Thank you The Hague!

My last blog post was a few months ago, just like my last vacation. I'm still happy in Cologne and looking forward to my first summer here, but it's also good to go somewhere else. That's exactly what I did during Pentecost break. First, I had a friend visit. We went to a J Balvin concert together. And because one highlight rarely comes alone, I visited one of my best friends. She is studying sports management in The Hague, so the visit was also a little vacation for me. I had only been to Enschede once before, so I was excited to see more of the Netherlands.

A severe cold almost spoiled my plans, but luckily I felt well enough to make my way to The Hague. The journey was only four hours and, for once, I could rely on Deutsche Bahn and arrived on time in The Hague. Finally, Liv and I hugged each other after not seeing each other for about five months, and it was much needed. It was as if we had never been apart and I was just in a very good mood. When we arrived at her apartment, she gave me a quick room tour, which was quickly over because Liv lives in a classic one-room apartment. The apartment is very nice and located right in the center of The Hague, near the train station, a ten-minute walk to the city and 30 minutes from the beach. Because we were both really hungry, we went shopping and made fried potatoes with bacon and fried eggs. What surprised me was that food in the Netherlands is significantly more expensive than in Germany, especially meat. That's why we bought turkey bacon, which tasted exactly like pork bacon. Then I proudly demonstrated my best kitchen skill to Liv, dicing an onion (almost) perfectly. After dinner, we were really exhausted and relaxed by playing a few card games before we fell asleep tired in bed, where we chatted for a long time.

Liv and I always agree on one thing, we need to sleep in. Whether in Münster or The Hague. Some things never change. That's why we left for the center of The Hague relatively late. To get there, we had to pass through China Town, which was clearly recognizable by two huge gates at the entrance and exit. But for the fancy gates, it was actually just a small street. When we arrived in the city, we took a little tour. The city looks very beautiful, but at the same time, it gives me the feeling of being in a dystopian adventure, as some buildings look really futuristic. Liv showed me the parliament and we were lucky to witness a free pop-up exhibition on the water. I immediately made myself at home and posed in front of the pink giant house.

After all the walking, we deserved a break and went to Liv's favorite café. There, I enjoyed the best banana pancakes of my life, I still dream of their fluffy texture today. The café was super cute and the cappuccino was also very tasty. To make the perfect day even better, I was super successful at shopping and bought two new tops and a ring. However, what had already been announced by sporadic raindrops became a harsh reality - it started pouring rain shortly after we finished shopping. You can probably guess what we didn't bring with us, exactly, an umbrella.

So we took refuge in the next snack bar and I treated Liv to some bitterballen, aka fried balls with an undefined filling. They were delicious. Since the rain didn't let up, we quickly ran to HEMA and bought an umbrella. A bit soaked but happy and full, we returned to Liv's place. She then had to go to rowing training in pouring rain, and I did what I do best: relaxed. In the evening, we treated ourselves to a great dinner and ordered from the Asian restaurant while watching a documentary series about German clans in Berlin and Germany. I now feel like I know more about the Remmo family tree than my own. We did some puzzles and chatted shortly before falling asleep. I slept like a baby.

In the morning, we were brutally awakened by Liv's alarm clock. Well, it was already 10:30, but still too early. What cannot be missing in the Netherlands is a little bike ride, so we hopped on our bikes and rode to Liv's university, which looks much more impressive than the University of Cologne. It is certainly the dream of every sports student. I have never seen so many gymnasiums, volleyball courts, and basketball halls in such a small space. For a moment, I had to suppress my instinct to escape when I thought about physical education in school, but the cappuccino in the bistro calmed my nerves. Just like the geese and ducks that were running around outside everywhere. We watched a woman feeding the geese. Since the goose mama was accompanied by chicks, she angrily hissed at the woman. I didn't know that geese were capable of hissing. That didn't look like enthusiasm.

After the walk, we went to the other part of the campus and played giant chess against each other. We played for about three hours, not because we are both Magnus Carlsen 2.0, but because we are not the best players. The last time I played was with my brother, who checkmated me after a few moves. This time it took much longer, but I still lost. Anyway, we had fun and it made me want to play more chess again. The Remmo saga continued at Liv's place. But in the long run, it was quite frustrating to see how much they were playing the state. Doing puzzles on the side helped me relax, as did the intense Mau Mau battles afterwards.

The only thing left on the Den Haag bucket list was the beach. We took the train there, by the way, you check in and out with your card, which is very convenient. When we arrived at the beach, we could hardly believe our luck, the sun was shining. The weather gods were kind to us. We first took a walk on the beach and wanted to take photos with Liv's Polaroid camera, but then we realized that the battery was empty. No big deal, so we went to the promenade and quickly bought new batteries. Then we took a few photos, the first one of me was a fail, but the ones after that were even more beautiful. There were so many seashells on the beach and I kept stopping every five seconds to pick them up or admire them, but unfortunately, I couldn't take them all with me. We then sat in the dunes, talked, played Mau Mau, enjoyed the sunset, and simply lived in the moment. It was so beautiful and I was very happy. I will remember this evening for a long time.

On the way back, Liv beat me at Quizduell and we fell tired into bed because the next day we got up extra early. After all, I not only wanted to buy something for myself but also for friends and family. I also stocked up on paracetamol, a pack costs only 69 cents. That's why I felt like I bought a lot, enough to knock out an elephant. Unfortunately, the day was also my departure day, and after a hearty breakfast in the city, I left The Hague at 1 p.m. It was a great time that I enjoyed very much, so I don't have much more to say except: Dankjewel Den Haag. Dankjewel Liv 💗 I love you very much!