Mauritshuis

This was my second visit to The Hague even though I have been to the Netherlands numerous times prior. Once again, I stayed at the Hilton as its location is very good, closed to everything I would need for a short weekend in between work weeks in Europoort.

This weekend, I slept in. I was so surprised with myself, I did not get up until 1pm on Saturday and I didn’t even stay up the night before. What’s up with that? This was a formal notice from my body telling me I so need to watch out for my own health!!! Roaming around the world is not an easy task.

With half of the day gone, and no slot to get an English high tea in at the DesInDes inside Hotel Des Indes (which I need to plan better next time) or anywhere else in fact with such short notice, I had a quick bite at a local restaurant. The waiter kindly told me I didn’t have to order a second dish after the salad….Me American Big Eater…..ok, got the message.

I had to get some exercise in after lunch and before dinner; walking round is probably best since I wasn’t in the mood for any kind of shopping. I have been through the Binnenhof in previous visit; I have not actually gone inside the Mauritshuis, the Royal Picture Gallery.

This museum houses paintings by Dutch painters such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter and Frans Hals and works of the German painter Hans Holbein the Younger.

I don’t pretend to know much about painting and the art of painting. But I have seen and read of these famous artists before. When you are in Paris, you go to see the Mona Lisa. And when you are in The Hague, you go to see Girl with a Pearl Earring! I had my headset to accompany me during the self-guided tour to explain the significant of many paintings in the gallery. Thank goodness for that… and it was good I got to see this now, as some of the more important paintings will be going on a world tour in 2012-2013.

I had a pretty good time, much to my own surprise, just slowly browsing through the pictures, haha, pretending to be properly educated... no agenda, no itinerary, just spending the afternoon away. So unlike my normal self….

No pictures were allowed inside, so here is one for the building itself, and one at the museum gift shop with tons of images of the Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Something I found myself once again drawn to is the still life paintings of flowers and fruits. Now writing this, I realize it is also the same subject I love during my stitching period. The first international designer I was drawn to is Thea Gouverneur. No wonder, I found out she is a Dutch designer. I love her flowers and the amazing details she includes on her designs. Just reading up on her history, I found myself knowing what she talks about, the planted flower fields, the wild plants along the cannels, etc. These are the same places and subjects I see when I am in the Netherlands. Wow, pretty cool indeed!