034. WANTED: A City Called Home

Colour tourism in The Hague, my for-now home

I have never lived anywhere that I expected to stay long term. As an adult, I made choices to ensure this reality continued, fueled by a strong innate desire to experience the world in its diverse glory.

36 homes in 8 countries on 4 continents. It’s been a grand adventure that was everything I wanted it to be. And now, I’m ready to go to Home. But I don’t know where that is anymore.

“Home Is Where The Heart Is” looks cute on posters but it has not felt true in my life. Yet I yearn for Home with a deep and weary longing. This decades-long adventure has lasted a bit longer than I had intended… adventures tend to do that.

But my news apps remind me that while I may not feel like I have a city that feels like Home… I, unlike too many, am utterly privileged to live in a safe home city. One whose skies are not clouded with bomb smoke. A home whose streets are safe to walk alone at night. A home whose bike paths help to provide me with a quality of life that is unrivaled in most of the world.

This post is a tribute to my home, The Hague, in gratitude. It’s a coloured reflection on my years in this lovely little city on the North Sea. My for-now home.

All photos were taken by me:

1. BUBBLY SPLASH: The Netherlands is known for its many canals and bikes. What I didn’t realise before moving here is HOW MANY canals and bikes there were. They are both literally EVERYWHERE! I took this photo in my first month in the country, roaming the streets, collecting first impressions.

   This is a kind of bubble gum palette that I did not expect to find in the Netherlands. I was happily surprised.

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2. GLASSY SEA: Our local train station, the central node of many mini adventures!

   There are enough trains running to enough domestic destinations, that it’s not usually necessary to make a timed plan to arrive at the station. ‘Usually’ being an important qualifier!

   This palette reminds me of beach glass found in the sand of my native Caribbean Sea, the North Sea’s much more hospitable cousin.

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3. JAZZ HANDS: In my first month in the country, I spent a few precious solo hours relaxing in this spot. Sipping on port, watching my new world go by.

   Subtlety is overrated, says this colour palette. If you have something to say, scream it, with a smile. Though this palette is rather full-on even for me (neon is just SO attention-sucking), I do love how unabashedly LOUD it is.

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4. COSY COCKTAILS: This is the festive outdoor eating scene in the Grote Markt, holiday lights a-twinkling.

   A wonderful palette for winter. Soothing, warm, and quiet. I would love to be sipping a herb-infused artisinal cocktail inside a wood-paneled bar decorated in these colours.

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5. VERDANT MEADOW: It rains A LOT in The Hague. This makes for disgruntled humans but happy plants. It’s so lush that even the surface of the canal water is often green with duckweed (the green stuff in the photo that looks like algae is actually this floating plant).

   This canal is on my bike commute to and from work, one of my favourite parts of my day.

   A lovely palette for a library or a study, ripe with books. It’s a great compromise - traditional with a twist of punchy colour.

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6. HOPEFUL EXPECTATION: Like everywhere, there were pros and cons to the Dutch approach to the pandemic. As it dragged on, masks were used perhaps less than was prudent. But the plentiful parks and bike paths allowed outdoor life to continue in ways that felt healthy and balanced.

   I don’t know the name of this shop or the witty person responsible for this window display. I do know that I appreciate their sense of colour and humour.

   To me this looks like an optimistic colour combination that is hopeful that things will go well, but worried that they won’t.

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7. SUMMER SIPS: I have a weakness for fancy lemonades with random ingredients. You know the type… ‘Lavender rosehip lemonade with extract of elderflower and cucumber-infused desert-bee honey’.

   This is one of those lemonades. I paid too much for it but the price did include a choice view of the Binnenhof, a 13th century Gothic building that is said to be the oldest functioning government building in the world. Seems like a large claim, but it was built in the 13th century, and it houses the Dutch parliament, the prime minister’s office and a ministry.

   I find this palette delightful. Pure summer bliss, and the perfect backdrop for overpriced overly complicated lemony water.

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8. THE FLOOR IS LAVA: Starting in December, food stands like this one pop up around the city, selling various types of sugary fried dough treats, olliebollen being one of the most popular.

   This time of year in The Hague tends to be grey, wet and dark - which you get a sense of in the photo. The dreariness makes this volcanic injection of colour all the more welcome!

   To be fair this is a powerful palette that would likely be tiring in large doses. It could work in a laundry or utility room to make chores more exciting. It might also be fun for a half-bathroom/downstairs loo/cloakroom, where visitors could enjoy the shock value without staying long enough to feel assaulted by the colours!

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9. FIESTA TROPICALE: Yes, The Hague has a beach. Many beaches in fact. And even with my high Caribbean standards, its beaches are actually quite nice! The weather is not. BUT, on a lucky warm and sunny day (not a frequent occurrence), the beaches have many of the trappings of the tropical variety - minus the warm water. North Sea temperatures never feel tropical!

   The photo is from the boardwalk at Scheveningen Beach, which is complete with zipline, bungee jump, and ferris wheel.

   A perfect colour palette to get in the mood for a frozen cocktail or mocktail served with a mini umbrella. I grew up loving the mini umbrellas that came with my drink of choice, virgin piña colada.

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10. HAPPY FAMILY: A heartwarming use of playdough by my young son. The perfect photo to end this ode to home, yearning for Home.

    A colour palette for a happy family home - more concerned with comfort and joy than with sophistication and status.

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Though my heart has resisted opening to The Hague as my Home, my life continues to be blessed by this city in countless ways. I’m so grateful to call it home.

-Vanessa :-)