After days of big car trips to various parts of Holland, we decided to take a gentler journey, hopping on public transit and visiting Den Haag’s city centre. Considering the grey, it was the perfect day for galleries and museums!

We started in Mauritshuis,  an intimate museum with great works of Dutch art displayed in a beautiful 17th-century house.

When visiting galleries and museums, I almost never partake in audio tours. I like to follow my own pace and preferences, not a predetermined path. Plus, I find that when the headphones are on, the conversation stops and part of the delight is discussing your art encounter! At Mauritshuis, I did take advantage of their wonderful app. With a click you could learn more about the work that grabbed you and it was particularly useful to have all this information in English!

Clearly a favourite at the gallery was The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius. As we came across this painting, a young woman stood in front of it almost bursting with excitement. She had loved this painting for so long and now, for the first time, they were meeting in person. This brings to mind Bill Hayes’ wonderful concept of owning works of art by building a meaningful relationship with them. (A Monet of One’s Own. Thank you, Kelly Besecke for introducing me to this piece!)

There is the most buzz and excitement around The Girl with a Pearl Earring be Vermeer. Something about this work draws people in. Even when I shared it on Instagram, the response was passionate, immediate and strong. I was surprised to learn that this is not a portrait but rather a character sketch drawn from Vermeer’s imagination. Clearly what spoke to him about this imaginary woman still speaks to us today.

As we did in every city, we stopped for coffee. This hip and unique spot brought together two Holland favourites: coffee and bikes!

The next stop showed me creative work like I have never experienced before: Panorama Mesdag. The main display is Holland’s biggest painting, a huge circular marine panorama of Den Haag. When you emerge from the staircase into the round room display it literally destabilizes your senses. It takes a moment to adjust and to take in the vast re-creation of a time and place through artistry. In the picture I’ve shared, the foreground is actually sand with real props sitting  in front of a painting of convincing perspective. I can only imagine the wonder it caused during its time!

Patrick Hughes from Jamie Ridler on Vimeo.

Our visit to the panorama also brought one of the most wondrous surprises of the journey, an exhibit by the artist Patrick Hughes. He is the creator of  “reverspective” which I hope the video captures for you. This was nothing like I have ever seen before. The artwork is static and three-dimensional but as you move it appears to move as well, almost like a video right in front of your eyes. We were captivated!

It was often the thought and the humour in Patrick Hughes’ work that moved me. So much so that I bought a guidebook so I could revisit his words and his paintings often. Unfortunately my very favourite piece was not represented, so I’m glad that I took a photo. When I saw this piece, I fell in love. There was something about the open space, dotted with the colour of seed packets held to the canvas by sticks poked through the surface. And when I read the title, Hope, my eyes filled with tears.

I loved the delights of Den Haag, including this discovery of a painted horse. This particularly caught my eye because Toronto is filled with similar pieces, though our painted animal of choice is the moose.

After our day in Delft, we thought we would have dinner in Dordrecht. This city is full of history, particularly family history for Justin and his father, Chris. On that bench out there on the left, Justin’s grandparents would sit together. If my memory serves, that may in fact be where they first kissed.

One of the things Holland is known for is the wonderful shape of canal houses. Their signature silhouette is memorable, beautiful and found in everything from porcelain figurines to pillow cases. In these ones I particularly like the anchor adornments at their peak.

And here was the absolute perfect place to sit for dinner.

A great place for ship watching. The ones we saw most frequently are these transports. When they are empty they ride high on the water but when full, they can come so close to water level that splashes find their way right in!

One of the things I will truly miss are all the wonderful meals, coffees and beers we had on delightful patios around Holland, including this one in Dordrecht.

While we were taking pictures in this spot, Justin’s Dad took up a conversation with one of the locals who was sitting in front of his house reading with his wife. Chris made a joke about him being a part of the local scenery and the gentleman quickly retorted that they were watching us too! Chris suggested he should take the man’s picture, at which point he cheerfully shook out his paper, sat back and posed.

One of my very favourite things to do in any city is simply to walk through the streets and take in the homes and buildings. I could do that for hours and hours. In fact, I do that at home all the time and never get tired of it. I love places and how we live in them.

As we walked through the city (and, in fact, in all our travels), I loved seeing what would catch our eyes – the things that were the same, the things that were different. Sharing experiences together is such a wonderful way to experience one another.

This haunting statue definitely caught our attention. I could come back on different days at different times in different weather to revisit this piece in this place and let her tell me all of her stories over and over again.

And no matter where I go, you know I’m always looking for more Cats in the Hood!

On our third day in Holland, we ventured out to Paleis Het Loo just outside of Apeldoorn. This former royal residence is over 3oo years old and is open to the public. Immediately I fell in love with the trees. It was easy to imagine wandering for hours in the woods beside the gardens (and yes, I’ve read a lot of fairy tales).

After exploring the stables and coach houses and admiring the peacocks, we strolled through the extensive formal gardens, complete with sculptures and fountains.

We stopped for an elegant coffee and lunch at the palace cafe. I just love when every little detail is beautiful. It makes my heart sing.

And this was truly my favourite part of the palace. Wait until you see what it was like inside.

Winding corridors and curving archways covered in green. You can only imagine how many secret kisses have been had in these walkways. I may have gotten one or two myself!

Then we ventured inside the palace walls to take in the opulence and historic beauty.

It was very clear how many people felt very attached to the royals. The palace guides spoke with enthusiasm about the history of not only this place but the people who have called it home.

Confident Traveller Tip: Don’t be shy about asking questions when visiting these kinds of historical locations. Often the people that work there have a deep love of and commitment to the stories and significance of the place and are delighted to share. Some of the most fascinating things I’ve learned have actually been from overhearing guides chat with school groups, even if I could only pick up a word here or a phrase there.

One of the significant things that I learned on this trip was very personal in nature. I found as we explored Holland I was seeing the world with an additional lens, one that’s been developing more and more over the past little while. As I took photos, for instance, I was not only trying to capture the memory but I was also looking through that lens as a creative. I was gathering colours, shapes, images that fueled my creative fire and that I know will find expression in many aspects of my creative work.

After our palace adventures, we travelled to the city of Arnhem, which is known for being the site of a battle that many people know from the movie A Bridge Too Far. That bridge marks the spot.

I’m happy to say that these days this location also known for a lovely little strip of restaurants along the Rhine River. We had a hard time choosing but settled on Rose’s Lounge, which was lovely.  This lawn chair patio is just perfect for drinks and a nibble, don’t you think?

For us, a full dinner was in order and I thoroughly enjoyed my goat cheese and asparagus salad – yum! We had a wonderful time relaxing by the river, watching the sun go down and even some hot air balloons floating by. A perfect end to another wonderful day of travelling.