The Palace’s gates are something to be marveled at with ornate gold designs. They also happen to be a gift from the German government (bit of irony). Each state in the UN is under the court’s jurisdiction and the majority have donated gifts that guild the palace. On our tour before meeting with one of the prosecutors at the court we saw tapestries donated by Japan, marble and mosaic floors and walls from Italy, massive painting from France, and tiles made from Turkish porcelain painted with the famous Delft blue glaze from the Netherlands in the Palace’s rooms.

One of our side trips was actually a trip to Delft—a short Eurrail trip from Den Hague. While we visited on a Sunday and most things were closed, it was a charming town with a massive cathedral where William of Orange and his family are buried. Delft is also the home of Vermeer—we tried to find the location of his painting “The Little Street” but the museum told us there were 21 theories as to where it was, one of them being that it’s a mix of several streets in Delft.

I saw enough of Vermeer’s work to make up for the non-existent street. Besides the Rijks museum, we saw his work and that of other Classical Dutch Painters in the Mauritshuis museum in the Hague. It’s home to “The Girl with the Pearl Earring”, who was charming, along with a room full of Rembrandts that were memorizing—they seemed so alive. We also made room one afternoon to visit the Escher museum. The history and the building, home to Queen Beatrix, and the spider, fly, and other unexpected chandeliers were more interesting than Escher’s prints and mind games.

We were able see some pretty interesting and infamous people in the Hague,too. We went to several temporary courts set up to prosecute breaches of humanitarian law. At the International Tribunal for Yugoslavia, we were briefed by the defense and sat in on Karadzic, the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s, hearing. We also went to Charles Taylor’s case and the Special Court of Sierra Leon where we saw the trial of Bemba who is indicted for crimes in the Central African Republic he ordered as president. Our visit to the Special Court for Lebanon came at a delicate and crucial point in the country’s history. Several weeks ago, the Lebanese government collapsed as Hezbollah minister resigned from the parliament in response to an expected indictment from the court for the assassination of Prime Minister Harari and other terrorist attacks. Just hours after our visit, the Lebanese special election results came showing that Hezbollah is now in power. It will be interesting to follow the country’s politics knowing the influence and workings of the court.

While my visit to the Hague had serious overtones, I’ll always remember the fascinating and beautiful sites of the city. After a day in court, a group of us walked four miles to the coast and along the ocean in January. After freezing in the wind on the shore, we had warm drinks and delicious Dutch apple tart. One morning, we stumbled upon the royal marching band playing in front of the Queen’s working palace and then walked with them as they marched down the road. I realized I had seen the Queen earlier that day in a caravan of carriages and police. Most exciting for me though, and the one thing I have to do if I go back, is rent a bike—they are every where. Each street in the Netherlands, no matter the city, has bike lanes. I even saw a criterium of sorts around a cathedral—bet I’d like the Netherlands even better toured on bike.

Amsterdam

Today the class took a semi-organized day trip to Amsterdam. We were in the city for twelve hours which was enough for me! It’s a very strange place—the charming canal houses are mixed in with raunchier stores and “coffee” shops which don’t actually sell coffee…

However, we did manage to find the tamer parts of town. We started off at the Anne Frank Museum. As one climbs the stairs of the canal house and nears the attic annex where the Frank’s hid, one also passes chronologically through the time they were in hiding. At the very top of the house, one is confronted with Anne’s at so many others’ fate and the immense weight of the Holocaust.

As much as the Anne Frank museum was sobering, the Van Gogh museum was delightful. I realized how much he was first influenced by other Dutch painters—especially in his dark color choice—and then moved on to reflect impressionists and the French’s bright pastels I’m familiar with. I also couldn’t help but remember the “pin the ear on Van Gogh” game we always played at my birthday parties. While I really enjoyed the sunflowers he painted—my favorite color!—I thought his paintings of wheat harvests were very interesting. I also never realized he did so many landscapes and that his work was very influenced by other impressionist artists!

We also made it to the Rijks Museum for classical, Dutch paintings. More Rembrandt!

I’ll do a post about the Hague where I’ve spent the last week soon. The Netherlands is a strange mix of culture—herring stands, art museums, slightly questionable parts of town. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all and figure out what I think!

Paris avec Peder

Within an hour of arriving in Paris, Peder--who is studying in France for the semester--and I were taking on the city. Just walking to my hotel in the Latin Quarter, I saw the Notre Dame and the dome of the Pantheon. We had a very Parisian lunch from an open-front bread and cheese store that we ate on the seine next to Notre Dame before going inside of the massive cathedral. We continued our walk along the seine to the Louvre. I was there for about five hours and only saw two of the four floors and the indoor sculpture gardens. What I did see was mind blowing. While I’ve head about and seen Rembrants and Divincis in conversation with my artsy family, I had never imagined what they would be like in person. I especially loved the Vermeers.  They were tucked away in smaller rooms off of the larger halls. The tens of small pictures on the walls were each incredible rich. One of the funnier moments was walking by the painting “Gabrielle d’Estrees and Her Sister” and realizing my grandparents have a replica on their bathroom wall.

Walking back from the Louvre, I realized that Paris really is more beautiful at night—everything seems golden! Peder had found a small orthodox church in the Latin Quarter that was the site of nightly classical music performances. We heard Bach’s “The Well Tempered Clavier” played by a graduate student in piano performance. It was so nice to be able to pause and listen to beautiful music in such a calm atmosphere.

Afterwards, we found a small restaurant for dinner that offered, as many Parisian restaurants do, a special three course meal. I had fish and mussels along with an apple tart and salad. Peder got a trout that came out with its head still on! It took a bit of work to figure out how to go about getting the bones out.

The next day involved more whirlwind touring. After taking in the beautiful dates, figs, and sea food at a farmer’s market, we went to the Sainte Chapelle. The chapel was built especially to highlight the art of stained glass windows—the windows were so ornate and even the walls covered with the original gold stars. Its beauty was helped by the lovely sunny day flooding the room with light.

Keeping up our pace, we went to the Pompidou art museum, one of Peder’s and our friend Geoff’s (who is also studying in France) favorites. Collectively they’ve spent ten or so hours there. I was enchanted with the Matisse paintings and enjoyed seeing the museum’s other works by Calder, Picasso, the list goes on and on. The museum’s building was also very cool—its walls glass with different colored tubes going up the sides that hold the escalators!

Back to the historic part of town, we spent the rest of the day bumming around Montmarte, the artist’s district on a hill that overlooks the city. We ate pizza and our second round of pastries for the day after looking in the many shops with hand made clothing, instruments, and jewlery. We were left just in time to see the sun set behind the Eiffel Tower—the pair from New York who were watching it next to us called it the belle lumier.

The most beautiful light in the city had to be on the Eiffel Tower which I finally got to see up close after watching its search light circle around from my hotel’s balcony.  We managed to catch it when it the smaller lights are set to sparkle, making it and all the surrounding buildings dazzle. We also ended up at the arc de triumph during a parade of veterans that was walking down the Champs-Elysées. We had excellent luck with timing.

Today I’m on a train off to Den Haag, my last stop in Europe. While I didn’t want to leave Paris, it was a truly amazing weekend. I owe it all to Peder, the best tour guide, who really knew what the city had to offer and how to make the most of stay that was too short. Who wants to go back with me?

Luxembourg

Arriving at the train station after dark and then taking the hilly walk down to the hostel under the glow of street lights and mist of rain, I really thought I was going to run in to Dracula. A great quote from our professor, Tony Lott, that sums up Luxembourg is “it’s only a country because of its geography.”

Luxembourg City may be the hilliest city in the world. There are two parts to the city: the lush, green valley (in January!!) where small bars and restaurants mix with residences that curve around a river and up town, or the city sitting above the valley. The valley is surrounded by either extremely steep hills or a stone wall built to protect the town from invaders. On top of the stone walls are decaying casements where soldiers hid during battle and look out towers. Home to the Romans and Celts and taken over in Napoleon’s famed conquest and both world wars the city’s history and sites mainly focus on war. A beautiful monastery in the valley is now home to art and archeological exhibitions.

Up town has been gentrified—Luxembourg’s extreme wealth shows in its many historic squares now lined by upscale clothing stores and restaurants. The area does hold the Duke of Luxembourg’s palace--it is one of the few countries still owned by a Duchy.

The duke kindly leased the land (at a very low rate) to the European Union to use in constructing the European Court of Justice. The court is the tallest and largest building in Luxembourg—something like 20,000 square feet I believe. Our guide was very concerned that one of us would get lost in the cavernous courts. However, we managed to stick together and even went on a tour. The building was new but beautiful—a strange change from the historic landmarks I’d grown accustomed to. One of the most interesting parts of the building was that it was built on stilts so as not to block the view of passersby.

The hearing we attended centered on the issue of defining when life begins and what constitutes a human embryo to see whether or not patenting stem cell research is permitted by the law. While we didn’t hear the court’s decision, it could set a new precedent for all states in the European Union.

I also must say the court was incredible hospitable letting us use their automated coffee machines and eat in the cafeteria (so many choices, so much fresh and delicious food). While we had a free day in Luxembourg after the hearing, I felt like the town didn’t have much in the way of activities to offer—its interesting parts were all sites. I was, however, on my way to Paris after where there is no shortage of sites, sounds, and places to take in.

Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg was my favorite city (before I went to Paris). It’s a truly charming place—the center of the town is an island that’s a UNESCO world heritage site. The narrow streets and cobblestones transport you back to ye olden days. But what made the city better than the rest was how easy it was to walk around and enjoy the town—I was able to get to know the city well because it was so accessible.

One of my favorite discoveries was a patisserie and chocolate shop not too far from our hotel. We got hot chocolate, rum balls, tea, and king cake after wandering the historic streets and attending court cases for my class. Strasbourg even has its own Notre Dame—while a miniature version, I found it a bit more intimate that Paris’. It seems that everything in the town revolves around the cathedral—it really gives you a sense of place in Strasbourg. We got a group of brave souls together to climb the 300 step, spiral staircase to the top of the cathedral’s tower. We had to stop on the way up to catch our breathe, recover from the dizziness, and take picture through the windows cut out of the tower. On the ground again, we went to the Beaux Arts museum. Others in the group raved about the city’s historical museum and the Judaic museum.

The city has a strong German influence being in the Alsace region and having experienced many territory changes between French and German rule. One of the funniest results of the mix of the two cultures are the Winstubes—like a bier stubes emphasizing wines. Another quirk is the Strabourgeois’ obsession with storks. While we didn’t see any of the birds, the residents make roof top habitats to try and attract a family to roost. The classic souvenir from a visit to Strasbourg is a stork stuffed animal.

The “business” part of our visit, or actual reason for traveling there, was to attend a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe. The case focused on the changing rules states need to make to protect the rights to a private life in an age of mass communication and the internet. Max Mosley, the president of F1 racing, brought the UK to court for not sufficiently protecting his rights by allowing a newspaper to reveal a sex scandal he was involved in. After the trial, we piled back onto the Eurail heading for Luxembourg. I really didn’t want to leave—I’d love to go back some day and see more of the Alsacean region.

Stop One, Switzerland

I spent my first week in Europe staying in Geneva, Switzerland. Since I’m on a trip to study international law, we went to the U.S. Permanent Mission, the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. All I have to say is, studying abroad still entails a lot of homework. However, we did manage to get out and see a bit of the town.

The first day we walked around the city trying to get the lay of things figured out. Our first stop was the Woodrow Wilson Place that housed the League of Nations. It’s a bright pink building that overlooks Lake Geneva. The Lake was beautiful. The promenade around the lake winds through the shopping district and gardens, past historical homes and isn’t too far from the old city which sits on top of stone wall crowned by a 12^th century cathedral.

While the scenery of the Swiss Alps on all sides of the town is amazing—especially from the roof of the WHO—Geneva does tend to get a bit boring once you’ve been there a while. We spiced up our last day by going out to eat in the old town—fondue! Afterward, the entire class went to a dance party up the street (I decided we opted to go there because dance party was written in English).

Now I’m in Strasbourg, France, right on the border of Germany. I think it may turn out to be one of my favorite cities in Europe. The architecture is exquisite—even walking around in the evening the detail on all of the builds is incredible. The town is filled with many public squares lined by massive Gothic buildings and, in the centers, sculptures that frequently commemorate the world wars which took a toll on the city due to its geography.

Tomorrow, we’ll be exploring the city a bit more—can’t wait.

Au Revoir!

Still in the U.S.

I leave for Europe in three days and have successfully packed my hiking backpack for the month--it was very difficult so, to celebrate, I walked around with it on for a bit.
Hope you enjoy following me through this Blog as I take a whirlwind tour of the World Courts in Geneva, Strasbourg, Luxembourg City, Paris, and finally the Hague over the month of January and then settle into Quito, Ecuador for second semester.
Hasta Luego!