We have finished Day 7, and I can’t believe that we have already spent a whole week in The Netherlands! Today we started off by catching a train at around 9:00 am and visiting The Hague. This is the city which houses the government of the Netherlands, including the Peace Palace. The first thing that we did in The Hague was visit Mauritshuis, a gorgeous art museum. This art museum houses many masterpieces, the most famous of which includes Girl with a Pearl Earring, painted by Johannes Vermeer. The painting itself is absolutely wonderful and is known in art as a tronie. A tronie is a painting of a created character, someone who does not exist in real life. I found this very interesting as that means every single aspect of Girl with a Pearl Earring was specifically chosen, not painted from life. It makes the artwork even more impressive and mysterious. We also saw the painting The Bull by Paulus Potter. It is currently being restored, and they are displaying the process. This restoration is very important to not only preserve this beautiful art, but also to preserve its history.
After seeing all the artwork, we left the museum and encountered a surprise, they were giving out free ice cream! So of course, I had to have some. Afterwards, we headed towards the Binnenhof viewing tower so we could get a broader view of the city. On top of the tower we could see far and wide. However, I was very scared because the top of the tower was swaying in the wind. So, after we took some fun photos of the city from a bird’s-eye view, we headed back down to the ground and then went to lunch before heading to the Peace Palace.
The Peace Palace was a building built in 1913, and within houses the Court of Arbitration and the Court of Justice. The main purpose of the Peace Palace is to help mediate conflicts between nations, or other bodies, through peaceful means and ultimately prevent war as much as possible. The Court of Arbitration helps solve conflicts using arbitration, and arbitrators are selected based on the content of the conflict. Typically, these conflicts are about boarder disputes or money. The Court of Justice, on the other hand, helps to mediate conflicts through the use of law. There are 9 judges appointed to the court of justice, with 5 new judges appointed every few years. This makes sure the judges fairly represent the people and are well informed of present-day politics and trends. These judges are then the ones who help decide the outcome of a disagreement, no matter the content. The Peace Palace is a very important step towards the sustainability of the world. While this is not environmental sustainability, it is still very important to discuss. War is far from extinct in the world, with many conflicts still ongoing. This war leads to many deaths, and is unsustainable if we hope to maintain communities and cultures from around the world. Eliminating war can help nations work together to create a safer world, and ultimately create a sustainable world for everyone to live in.
After visiting the Peace Palace, we visited the beach in The Hague. It was very cold by the Ocean, but the view was still lovely! Interestingly, we could see offshore wind turbines in the distance, showcasing the sustainable initiatives The Netherlands as implemented. We explored the area and the outdoor market, even buying some jewelry, before heading back to the hotel to rest.
