Den Haag @ The Hague 2012

On our way to Amsterdam, we detoured to Den Haag @ The Hague.  Being a lawyer, it was only natural that Abg Sabri, who's touring with us, would want to stop at this city to visit the renown  International Court of Justice and  International Criminal Court.

After going in rounds, we finally parked our cars along a quiet street, and decided to take a walk around the place.

Mana mau pergi? :)

When I was there, I didn't know in which part of the city I was?   But I managed to snap two landmarks as shown below: an equestrian statue and a royal abode (based on the royal coat of arms on the gate).  It was only months later, (after googling) that I discovered that we had been on Noordeinde Street; and the landmarks were Gulielmo Primo Monument and  Noordeinde Palace, respectively.  

Statue of William The Silent,  in front of Noordeinde Palace, Den Haag.
He famously uttered "Je Maintiendrai"  (I will maintain), in the midst of the Dutch revolt against Spain. 

  
William The Silent was the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau whose descendants rule the Netherlands (then, Holland) till today.  The Noordeinde Palace is the "working palace" of the current monarch.   That figures why the street was strangely quiet and lined with posh boutiques! :).

Walking along the streets of Den Haag, I can't help noticing the assortment of beautiful buildings

Equally eye-catching were pram cables zig-zagging over the road.  Semak mata memandang!
Little did I know that this was common sight in Europe :)

Dendang sayang Den Haag :)

We took pictures of  Binnenhof at Hofvijver.  The building complex was where the Dutch parliament convene.  At the entrance was the statue of King William II.  The inner court consisted of a public square, surrounded by monumental buildings, the Ridderzaal, and a neogothic fountain.

Yeah, we found lots of places of interest but failed to locate the International Court of Justice!:P  Hahaha!  Takde rezeki lah tu...  So, we continued our journey to the next destination:  Keukenhof.