Watch the below. Because I’ve met too many Americans who think the Netherlands is Norway.
Tot ziens!
Sarah
This post is #52 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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Den Haag– the Netherland’s third largest city after Amsterdam and Rotterdam– was a stark contrast to Delft, the small town I visited just a day before. Whereas much of Delft was accessible by foot, Den Haag, also known in English as “The Hague,” required the use of pubic transportation to make good use of the city. Thankfully, as so often is the case when I travel, I was lucky enough to have a very kind bus driver-turned-tour-guide.
Coffee Shop in Den Haag, The Netherlands
The two main attractions in Den Haag that I was set on seeing were the Mauritshuis, where Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring is located, and the Louwman Museum, a classic car museum that rivals Turin’s Nazionale Dell’automobile.
Below are some of my favorite shots from the Louwman Museum and a few of my favorite paintings from Mauritshuis. Overall, the day trip to Den Haag proved to be a good one– full of diversity: from swan cars and royal chariots to creamy coffee and Vermeer’s strokes of daylight.
Mauritshuis, Den Haag
Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer
My favorite paintings from the Mauritshuis
Tot ziens!
Sarah
This post is #51 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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The day trip was a last minute idea of my sister’s. I had planned to spend more time in s’-Hertogenbosh, but admittedly, I have already more or less exhausted much of what that charming (but small) town has to offer. I knew I wanted to buy a bit of the famous Dutch Delft blauw, so a trip the earthenware’s birthplace made a lot of sense.
Not only did I find some sweet little pieces of Delft ware for my home, but I also found a very sweet Dutch town that charmed me instantly with its venerable churches, princely abodes, and narrow canals. I can see how Johannes Vermeer (who hails from Delft) was inspired to paint his masterpieces in this quaint Dutch town.
tot ziens!
Sarah
This post is #48 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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Since I had to miss this year’s Pittsburgh half marathon (for a good reason: this Europe trip!), I haven’t actually participated in a race of any kind since my last triathlon last September. For me, that’s a long time to go without! So I asked my sister to help find a race in the Netherlands that we could run together. We ended up at the AMC Loop 10k, running with some of Dutch coworkers.
There was one obvious Dutch-specific peril to this race: a near-constant, serious risk of being nailed in the face by an elbow. Life can be rough when everyone is an good foot taller than you… And while it was raining and I was experiencing the awful beginnings of an upper-respitory infection, the race was super fun. Angie and I ran an absolutely perfect negative split (each mile time gets faster and faster throughout the race) and a nine minute mile average. We celebrated with a fantastic healthy lunch in Utrecht (and soon I imagine also lots of cookie butter…).
tot ziens!
Sarah
This post is #47 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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I’ve spent the last couple days (and soon tomorrow too) taking day trips to various Dutch cities. Amsterdam was a must, of course, but today I spent hours in Delft (of “Delft blauw” fame) and tomorrow I’ll be in Den Hague. I’ve got lots of photos to share, but in the meantime, here’s a snippet:
tot ziens!
Sarah
This post is #46 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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Turin, Italy is often described as having a rich industrial history. A visit to the 1920s Fiat Factory (with a test track on the roof!) and the National Automobile Museum proves that description true twice over.
Surprisingly, details on where to find and access both the old Fiat Factory as well its impressive rooftop track were fairly elusive. But a couple conversations in broken Italian and lots of hand signals later, my sister and I rode the Il Lingotto elevator up to the fourth floor to experience Fiat’s (free and tourist-free) rooftop test track.
If you’re planning a trip to Turin and have stumbled upon this post, here’s some quick advice on visiting (and finding) the track: take a taxi to Il Lingotto on Via Nizza. Enter through the escalators into what is now a mall– but once was considered one of the most avant-garde factories for its time. Take the elevators up to the fourth floor where you find a the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli art gallery as well as free access to the rooftop track. The gallery bookstore also sells postcards with images of the old factory in use.
The Museo Nazionale Dell’Automobile is about a fifteen minute leisurely walk from Il Lingotto and is impressive in its own right. The large museum, which boasts an unbelievably expansive collection of classic and modern cars, is absolutely worth a visit for car enthusiasts and lovers of Italian design.
A presto!
Sarah
This post is #45 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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When we were initially planning the trip, my sister wanted to visit Cinqueterre, but it was logistically too difficult to manage with a visit to Torino already confirmed. Instead, we visited the seaside village of Boccedasse, just outside of Genova. As in Cinqueterre, the colorful houses of Boccedasse hug a blue Ligurian shore and pesto foccaccia is in no short supply (and an absolute must).
The stay was a quick one, as we set off for Pisa to catch our flight back to Holland just the following morning. But we departed with no rejects on how much pesto we consumed and a desire to visit Genova again– maybe next time for a longer stay with a seaside view.
Sarah
This post is #44 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
DO…
drink wine in the park
remember who’s boss
admire the cars <<this one is the first Fiat ever made!>>
notice the beauty in everything (even trash)
stop to smell the sea
DON’T…
feed the animals
put a limit on how much gelato you can eat
worry about getting lost (it usually ends well)
AND DEFINITELY DON’T…
ever take it for granted.
A presto!
Sarah
This post is #42 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
Selfie in Torino, Italia
More to come. 🙂
A presto!
Sarah
This post is #41 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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