A week into our experience in the Netherlands, we boarded a train en route to the Hague. The Hague is where the governing body of the Netherlands resides, despite the country’s capital being Amsterdam. The Seat of the Cabinet, the Supreme Court, and even the Dutch royal family are all situated within the Hague. The Hague is also known for being an international site of peace, as the world-famous Peace Palace is where global leaders from around the world discuss different issues that could negatively affect world relations. This started back in WWI when the League of Nations would hold peace meetings here.

Once we arrived at the Hague, we made our way to the Mauritshuis, another Dutch art museum that holds several timeless masterpieces. The Mauritshuis holds several famous Rembrandt paintings, including Homer and the Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, as well as other prolific pieces like the Goldfinch and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Another section of the museum described the hardships the museum faced under Nazi occupation during WWII, as much of the museums paintings had to be distributed across the country to preserve them from bombing raids.

Later, we made our way to the Peace Palace, where we were able to read about the importance of the world meetings that take place there. Two courts, called the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, meet there to discuss international issues with the United Nations. These courts have been discussing issues ranging from WWI to present times.

After the Peace Palace, we went down to the beach of Scheveningen. It was cold and windy, the waves were crashing violently, and the beach was covered in sea foam–meaning it was a pretty typical North Sea beach. That being said, this spot was still beautiful to walk across.