Extemporaneous Excursion

Vermeer's View of Delft

Same spot 21st November 2006, with Rizby

With hubby and little Sadia

It wasn't exactly raining. The sky haphazardly spitted tiny droplets onto the ground but they mostly hit unsuspecting pedestrians enroute.

We already dashed out of the apartment's front door and onto the cobblestone roads, heading towards the Turkish sundry store where we planned to get turkish pizza for lunch.

Suddenly, hubby stopped in his tracks and shot me a question, "This kind of weather is best spent indoors in Mauritshuis. I agreed wholeheartedly. We doubled back towards the alleyway that led us towards the train station for Den Haag Centraal.

Ever since hubby has wrapped up his thesis and consequently relaxed his tense muscles, we have made a checklist of places and things to do before we are due back in Malaysia. Well, at least, when he's to report back to work.

Last week, Mauritshuis, a prestigious painting gallery was one of our agendas. However, the bad weather - sporadic rain spells and cloudy disposition - caused us to push it to the backburner. Last Friday, after that impromptu remark, we decided to brave the elements and take a walk on the artistic side.

Working unfavourably against us, the temperature and wind effect in Den Haag were much lower and menacing respectively. Outside of the Den Haag Centraal station, the wind howled and over yonder at Malieveld, some sort of festivity had taken place.

Before crossing the road going down Lange Poten, all along the Malieveld promenade I saw signs on posters and pennants saying 'Veteraanmaand' which means Veteran Month. Senior citizens walked past in their military finest, adorned with metallic badges and colourful pins of various regiments.

The rain got worse by the time we arrived in Lange Poten area, thus prompting us to sprint for sanctuary inside the Mauritshuis foyer.

After paying the entrance fees, we left hubby's jacket and the umbrellas at the coat's room and made our way accompanied by a security guard - with Sadia in her stroller - into the heavy, fireproof lift for the first floor. The lift is quite intimidating to say the least - the narrow enclosure and metallic interior panels reminds me of that thriller flick 'Panic Room'.

In our post 9/11 world, tight security is de rigueur in public establishments, particularly national treasures like Mauritshuis and other reputable museums. The guards even walkie-talkied one another to inform which floor we were going, every single time we took the claustrophobic lift!

Stringent measures aside, some of Dutch's famous paintings are housed and tastefully organised in this magnificent palatial building. Each room in itself is a mini-gallery, bathed in beautiful, vibrant colours as well as ornate, gilded fixtures and fittings.

Less than 10 minutes had passed when Sadia pulled one of her toddler stunts - screaming and sniffling for attention. We took the cue and adjourned to the Museum cafe to eat lunch consisting of Dudok apple pies and cappucinos. Sadia nibbled half-heartedly on her croissant before diverting her interest on the new surroundings.

It was probably the combination of naptime, lethargy and the hushed environment that attributed to Sadia's uneasiness and total defiance to cooperate. Even after the lunch break, she wailed as we proceeded towards the lift for upstairs.

That's it! We decided to forgo the first floor and go straight to the second and final floor where famous masterpieces are hung, amongst others, A Girl with One Pearl Earring, A View of Delft and Rembrandt (Self-Portrait).

While hubby took his turn to view them, Sadia wanted to roam around the polished wooden floors and cried uncontrollably when we stopped her from running down one corridor. That marked the end of our Mauritshuis tour. We collected Sadia and inside the hollow lift, declared that galleries and museums don't mix well with toddlers. "You think?" one might wittily offer in return.

As we ventured outdoors, Sadia's mood remarkably improved. "Wow!" you said? Imagine our enormous relief.

It was however blustery and drizzling. We briskly walked to the other side of the Hofvijver pond that sits besides the Mauritshuis and Binnenhof area to watch a Veteraanmaand parade went by on the main roads.




Since the parade was still in progress, we couldn't cross to the other side where Centrum and Passage shopping arcade stood. Instead, we engrossed our visual senses with the presence of two brown horses nearby as they were mounted by two polices on duty. Sadia loves these equine creatures to bits! She kept pointing at them and saying 'Wow' at the same time!

We later sought haven in the relaxing De Bijenkorf cafe to fill up our rumbly tummies and let Sadia play around the kiddie zone. Thereafter, hubby rushed to get some grocery and halal produce like sausages in the Albertheijn store annexed to De Bijenkorf, while I tended to Sadia in the family-oriented Hema store nextdoor.

Strangely enough, without much coaxing, Sadia felt asleep in my arms shortly after I nursed. We used the momentary respite to indulge in some shopping (Well at least I did :) )

On the way to the train station, Sadia woke up to the clanging of metals. It was the Dutch workers dismantling the bleachers following the parade. Also, some oblivious stranger hit her stroller hard eventhough we already mouthed 'Excuse me.'

We made one last stop to get coffee to-go at Cafe Belmondo, at Korte Poten - the halfway point to the train station. A few miltary bands happened to march at the same time, with the aid of traffic police. Needless to say, Sadia, who was initially groggy, trembled in fear of the ruckus!


All in all, last Friday was a welcome change from our daily routine in Delft. When we go to the Louvre next, I pray to God that Sadia is in the midst of her nap!