Day 103: Haarlem to The Hague

Yesterday, Andrew made a croissant with cream cheese and smoke salmon while Alisa made a fried egg for me. They gave me the energy I needed for the day’s ride.

After breakfast, I packed up everything and started my ride westward then south so I can see the beach and the dunes, then I cycled to The Hague. The direction on Google Maps worked well.

It was a hot day, but the breeze from the seaside made me feel cooler. Once again, I mainly rode on the bike paths the entire time until I reached The Hague.

I stopped by the pier and saw many people hanging out on the beach. It was a touristy spot for sure. Then I cycled to my Couchsurfing host’s place. When I arrived, my host wasn’t home. I was a little surprised. I decided to cycle to a bicycle parking garage and walk around the city.

After parking my bike in the garage, I noticed there’s a Decathlon nearby. I went inside to see if they sell any merino wool T-shirts. I ended up not buying anything because I only like shirts that are plain and don’t have any logos. I was also looking for lighter colored shirts, which they didn’t have either.

I walked to the Binnenhof, which is the world oldest center of government that is still in use for 800 years. Unfortunately, it’s under renovation.

I really wanted to see The Girl with the Pearl Earring painting by Vermeer so I went to the Mauritshuis. From my past experience, I learned that I need to go faster in a museum so I won’t miss anything. That particular painting is like the Mona Lisa. Many people gathered to take photos of it and some people even dared to take a selfie with it. I couldn’t get too close to the painting because of the crowd. In any case, it was good to see the world famous painting.

Another famous painting called The Bull is under restoration. All in all, I’ve seen a lot of art in The Netherlands since it has so many museums. Glad I have the Museum Pass.

I had a very subpar Zhajiang Noodles at Xi’an Delicious Foods restaurant. It was a completely different dish than what I had expected. That’s the risk I take when I go to a Chinese restaurant in a different country.

My Couchsurfing host got back to me. He’s on the bus from Germany and won’t be back in The Hague until close to midnight. I decided to not stay with him and get a dorm room at Stayokay Hostel. I arrived there after riding 36.9 miles for the day. 

The Stayokay Hostel in The Hague is one of the best hostels I’ve stayed at. The place is very clean and tidy. It has a relaxing common room and there’s the canal in the back.

There were some mix-up about my payment since I already paid on Booking.com. The hostel was supposed to only charge me the city tax, but they doubled charged me. Then when I was supposed to get a refund, they charged me again. So they double charged me twice. In the end, they were able to give me the refund. But I didn’t see the refund on my credit card statement yet. Not sure if things worked out like they were supposed to. I’ll worry about it later.

Last night, the room was hot since I was on the on the second floor in the top bunk. I also didn’t sleep well because there’s a tram nearby.

There is free breakfast at the hostel, which I’m glad. I will cycle over 50 miles today so I will eat well before I leave The Hague.

Cool sculpture by the beach

The beach

On the bike path to the dunes

The dunes

Finally eating a herring with pickles and onions on a bun, a Dutch delicacy.

Just a cool store reflection photo

Not sure what this sculpture is about.

On the other side of the dunes is the North Sea.

Ferris wheel at the pier in The Hague

Bungee jump!

The beach is full of people.

Bike parking garage in The Hague

Interesting sculpture

The Binnenhof is under renovation.

An interesting building that's next to the Binnenhof.

This is an Egyptian goose.

Statue by the pond

The pond by the Binnenhof

Mauritshuis

The Bull is under restoration.

The Girl with the Pearl Earring

The crowd in front of the painting

I like the ceiling better.

The Hague town square

A sculpture by the bicycle garage

The back of the Stayokay Hostel

The common room in the hostel