The Hague's City Hall by Richard Meijer

 The Hague is more of a city than most of the places that we have been and we chose to go here over Rotterdam because we thought that this was more historic and it is, but the amount of modern architecture still surprised us.  This is what happens when you are the city for most international arbitration and criminal cases.  The newsletter that was in English

  explaining why you should still try to learn Dutch even though no one really needs to speak it in this city…was eye-opening to the amount of foreign activity in this city.  We checked in to the nicest hotel we have had on this entire trip and, sadly, it’s a 

 chain, Ibis, but there was AC, a comfortable bed, a great bathroom, and room to move around.  The staff was also ridiculously accommodating to the point that I will have to write a separate account on tripadvisor or hotels.com to thank them for all their help.  We did some more walking after checking in and decided to hit the main shopping district, the passage, the city

  hall that is “controversial”, nicknamed the “Ice palace” and designed by, surprise, American architect Richard Meijer.  (this man was brought up in Rome because he had designed the highly controversial housing for the Ara Pacis, so here was another chance  for a look at his work).  Now, the building in Rome was controversial because it stood 

 out because it is the only modern architecture in the city, but this was not the only modern architecture in the Hague.  But, GOD WAS IT UGLY!!!!  Not only is it bright white and looks nothing like what a Dutch stadhuis should look like ( the reason that the movie is filming in Middelburg and not the Hague), but the inside looks like you are in prison!!!!  Oh, who 

 approved this design?  The place that we had singled out to eat in, closed their dinner service because there was world cup soccer to be seen and we did pass Chinatown in our walks, so we ordered delivery Chinese to the hotel.  Great stuff, but entirely too much food.