The Underground The Hague/July/August issue by The Underground The Hague

Going Underground

The Vintage Route

Leisure

July/August

Page 14-15

Page 10-11

The Underground The Hague

Experience The Hague with us! Absorb the cultural and social essence of this diverse city through the eyes of the international community and locals. You are The Underground!

Issue 17. July & August 2013

Free Copy

Spotted: Miki de Best, photo by Catherine Shannon

p.20 Vinyl Richie

p.22 Hans de Back

p.17 Hidden Museum

As the new resident DJ at PIP Den Haag, Vinyl Richie has traded in his hometown of New York for a life in The Hague. Daniel Taylor sat down with him, to talk about the business of making music in his newly adopted hometown.

Stories often unfold behind the scenes. Even at a deceptively simple art exhibition. In this series - Museums Underground - we talk to some of the top museums in the Netherlands for a sneak peek at what goes on before big opening nights.

www.theunderground.nl

Welcome

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Publisher The Underground is an independent newspaper published by Simone Branson

Letter from the Publisher

Harper simone@theunderground.nl

There is some truth to the rumours. My husband has taken on a renovation project in France and we will be moving there for a couple of months. Many of you will relate to this aspect of international life; you are never quite sure whether you are staying or leaving.

Phone: + 31 (0) 6 815 050 49 Full biographies of this month’s contributors can be found online

Many have asked me: ‘What will happen to The Underground if you are not here?’

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The answer is simple, we will continue as usual. With a network of more than 100 volunteers, our slogan ‘You are The Underground’, says it all. The newspaper is made by you. We might even expand to France, The Underground Paris sounds quite nice!

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This issue brings you more interesting insights into our local community and some fabulous ideas for exploring this beautiful city.

sales@theunderground.nl

Thank you for all your submissions, please keep them coming. Your input is needed for each issue. No matter your age, nationality or position, it’s what makes The Underground so diverse. If you would like to contribute a story please get in touch.

Upcoming issues

I would like to thank Chris Schram, owner of Willemsvaart for giving 42 volunteers the chance to explore The Hague by water, we had a great day! Also we would like to thank Lidwien Nielander for giving us the sculpture tour in The Hague city centre provided by STROOM. Also a big thank you to Josien Deknatel, owner of Kickstart School, for letting us use their office for the last nine months.

Issue 18 September & October Theme: A Helping Hand Issue 19 November & December

I wish you all a great summer.

Theme : Shop till you drop!

We will be back with our new issue in September! All the best! Simone@theunderground.nl

Contact pr@theunderground.nl events@theunderground.nl feedback@theunderground.nl

Distribution info@theunderground.nl

© Disclaimer Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Print: Wegener NieuwsDruk BV

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The undergound explores •

By Wicked Wendy

On my favourite day of the season, summer I believe it’s called, we stood on the quay (actually just a couple of steps) waiting for the Willemsvaart boat to arrive to whisk us off through the canals of The Hague. Before we knew it we were off gliding through the water. Our guide informed us of the most interesting facts and stories along the way. It was impossible to orient ourselves, as The Hague looks so different when viewed from a couple a metres under road level. The tour took us through the edge of town up to Scheveningen, under bridges containing hedgehog crossings designed to help the animals cross the water without getting their feet wet. The mood was so good that even when one of our group lost their cap in the water the only response was a joke and a lot of giggling. We all had a great time and I would definitely recommend this outing to tourists and locals alike. For more info: willemsvaart.nl SCULPTURE TOUR Thanks to Stroom for treating some of the Underground volunteers to the Sculptour. Starting at the Atrium, the tour took us past many of the forty pedestal sculptures, which are placed 25 metres apart throughout the city centre. It was really interesting to see these contemporary works of art through the eyes of our guide. You do end up looking at these works in a totally different way and can appreciate where the artist is coming from. For bookings: info@stroom.nl

News & Views

Issue 17. July/August 2013

News & Views

Issue 17. July/August 2013

TEDx, ideas worth spreading… everywhere

Make a difference: Support ALS research Vera Schoof (photo) is a primary school teacher in The Hague. The father of two school pupils suffers from ALS, an incurable progressive neurodegenerative disease.

International Roze Kerk On 8 September, 2013 Barbara Rogoski will achieve her lifelong ambition of becoming a working pastor and will open the doors to the International Roze Kerk. The opening ceremony will take place at a local church with services taking place every second Sunday of the month in Basta Café (COC Haaglanden headquarters) from 15.00 to 16.30. The Roze Kerk is for all LGBT people of faith – of all religions and no religions – for straight friends and family who would like to come together in a modern spiritual community for support, inspiration and connection. While Christian in orientation, all people of faith are welcome to join us. Barbara’s intention is to simply create the space for people to come together to pray, sing, inspire and be inspired, feel a sense of community spirit and use their gifts and talents in service. Barbara feels that many LGBT people face hardships from rejection, bullying, low self-esteem and finding their identity. If the idea that “God is always present and loves them no matter what” can be presented in a down-to-earth way, it can bring comfort and solidarity to many lonely and searching people. That is what the IRK is all about and much more.Read the full interview online www.theunderground.nl

www.internationalerozekerk.nl and www.internationallgbtchurch.org

For this wonderful man, Paul, new medication comes too late. He’s now completely dependent on others. He can communicate by using his computer with eye movements. Paul shares his good, sad and funny experiences with you on Twitter: @plagerwerf. Vera, along with 13 others from the school, is participating in the Amsterdam City Swim to raise money for scientific research to fight ALS. This year’s 2013-metre long charity swim takes place in the canals of Amsterdam on Sunday, September 8. You can deliver a valuable contribution to this cause too. Support this group and turn their sad feelings into a positive act. You can donate at www.amsterdamcityswim.nl/nl/haagse-veraschoof.

Most popular photo submitted for the section ‘Photo of the Day’ on facebook by Angela Stallone

I Love The Hague Exhibition A Photo Exhibition of Foreign-born Photographers. Location: The Hague Central Library, Spui 68.

A month-long photo exhibition (June 3-July 1, 2013), organized by the arts and culture foundation Matrix Orange (www.matrixorange.nl) in partnership with the Hague Central Library, opened on June 4. It takes a look at the City of The Hague through a different perspective – through the eyes of foreign-born photographers. It celebrates the City of The Hague and the creativity which it inspires, as well as continues a tradition of honoring the cultural diversity of the city by involving photographers from different countries, started by Matrix Orange in 2012. The photographers featured in 2012 were Alexander Shymbarovskyj (Ukraine), Hasan Kuday (Turkey), Michael Burianyk (Canada), Dave Sharman (UK) and David Wilkinson (France). This year the exhibition showcases the work by Ariadna de Raadt (Russia), Catherine Shannon (Indonesia), Florencia Foresi (Argentina), and Megan Alter (USA). According to Natalia Burianyk, President of Matrix Orange, the exhibition evokes a lot of interest among both the expat and local communities. A high turnout at the opening, attention to the event in local and social media, as well as support of the event by local businesses and organizations testifies to the fact that the event struck a chord. In the future the foundation intends to publish a book with all of the photographs as a gift from the international community to the city they love.

iStrategy Conference The Underground attended the iStrategy conference in the World Forum. What a great idea to have a graphic made instead of a photo!

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer. -Maxime Zech, aka The Sponge. Summer is the most sought-after of seasons; I think we can all agree. Winter is the dreaded darkness and the dank cold. Yet, they go hand in hand. If it were not for winter, then summer wouldn’t see such elation, such a desire to sit on a terrace at all times, so many Ray Bans. Spring and autumn are just interludes, the waiting rooms for summer and winter. It is,indeed, a season of joy. I was born in summer, *hurrah*, weddings happen, holidays happen, romances are called ‘summer flings’ rather than just ‘dates’, ‘one night stands’ or ‘uhhh, I have no memory of that’. It’s the season when Danny Zuko met Sandy. In areas of the world that experience all four seasons, summer is so important that it is treated almost as a human right. If Mother Nature decides to make us wait for it with an extended winter, mid-Spring snow, or even long bouts of rain, people are almost moved to form picket lines and protest against the Universe for abusing the system. News channels spend entire days explaining the weather, gawping desperately at charts and trends like it’s the most unusual and unfair thing that’s ever happened. “Water World is happening, folks. Soon, we’ll befriend the fish and comb our hair with forks. Everyone, build an Arc, quick! Leave the Chihuahuas and the socialites, take everything else, put Trump at the helm.” They go mental. It drives the elderly to swearing in their knitting groups. This year, the fact of summer began to feel like such a distant theory that we might have dreamt up all these years. A myth, even. It started feeling like you’re in the supermarket as a child with your mum, when all of a sudden you look away from that big box of sugary cereal you haven’t been allowed to have yet, to find that your mum is gone. She’s walked away leaving you standing on a mysterious, sticky part of the floor in a giant supermarket. You run through the aisles for her, getting panicky walking past the freezer boxes, and end up sitting on the floor next to the cookies, shooting teary lost kitten eyes at every adult, hoping they somehow, telepathically (which is how adults communicate about children, didn’t you know), told your mum to get her forgetful ass over to you, faster than Batman. With ice cream… and Batman. Summer is your mum, and you are the child fighting the wail bubbling up in your throat. But now, summer is here. And although it forgot to bring you Batman, it’s brought ice cream and a warm embrace. It has apologised, and it has promised to let you ride the really big scary rollercoaster with the menacing name.

•

By Carla Piqué

ED talks are known to be a powerful cultural force and they all start with a single person on stage. Due to its success, in 2009 TED started granting licenses to third parties to organise independent events internationally, the TEDx talks. Until now, more than 30,000 talks have been given at more than 6,000 TEDx events in 1,777 cities in 149 countries, including the Netherlands. Carla Piqué has been talking to Jan-Peter Kuiper, the founder of TEDxScheveningen. ‘We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world’. This is how TED’s mission statement begins and also what the founder of TEDxScheveningen supports. Kuiper states his aspiration is to ‘mobilise and inspire people with great ideas, encouraging them to be the leaders of their own lives’. In the Netherlands there are several local versions of TED: from Groningen to Maastricht, to Delft, Haarlem, Utrecht or The Hague. They can all be seen online and anybody can ask for a license and organise their own event - even you! The content and design of each TEDx event is unique and developed independently, but all TEDx events have several features in common: the format, the variety and brilliance of the speakers and, of course, inspirational talks that provoke conversations that matter. But because every country is different, the idea is to stimulate dialogue with individuals at the local level.

In full swing In only 4 years, TEDx Youtube channel has reached 100 million views. From its greatest moments, the following talks stand out: Thomas Suarez, a 12-year-old app developer whose talk went viral and has one of the biggest spikes in viewership in TEDx history (TEDxManhattanBeach) Behrokh Khoshnevis with his talk ‘How to 3D print a house’ (TEDxOjai) Jackson Katz with his talk about violence and sexual assault, which made waves on the Internet claiming ‘it might turn every man who watches it into a feminist´ (TEDxFiDiWomen) In case you are not familiar with TED or TEDx yet, you can get an idea by visiting their website: www. ted.com and www.tedx.com. You will find thousands of videos, all of them for free and with subtitles. But be careful, they are extremely addictive!

What are the TED talks? TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) started out in 1984 in California. It consists of conferences that bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in less than 18 minutes. Politicians, musicians, actors, scientists or journalists, they all share their mind-blowing ideas, which leave no one indifferent. Imagine you have a few minutes on stage to give the speech of your life. What would you say?

Minna Sun Kim : Underwater Cartoons ©

Kids

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Leisure

Through the Keyhole: ALOHA surfschool

Streeters The Underground’s Dorine Schreiner asks people on the streets of The Hague:

What do you think is the best kept secret of The Hague?

SWimkids during the summerbreak

S Sarah Nichols (25), artistic director of Modern Troubadours “Theater de Regentes in the Weimarstraat. It was closed in December, but people fought to keep it open. It has now re-opened. The theatre used to be a swimming pool and its structure has been preserved, including the tiles. Jewish people managed to hide in the building during the Second World War. All in all, it’s a really interesting place.”

wimKids is a Dutch based bilingual swimming school that teaches children from 3 to 12. The lessons vary due to the various courses and range from beginners to more advanced. The main goal of SwimKids is to teach the children how to swim in a fun way. SwimKids main values are to teach in small groups, playful teaching and individual instruction. Swimming lessons in the Netherlands are an integrated cultural phenomenon. Swimming lessons are based on a Dutch swimming principal: safety. Due to the excessive water in the Netherlands it is a necessity for children to learn how to deal with different water situations. However, for the international orientated children, this might not be as common as for the Dutch children. SwimKids offers swimming lessons in English and Dutch to support International and Dutch children with their swimming lessons. There are 7 SwimKids locations throughout the Netherlands: Baarn| Amsterdam| Arnhem| Leiderdorp| Scheveningen| Den Haag| Rotterdam

SwimKids does not stop, while normal swimming lessons enjoy their summer break! SwimKids offers the possibility to continue swimming lessons during the summer break. Next to the swimming lessons at the European locations during your holiday in Rome, Barcelona and Cote d’Azur, SwimKids also provides the opportunity in the Netherlands to obtain an A diploma in two weeks. This course, SwimSpeed, is offered to children that possess a basic set of swimming techniques.

For more information check our website or give us a ring! Contact: Van Boecopkade 80 2518 LD The Hague +317(0) 364 1443 info@swimkids.eu www.swimkids.eu

TIP!

VIP Kids Artclub Keith Wallace (38), director in investments “The Hofkwartier. It’s the medieval splendour of The Hague surrounding the palace. The tourists miss it, but it has the most wonderful little Flemish frites place and great stores. It’s like the Carnaby Street of The Hague. Please find it and enjoy our beautiful city.”

Do you know if your child is creative or would you like to find out? It doesn’t matter if they have talent or not, creativity can be taught! Until July 17, a series of six art lessons for two hours from 15.00 until 17.00 hours, will start at The International Club. Each lesson will take 2 hours and can be paid separate. It is possible to try one out, and your child can decide after to continue. First lessons is an introduction to the basic drawing and painting techniques. Furthermore your child will learn the tools how to develop their own style of painting. After the basics they will go into depth by getting to know the work of Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and Edward Degas. To make their own creations based on their work and exercises during the lessons. The teacher of these art sessions is artist Marjolein van de Sluis..She exhibited her work France, U.S.A, Japan, and the Netherlands. She has her own art studio, called Park Avenue in The Hague, For more info pls.call 06 52190872. or visit www.vandersluis.com

complete surf experience on your doorstep •

Day out with the kids (FREE) Suhaib Bhatti (22), architecture student “Zuiderpark. It’s close to where I live and a cool quiet place to get away from the city. There’s a lot going on with water boats, and I like to walk around there and have picnics with my girlfriend.”

1. ANIMAL FARMS

Visit one of the city animal farms, don’t forget to bring some fresh vegetables, it’s fun and it’s FREE! More info: www. thehague.com

2. CITY GARDENS

Prepare a picknick and visit one of the city gardens in The Hague, we recommend going to Emma’s Hof and Sunny Park in the Regentessekwartier. More info: www.denhaag.nl/home/bewoners/ natuur-en-milieu/groen/stadstuinen.htm

3. WALKING TOUR Fiona Fyfe (29), global talent acquisition “The street I live on, the Piet Heinstraat, is full of lovely shops and cafés. My favourite place is Clarence, because it offers amazing breakfasts, coffees and the service is exceptional. Definitely a sweet place for a Sunday brunch.”

Experience the districts of The Hague in an active and modern way. While listening to your personal guide on an iPod you to get to know the area better. Free download: www.soundwalks.nl

By Woody

4. OUTDOOR SWIMMING

You can enjoy swimming outdoors in a natural environment at Madestein pond which has three ‘beaches’: Loosduinen (Madesteinweg), the north bank (Madepolderweg) and the south bank (Madepolderweg). Bring your own barbeque, it’s allowed! More info: www.madestein.nl

5. F.A.S.T. SUNDAY JAM Every Sunday there is a ‘Sunday Jam’

at F.A.S.T. from 13.00 to 18.00 hrs. especially for the kids. The kids will be treated to a story in a real German commando bunker and then can go to town jumping on bouncy castles and playing surfing games. Mom and Dad can enjoy a nice brunch while listening to jazz and blues music. www.fastthehague.com

More ideas? Share them with us: info@theunderground.nl

o you want to learn how to surf? Want some great organic bio-food on one of Holland’s best beach locations? Need a new wet-suit or a ripping new board? Aloha is the place for you! What we offer is the whole surf experience under one roof. Since 2002, Aloha has offered surf lessons and equipment hire, with changing rooms, secure lockers and warm showers the whole year round on Scheveningen North, just by the harbour wall. The harbour offers protection from the often south-western wind. The area also provides the best conditions for great waves especially if you want to learn to surf. We offer a range of lessons, from beginners to more advanced levels with video analysis. This also includes lessons for Stand Up Paddle boarders, the new rage from Hawaii! Our courses are geared towards all age groups; from the kids camp to adults, and we cater for groups from schools and companies as well. www.golfsurfschool.nl Aloha’s Kitchen and Sufschool Aloha’s Kitchen and Surfschool is located just by the main entrance to Scheveningen’s beachfront; to the left close to the harbour wall and right on the beach. The opening hours are from 9am till 10pm at night in the weekends. Lilian, our cook, makes only the best eco-friendly food, all fair trade and with

100% natural products. So be it for our cruesli fruit and yoghurt breakfast, a bio-burger for lunch, or if you join us for the night time BBQ, we can guarantee something delicious for you and the family to enjoy. Apart from meals we also offer a wide range of snacks and treats; from fair-trade Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, mint tea, bio coffee or a lip-smackin’ smoothie to wash down a tosti or sandwich! You can enjoy our products either in the canteen (yes, sometimes it rains in Holland) or on our wind protected terrace, either on the picnic tables or stretched out in the sunny corner catching the rays. www.golfsurfschool.nl/kitchen Aloha’s Store Aloha’s hardware store is located a hundred metres away at FAST, Scheveningen’s renowned surf village. We stock most of the major surf brands, Xcel and C-skins wetsuits, NSP, Surftech, Walden, Meyerhoffer surfboards, and accessories from Creatures of Leisure (leashes and tailpads), Sexwax and Mrs.Palmers sticky bumps for that extra grip. Also watches from Nixon and sunglasses from Mundaka, and so much more. It’s worth making a trip just to check it out and to get some advice from our sales assistants, who are all surfers themselves and really know their stuff. You can also visit our webstore, where all the stock is also available, so bring the beach to your living room instead! www.surferswebshop.nl

Would you or your business like to be featured in this section? More info: info@theunderground.nl

Students

M Mandates By Molly

• By Molly Quel

I’ve been in a relationship with my boyfriend for just over a year and I recently met another guy and started cheating on him. Now I’m not sure what to do. Are you cheating on him at this very moment? Because my first piece of advice would be to stop. Secondly, you don’t say how old you are, but if you’re reading this column, you’re not old enough to know better. The relationship with your boyfriend has come to a close and it’s time to move on. Break up gracefully, give him back his stuff and change your Facebook relationship status. If you want to try to work things out with the boyfriend, you have to break it off with the new guy immediately and come clean. Be prepared, however, for your boyfriend to decline continuing a relationship with you. I’m graduating from university this year and I’m not sure if I want to stay in the Netherlands or not. The economy is better here but I miss my friends and family back home. The dirty little secret about living abroad is that you’ll never find living anywhere completely fulfilling again. Every place in the world has great qualities (family, a functioning economy) and every place has bad qualities (the weather, a nonfunctioning economy) and you can’t have the best of all worlds. You’re young so you have plenty of time to move home. Adult life, with a real job and other responsibilities gives you a very different perspective on the world. The upside about working, rather than being in school, is that you’ll have more disposable income to spend on traveling home. Find a job here and see if you’re truly unhappy in a year or two. If you’re really miserable, then look for work at home. I live in a student house and my housemates are always leaving their mess all over the common areas. Any advice on how to get them to clean up after themselves? First, do unto others... Are you cleaning up after yourself? Doing your own dishes? Taking out the trash? It’s easier to complain about something when you have the moral high ground. Sit down with your housemates and talk to them about their mess. Come up with a cleaning scheduled. I’ve found that having an actual chat, hung somewhere visible can help serve as a polite reminder. If that doesn’t work, try being passive aggressive. I once had a roommate in college who refused to do her dishes. After awhile, I started putting them on her bed, under her pillow. That solved the problem. Need some advice? Contact Molly at molly@theunderground.nl

Issue 17. July/August 2013

ESCHER IN HET PALEIS •

Photo & Text by Virginia McDonald

Over the past year, my house has seen a seemingly endless stream of overseas visitors, each one eager to see all that this beautiful city has to offer. As lovely as this is, it means that over the past year I have seen every museum and landmark in the Hague at least 15 times, and I can assure you, it gets a little tiring after a while. There is however, one exception to this tedious tourism, and that is Escher in het Paleis on the Lange Voorhout. M.C Escher was a Dutch artist who is most famous for his sketches of impossible realities, like the staircases leading nowhere, and the hands drawing each other, but he also created spectacular pieces using woodcuts, mezzotints and lithographs. He sketched landscapes and nature, manipulating perspective and perception, and delved into the mathematical world with his intricate patterns and prints. A truly amazing artist, Escher’s sketches will leave you rooted to the spot as you try and figure out how the human mind could possibly produce the geometric prints, and the mathematically proportionate sketches. Try and follow the staircase in Relativity, and you will never leave the museum. The museum itself is a former palace of the Royal Family, which makes for a perfect setting to see the huge collection of Escher’s masterpieces. At 9 euros entry, (kids are 6,50, or if they’re under 6, free) the museum is one of the more affordable in the Hague, and can truly be enjoyed by young and old. The colourful patterns and geometric prints, as well as the imagined lizard like creatures in the sketches are bound to keep those of all ages amused. Don’t forget to get your photo taken in the ‘Room of Escher’ with a friend or relative for a really strange perspective! For more information go to www.escherinhetpaleis.nl

sjaak hullekes • By Virginia McDonald

jaak Hullekes and Sebastiaan Kramer, the modern design duo with their flagship store in Arnhem, have just opened a permanent store in The Hague on the exclusive Denneweg. The intimate and charming store embraces a romantic and classic vibe, and is home to the well-known Sjaak Hullekes classic and contemporary collections. The Sjaak Hullekes store on the Dennweg is one of only two in the Netherlands. Sjaak and Sebastiaan love the international feel and the diversity of The Hague, one of the reasons they decided to open up a permanent store here. “We always said our second store should be on the Denneweg in The Hague, because people who visit antique selling streets always have their senses open, they take the time to let the story be told, there is no rush.” Sjaak Hullekes designs, made in small factories around Europe, are all about craftsmanship and refined, sophisticated designs. “The young people in The Hague understand our clothing much more than in Arnhem where our youngest client is 35. In the Hague it is more like 22 or 26.” Sjaak, who believes the most magical part of his job is seeing a customer happy, can’t wait to share his story here. Vintage Roots Sjaak, who loves all things vintage, originally wanted to have his own antique shop, then to restore paintings, but it wasn’t long before he found his true calling in fashion. “I was always busy with making things pretty, as a child I went to Antwerp a lot and I loved the magic about fashion.” The first thing Sjaak ever made was “some sort of weird Victorian dress”, but he still has the first piece that Sebastiaan ever made in the fashion academy. Sebastiaan knew he wanted to be a fashion designer from a very young age, “I knew I wanted to create, I was 13 and I just thought ‘I want to be a fashion designer’, and that was my goal.” The first thing Sebastiaan created was a dress from plastic bags, “It was really terrible,” he jokes. “Partners in life and crime,” Sjaak and Sebastiaan became a couple on their graduation day in 2005 and introduced the brand Sjaak Hullekes in 2007. They both do the designing together, “I love to work with materials and colours, and Sebastiaan likes to be involved with the forecast of the design and the strategy,” said Sjaak. “We are continuously doing handovers to each other, it’s always going back and forth,” added Sebastiaan. Don’t be fooled by the branding, “just because my name is on the window doesn’t mean I do all the work, Sjaak Hullekes wouldn’t exist without Sebastiaan, he just prefers to be in the background.”

Student Retro Trip •

Fashion

Issue 17. July/August 2013

By Daniela Spataru

he Studentground team loves to have fun, that’s a fact. So, whenever an opportunity rises to pitch ideas, it brings us all, writers and contributors together, we can’t help but take advantage of such a reunion and do a little bit of exploring. After tour of The Peace Palace, this time we went to the Public Transport Museum, for our very own retro tram trip around the city.

Helping in The Hague While in The Hague, Sjaak and Sebastiaan are working on a special project organised by the city. It’s a mentoring programme to help local talented fashion designers take the next step in the fashion world by giving insider information and tips. Sjaak and Sebastiaan are keen to share their knowledge with the budding designers; “The fashion industry is full of secrets, you can be a very good designer, but you need to learn to speak the language. And we love to help the young designers, we get a rush from it.”

Tram beauties The idea came from our Nataly Parson, and after a couple of e-mails exchanges, the offer of the museum was just too tempting to forget about. It was the perfect getaway on a nice autumn day. In short, The Hague’s Museum of Public Transport (Het Haags Openbaar Vervoer) offers two types of tours, the public tram trips and the tours with the private trams. The public tram trips take place every Sunday afternoon, from April until October, between 1 and 5 pm, when the museum is also open for visitors. The Remise, the location that is hosting the museum, is also the point of departure and return. You can choose between for the short version of the tour, of 45 minutes, and the longer one, of about an hour. For a small fee of 3 euros, or 4,50 (for the 60 minutes one), you get to see The Hague in your own old fashion tram. You get to choose as well, from different routes, like Madurodam, Scheveningen, center round trip or Moerwijk, depending on which Sunday of the month you decide to take the trip. If you’re planning to go with a big group, it would be wise to inform the museum first, contacting them at info@hovm.nl. You don’t have to worry about stops, outside passengers cannot enter the tram, so you’ve got your very own tram driving you around The Hague. Feels quite fancy.

Collections Sjaak Hullekes collections always have an inspiration base in the past. A lot of nostalgia, archetypes of the vintage man, and the rebel youth of the 60s and 70s, the inspiration for collections often begins in a flea market. The result is classic and stylish menswear, always with the client in mind. “We want to give grace and elegance to the wearer, but we don’t want to overshadow the person, you can’t hide behind the clothes, you have to be comfortable and self aware.

@undergroundth

Old School Trams Now, for the second and best part: the tours with the old trams. All you have to do is choose the tram that you would like to take the tour in and the route. Although the old trams have certain technical limitations, the museum allows you to choose your own route, offering you the chance to actually plan your very own retro tram trip around The Hague, for you and your friends. Again, no other passengers are allowed. Be sure to contact HTM Specials first and discuss your plans, at 070-3848725/ 0031(0)703848725. Being an upgraded and more luxurious version of the pre-planned tours of the museum, you are charged differently, per tram and per hour. We would have rented a tram especially for The Studentground mole, but since the mole was busy with other things in The Hague, we decided to take advantage of the tours that the museum organizes. If you don’t know how to enjoy a lovely summerday, then this can be really a fun way to spend time with your friends. The retro feel of it all definitely gets you in the mood for some laughs and giggles, and the look of the tram and the old fashioned conductor definitely adds to the experience. The best part of it all was the fact that the tram stopped right by the beach, that being the only stop of the tour, so call me a little bit romantic, but having your own little tram waiting for you until you get a sniff of the salted sea air was for us pretty much one of the highlights of the day. At the museum, we couldn’t help but explore all the old trams, and people seemed to look the other way and just let us have fun. The downside is that during the tour, nobody gave any explanations concerning what we were seeing, were we were going, or some info about the trams. Even some tram stories would have been more than welcome (we did come up with our own tram stories, all of them related to life before the OV chipcard, when counting the zones of the strippenkart and trying to stamp as less of those as possible was a highlight in its own( Ah, the old days). But more info about the trams can be heard back at the museum. I was sorry that we didn’t have some popcorn, or some candy, to really get into that retro feel. But we had Cathy Shannon taking photos, and some really fabulous trams to explore.

Sjaak Hullekes store is located on Denneweg 116, and you can also shop designs online at sjaakhullekes.com

Nordic design pops up in the hague •

By Elena Mellara

The first impression, some may say, is the most important. Popping into the pop up store ‘Northbound’, my first impression is of a lean, simple yet sophisticated store. I am introduced to Mila Kluen, the woman behind the idea. She is enthousiastic, down to earth and totally passionate about this project. Her background in PR puts her at ease with whoever steps in the shop and she brings me immediately into the spirit of the project. An inspirational environment where nordic designs are promoted, whether it’s a basket, a purse, a jacket or even a blanket. The different shapes, the choice of colours, the words on the t-shirts are all eyecatching and have a special Nordic feel. Mila is promoting designers with a fresh feel for those looking for something different, simple yet beautiful. That is why Mr. Fly Guy is looking up in a funny way from a pillow case and a vase looks like it’s tipping over…but isn’t. All in characteristic colours. The shop opened in May and is located in the centre, but in a nice quiet area. Parking just across the street! The webshop and Facebook page are up and running, all in English. Well worth a look, be inspired…with love from the Nordics. The Pop-Up store will stay until the end of July. Opening again in September in New Babylon! (renewed modern shopping Mall, also to be opened in September, next to the Central Station in The Hague). Location: Fluwelen Burgwal 3, The Hague, www.northboundstore.myshopify.com

Feature

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Feature

Going Underground •

By Susan Gould

here is a lot of speculation about tunnels under The T Hague and it is felt by some that City Hall purposefully gives little away about them so as to keep them a source of mystery.

Urban Photo Collective for urban-minded photographers rban Photo Collective brings together people U who love photography, stimulates their creativity in photographing city structures and

urban life. Laura Dragulin spoke to Marieke van der Perk and Jeroen Mooijman, hosts of Urban Photo Collective in The Hague, about the manifesto and the history of the community. How did this phenomenon start? Urban Photo Collective started 7 years ago as a group of people wanting to discover more about the wonderful world of photography. This community stimulates and shares creativity, bringing people, visions and ideas together. We all have different backgrounds and interests, but we all share a passion for photography. The reasoning for only urban photos was to experience outdoor wonders, with hardly any indoor studio shoots. Who can join Urban Photo Collective? We are one big community, not separated groups. Besides The Hague, Urban photo collective has monthly meetings in Amsterdam, Athens, Bangkok, Leeuwarden, Rotterdam, São Paulo, Taipei, Tilburg and Utrecht. This community welcomes anyone willing to bring their camera and their imagination. Photography is the glue that keeps us together, all over the world. No membership is required, the only prerequisite of joining UPC is to have fun! We don’t judge each other’s photography skills, gear or approach to a subject, and we learn from and inspire each other. How do these meetings come about? Activities are organized on a monthly basis. We set a meeting and a theme and the host will tell if we have a special scenario or an uncanny location. After this, we set the photographers free to play. When we are done with shooting and sharing, drinks afterwards take care of the ‘socialising’ part and we make new friends and connections. ‘Sharing’ (inspiration, tips and tricks) and ‘socialising’ is just as important to us as ‘shooting’. “Shoot. Share. Socialize.” Urban photo collective also runs a blog with advice and stories, innovative photography ideas and articles of interest. Coincidently, one of your themes is ‘Underground, Discover the deep dark caverns of your city’, so does that mean that you look and encourage specific kind of pictures? We just like to explore our city and together we learn more about the city than alone. Over the years, we have developed a fascination for special, old or vacated buildings, but that’s not our main goal. We are always looking to discover new buildings and places. Where can photo lovers see your work? Exhibitions are not our target because we don’t judge our photos. The most exposure that we get is in photography magazines. Sometimes we are asked to do an interview or participate in an event. At present, we have an exhibition in espresso bar Lungo in Rotterdam; pictures of photographers at work. Is there any remuneration or fees involved in Urban Photo Collective? All activities are run by volunteers. Without this voluntary character we probably wouldn’t be able to organize anything. That’s why we value each and every initiative people take to further stimulate UPC’s growth.

Check out Urban Photos Collective activities and their blog, www.urbanphotocollective.com or www.facebook.com/groups/urbanphotocollective

Some people talk about secret tunnels used by the Royal family, which lead to a Papestraat shop cellar and others about tunnels being haunted by ghosts seeking revenge. One such ghost is said to be Catharina de Chausseur, who was married to Gerrit van Assendelft (a Judge in the Court of Holland). She was convicted for counterfeit in 1541 and killed by drowning rather than the original sentence of going to the stake. However, there may be more stories about tunnels than there are actual tunnels so don’t believe everything that you hear. It is evident though that tunnels do exist underneath The Hague and for various reasons. One such reason was to allow nuns and priests to move safely around from Church or monastery without being seen out on the streets. A more practical reason for tunnels was as a form of cold storage for wine and meat before the time of the fridge or the cool box. Another well known type of tunnel that can still be visited in Scheveningen is the German bunker. There are two places of interest for this underground structure: the Atlantic wall museum (www.atlantikwallmuseum.nl) and F.A.S.T (www.fasthehague.com). The command bunker 608 is located close to the Cremerweg tram stop ( tram 9) and opens on selected dates only. It is a fascinating glimpse of German occupation and has been restored by dedicated volunteers who have set out the rooms as they once would have been lived in and used as a command centre. Display cabinets hold items dug up in the dunes and even today barbed wire cutters can be found under the sand. If you would like to see the communication switch board room and Officers sleeping quarters yourself then look out for the next open day on their web site: www.atlantikwallmuseum.nl.

Today started out grey

Some other tunnels are dug especially for smaller animals. These tunnels are used by toads as well as mice, hedgehogs and rabbits. An “ecoduct”, a viaduct with vegetation and no traffic, enables animals to safely get to the other side of a busy road! Tunnels also feature heavily in The Hague’s canal systems and from April to October you can see The Hague from a different perspective in an open boat. Willemsvaart tour takes you through parts of The Hague, including under bridges and through tunnels along the canal. An English tour is available. For more information visit www.willemsvaart.nl. A word of warning though, from personal experience, some tunnels have very little head room and you need to be able to bend quite low!

Forget “Black Swan” and all the psychodrama preconceptions of how a ballet school should be; lean, hard and mean. As Katja, a 19 year old student of the ballet school, posed for the camera amongst the flora of the Queen’s gardens, Mirella explained to me the kernel at the heart of Ballet. “It’s all about the perfection of the extended line”. Physical graceful quest to achieve poise through movement between essentially five fixed poses.

Take a Tour Peace by law •

By Susan Gould

The Peace Palace opened its doors in 1913 and celebrates 100 years of helping negotiate international peace in August 2013. This stunningly beautiful and unique building and gardens lie behind closed gates for most of the year but tours can be made by booking in advance and by appointment via the official website: www.vredespaleis.nl. Click on the visitors centre information box on the right hand column and then choose the section entitled “Guided Tours”, you can then look at details for tours given in Dutch, English, French, Spanish or German. The tours last approximately 45 minutes and whilst cameras are allowed in the building, only photos of the outside of the building can be taken. It currently costs 8.50 Euro per adult. Inside, the guide takes groups into the various rooms that act as official courts and explains the legal processes that take place in them. While this alone can be the reason for many International visitors, you will also no doubt be amazed by the arts and gifts on display. These gifts were bestowed by the various countries that contributed to the creation of the Peace Palace. Some examples are the fine marble columns and floor that Italy donated, the Jasper vase by the Russian Tsar Nicolas II, and the Japanese wall paintings and jars on display in the Japanese room. Most striking of all though is the gift from Denmark, a huge porcelain fountain from which great white polar bears and seals stand proud. Photos and information on all of these can be found on the official website ( translation from Dutch may be necessary) but it will whet your appetite to see these items first hand and to find out more about the expensive business of helping to keep Peace in this magnificent Palace.

Enjoy a day at the races Every racing day features both Dutch flat and harness (trotting) races. Place a bet on the horse of your choice! Duindigt Race Track also has ample parking available.Opening hours: Races take place from March to December. A detailed programme is available on request. Duindigt Race Track Waalsdorperlaan 29 2244 BN Wassenaar www.renbaanduindigt.nl

There was a gap in the clouds around midday and then the sun began to shine. That’s when Miki de Best and I met Mirella Simoncini from the Summerschool of Ballet in The Hague.

This isn’t for everyone, it is extremely difficult and requires complete dedication, as much as one expect from a top athlete or sportsman. It is hard work, and in classical ballet there are no shortcuts, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable and can’t be fun! The studio on the Toussaintkade is a pleasure to be in, light, beautifully detailed and has a genuinely positive vibe. If you do a name check of the people who have passed through its doors either as teachers or pupils it reads like a who’s who of today’s dance scene! Beginning in July, Mirella offers classes from novices to performing artists trough the summer period. So that either students can have their first lessons in Ballet, practice for auditions for performance or to get into school the next year, or so that professional artists are able to hone their skills through the summer months in preparation for the coming season. So if you, or your kids are budding Nijinski’s this summer you know now just were you need to be!

Tip: COUPERUS WALKS The Louis Couperus Museum organises short walks along the houses where Couperus or the characters in his novels lived in the neighbourhood of the museum. Depending on the subjects of the various exhibitions, occasional walks can be announced. Information: info@louiscouperusmuseum.nl or: 070-3640653 The Louis Couperus Genootschap (Society) organises extensive literary walks through The Hague (mail to: wandelingen@louiscouperus.nl). Skilled guides lead the visitor along the houses where the writer himself lived and the locations that feature in his work. A visit to the Louis Couperus Museum is not included but can be arranged. Book a walk by calling mr. P.J. Verhaar at 071-5122237

TOP 5 must see when visiting The Hague recommended by our readers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Escher Museum Panaroma Mesdag Gemeentemuseum Louwman museum Museum Bredius

must see: Park Sorghvliet a peaceful retreat If you are truly looking for peace and tranquillity then a visit to park Sorghvliet is recommended. As you walk through the gates of this walled garden, you leave behind the sound of traffic on the busy Scheveningseweg and a chorus of birdsong immediately greets you. You can meander along the many winding paths and breathe in the wild beauty of the 25 hectares. Birds, bats, butterflies, bees and various wildlife, such as foxes and hedgehogs, roam freely and therefore there are certain rules. Dogs and bikes are not allowed in the park. The park is open in April – October from 09.00 - 18.00 hours and from October to April from 09.00 - 16.00 hours. You need to buy an annual pass from the VVV in the library on the Spui in The Hague which costs 6.70 Euro but this admits one person and two other guests. It is certainly an oasis of calm and yet also an adventure of flora and fauna to be discovered. A park bench awaits your visit….

Culture

Issue 17. July/August 2013

History

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Koningin van Scheveningen •

Sara Katharina ‘Cateau’ de Brónovo Reina van Nieuwkerk-Rácz looks at the life of an extraordinary woman who helped change health care in The Hague

By Alison Woodward

etween the Lighthouse and the Oude Kerk, on the renewed boulevard at Scheveningen stands the memorial (now iconic) statue De Scheveningse Visservrouw. The monument statue is carved of Indian black granite and is part of a project VissersNamenMonument, which started with the placement of the statue in 1982. The VissersNamenMonument also comprises the completion of a digital memorial, recording the facts, events and archiving documents relating the lives and deaths of 1336 Scheveningen fishermen/sailors who lost their lives at sea, over 200 years of Scheveningen history. The material makes for compelling and touching reading. The events at sea are numerous and diverse, like the ship wreck of the fishing boat “Vrouw Pieternella Pronk” (1840) or the wreck of the motorlogger ‘Arie van der Zwan’ SCH 21 in 1960. And the iconic statue evokes these memories with a poignant sadness; but the figure is also intuitively optimistic. She stands stoic, resolute facing the storm, tide and harsh weather. It is simple, bold and profound. The Visservrouw wears Scheveningse Klederdracht. Klederdracht is the folk costume of the Netherlands, it is defined by the typical black long skirt, full petticoats, apron, white bodice, fringed shawl, garnet multistring necklace and white headdress with “ijzer” This is a head band originally to secure the head dress, and although it is referred to in Dutch as “iron” it is made of silver. There are variations of Klederdracht throughout the coastal and rural parts of the Netherlands. Most are familiar with the Volendam Klederdracht, a black dress with flower embroidered neckline. Until the 1960’s women commonly still wore their community Klederdracht in Scheveningen, while shopping on Saturdays or attending a service at the Oude Kerk in Keizerstraat. Now it is a rare sight. At the Museum of Scheveningen you can see a collection of Klederdracht, there is also an exhibition of photographic portraits of Scheveningen women wearing their Klederdracht titled “Koninginnen van Scheveningen”. The portraits capture a past when women in the fishing community commonly wore Klederdracht, a tradition dating back for centuries.

The monument website and digital memorial can be viewed at: www.vissersnamenmonumentscheveningen.nl

17 March 1849. King Willem II of The Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Duke of Limburg is dead. Whilst his grieving widow Anna Paulowna sits grief-stricken by her husband’s lifeless body their eldest son, the new King Willem III, is away on a pleasure trip. He is found to be hunting in Scotland. His wife, Sophie von Württemberg travels to the naval town of Hellevoetsluis to await her husband’s return. On 21 March the steamship the ‘Cycloop’ enters the port with the King on board and he is reunited with his wife. During the two day wait, Queen Sophie stays at the home of the Naval Port Director, Jean Jacques von Broun de Brónovo. His daughter Sara Katharina, nicknamed Cateau, and the Queen, both in their early thirties, spend the time together. They form a friendship that will last a lifetime.

The Hague, a historical and cultural city full of hidden streets, buildings, boutiques and cozy cafés with Bryan Diender.

At the end of the eighteenth century Cateau’s Hungarian born grandfather, Johann Nepomuk von Broun de Brónovo, officer in the Habsburg cavalry, was stationed in the Austrian Netherlands (present day Belgium). Johann married Catherina Maria Nethercott, a German from Irish descent and they settled in North Holland. Their son, Jean Jacques grew up to become a naval officer. He, in turn, married the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner Elisabeth Bedloo. They set up home, together with Elisabeth’s son from her first marriage in Lisse. Here the family enjoyed a life of leisure. Elisabeth’s eldest son rented the estate of Keukenhof where his stepbrother and sister spent many happy days roaming the grounds.

The Hague Dandy's organizes city walks along the hidden places and treasures of The Hague. These walking tours are an excellent opportunity for expats, students, couchsurfers and tourists to explore the historic and chic city center. The guide take the participants past old espionage addresses, forgotten buildings and amusing boutiques. During the city walk the participants will be able to sit in one of the many authentic and cozy lunchrooms for coffee or tea and perhaps a local delicacy. City walk information

As could be expected of a lady of her standing, Cateau was home educated and when her mother, who suffered from frail health, needed someone to take care of her, Cateau lovingly took on the role nursing her for several years till her death in 1839. Widowed, her father re-joined the navy and took up the position of Naval Port Director in Hellevoetsluis. Despite numerous suitors Cateau had not married and moved, with her father, into the director’s house on the Haringvliet with its magnificent views of the sea. Cateau ran the household, acted as hostess and tended the sick in the small coastal town. It was here she befriended the young Queen. After her father’s death, in 1861 Cateau first moved in with her brother for several years. In 1864 she moved to The Hague. Fashionable ladies of means in The Hague occupied their time with charity work as they felt it was their Christian duty. The importance of their work for improving healthcare, living and educational standards for the disadvantaged of the city cannot be underestimated. One of the key figures was Betsy Groen van Prinsterervan der Hoop, wife of the wealthy politician and philanthropist, Guillaume. Cateau had met them through their mutual involvement in prison reform. When Betsy decided to establish a hospital Cateau seemed the perfect person for the job. To gain a better insight into the running of a hospital Cateau travelled extensively visiting several institutions in Holland, Germany and Switzerland. On her return she decided The Hague would profit most from a training institute for nurses housing only a small surgery. The nurses would treat patients at home. The idea was to recruit women who were protestant, single or widowed. Betsy and her husband provided the very first building for the training centre on the Kazernestraat.

About: Architecture, History, Art, Culture Date: Saturday 21 July 2013 Time: 12:00 – 15:00 Meeting point: train station Den Haag Holland Spoor - NS Ticket&Service Office (main hall) Guide: Bryan Diender Maximum attendees: 15 Cost: Donation afterwards (The Hague Tower visit € 6 or € 3 if you have a student card )

On 4 February 1865, the institute was opened by Queen Sophie with Cateau de Brónovo as managing director. Her job entailed the everyday running of the institute, but she also instructed and was responsible for obtaining funding. She truly believed that God would provide, and in her eyes he always did even if it meant having to go from door to door collecting money. By 1872 Cateau decided she wanted to run the institute as a proper deaconess organisation. With this move she intended to put the emphasis on helping the sick rather than the Christian aspects of the establishment.

Date: Sunday 28 July 2013 Time: 12:00 – 15:00 Meeting point: train station Den Haag Centraal - NS Ticket&Service Office Guide: Bryan Diender Maximum attendees: 15 Cost: Donation afterwards

In 1879 a new building designed by the architect P.F.W. Mouton opened its doors on the Laan van Meerdervoort, this time as a nursing training institute in combination with a Deaconess Hospital (later renamed Bronovo). Cateau remained fully involved in the hospital up until her death in 1887.

www.thehaguedandys.wordpress.com www.facebook.com/TheHagueDandys

The hospital later moved to its present day location on the Bronovlaan and was completely rebuilt in 1999. A small exhibit on the history of the Deaconess Hospital can be found in the Orangerie restaurant located on the premises.

old meets new Koetshuis Helanso •

By Susan Gould

Imagine a place where old meets new, where peacock feathers bestrew ornate golden horns and antique furniture pieces stand amongst an assortment of glass and candle sticks.

generation what life was really like in an era long gone.

Such a place is Koetshuis Helanso. Koetshuis is Dutch for coach house and where horses and a garden once stood.

This charming couple are filled with a passion for history and they opened their doors to the public three years ago. In atmospheric rooms, they sell gift items along with real antiques which they have sourced themselves from Holland, Belgium and Germany They have also created a few items themselves and present everything stylishly and in harmony within their settings.

Magreet and Rien Van Hemert took ten years to build this shop that almost resembles a museum in parts. One of the rooms, that contains an old oven and fireplace, is where Magreet explains to the younger

This is more than a shop and worth a visit. The website is www.koetshuishelanso.nl and the shop, on Noorderbeekdwarsstraat 214, is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from June 2013.

tip Vintage Fashion Route Now the rainy days are gone and the dark clouds left some space for the sun, you can finally hide your baggy sweaters and jackets at the back of your closet. If your wardrobe lacks fresh fashion vitamins, then shop-til-you-drop is the only option to be summer (or vintage)-proof. The Underground reporters Virginia, Lisette and Marta hit the streets to bring you the best vintage shopping route in the Hague. Finding some unique quality vintage outfits to revamp your summer wardrobe in style.

In The Hague city centre most shops open Tuesday to Friday from 9.30 till 18.00 and Saturdays from 9.00 till 17.00 hrs. On Mondays, most shops open at 13.00 hrs.

PENNYWISE MAZIESRAAT 5 pennywise.nl

rter n repo Fashio r Ende van de Lisette

Sundays

JACK BY JACKIE PRINSES MARIESTRAAT 7C jackybyjackie.nl

Fash i Virg on repo r inia McD ter onal d

1. Just Another Yard Sale is where the vintage route begins, a great little pop-up store on the Boekhorststraat where fashion meets art. Reasonably priced street wear, and urban fashion trends mix well with 80s and 90s pieces, and vintage classics. The space is more like a gallery than a shop, which makes it the ideal place for someone who doesn’t like to rummage. Highly recommended by the Underground team for the urban hipster in need of some new threads, just don’t buy too much here, you still have four more stores to raid!

City Centre

Jack by Jackie is a cosy shop that mixes designer brands and affordable pieces to deliver a unique and relaxed shopping experience. Also available are personal style advice sessions or group style advice sessions. A favourite of the Underground team because of it’s chilled out and sophisticated vibe, you are bound to find something special at Jack by Jackie.

The shops in the centre of The Hague are open every Sunday. Shops and department stores open at noon.

JUST ANOTHER YARD SALE BOEKHORSTSTRAAT 49 justanotheryardsale.com

Palace Garden

1&2

Late-night shopping There is late-night shopping in the centre of The Hague every Thursday until 21.00 hrs.

Willemspark Zeeheldenkwartier

Penny Wise is the place to go if you’ve got some cash to splash, and you want special designer pieces. Chanel, Prada, Mart Visser and Yves Saint Laurent are a few of the brands they stock, and the store is huge. A fabulous place to visit to rummage for special vintage designer pieces, including shoes and handbags, and designer samples. Well worth a visit, even if you can’t afford to buy anything.

Opening times

Archipelbuurt

Before shopping don’t forget to bring: - credit or debitcard - good comfortable shoes - a bike or rent a bike with picknick! - sunny weather - your best friend, for fashion feedback - good mood

THE HAGUE

ILKA VINTAGE ANDSECOND HAND BATJANSTRAAT 1 - ilkavintage.nl

ZITY ZOO BOEKHORSTRAAT 43 - zityzoo.com

Ilka Vintage and Secondhand is where the vintage route comes to an end. We hope you saved some money for this store, because the friendly owner and open layout make for a great shopping experience. Plenty of bags and shoes, in all brands and sizes, as well as loads of dresses and blouses, makes it easy to come away with something fantastic.

Zity Zoo has a real thrift store vibe with loads of 70s and 80s pieces, and more shoes than you can poke a stick at. A must see for those on the hunt for something unique, as it combines pieces from several vintage sellers including Superblij and Verzamelaars van Vrolijkheid.

Armed with our guide to vintage shopping in The Hague you’ll always find your way to the most unique outfits. Mix, match and turn the streets into your personal catwalk this summer, but most of all, have fun!

Departure: Den Haag, Boekhorststraat 43 & 49 Continue along: Boekhorststraat 0.1 km Turn right : Herderstraat 0.1 km 00h01 Continue along: Gedempte Burgwal 0.2 km 00h02 Turn left : Raamstraat 0.4 km 00h05 Continue along: Nieuwstraat 0.5 km 00h08 Turn right : Dagelijkse Groenmarkt 0.6 km 00h09 Turn left : Hoogstraat 0.8 km 00h11 Continue along: Noordeinde 1.3 km 00h19 Turn left 1.3 km 00h19 Then immediately , turn left : Noordeinde Stage A: Den Haag, Maziestraat 5 1.4 km 00h20 Turn right : Scheveningseveer 1.5 km 00h22 Continue along: Mauritskade 2 km 00h29 Turn left 2 km 00h29 Turn left 2 km 00h29 Then immediately, turn right : Cantaloupenburg Stage B: Den Haag, Prinses Mariestraat 7C 2.5 km 00h34 Turn left 2.5 km 00h34 Then immediately , turn right : Schelpkade 2.5 km 00h37 Continue along: Nassauplein 3 km 00h41 Continue along: Bankastraat 3 km 00h44 Turn right : Atjehstraat 3 km 00h47 Turn left : Batjanstraat 3 km 00h47 Destination: Den Haag, Batjanstraat 1 FREE download maps of The Hague: www.denhaag.nl/en/visitors/to/Maps-of-The-Hague.htm

tip

Latest news & offers shopping in The Hague: www.denhaagshopping.com www.facebook.com/DenHaagShopping www.twitter.com/DenHaagShopping

History

finding art dogs My visit to The Hague to find Art Dogs. •

By Jon Bernad 1. Froek (Haagse Kunstkring)

Carlijn invited me to the Haagse Kunstkring to meet Froek as my first stop in The Hague after arriving from Paris. Immediately I was brought tea, shown how to connect to the Wifi, and engaged in conversation with a woman working there -- my first encounter with a Dutch in Holland helped shape my overall impression of the Dutch: curious, polite, friendly, intelligent, with a love for transparency. Indeed, Froek arrived and was the same -- easy to work with, and obedient without being supplicant. Froek eats human snacks so we ate the same ones, crunchy and satisfying. Carlijn is working on an illustrated book about Froek developing a friendship with a bird.

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Galleries in The Hague; Classic, new, retro, exciting? •

By Arletta Hovinga

It was an exciting idea to write about galleries in The Hague, but for one thing; there are so many! I decided to go on a gallery treasure hunt and pick two that would show how versatile the art scene in The Hague can be.

2. Turner (Studio of Andre Hoppzak) Andre told me to come to the DCR and holler his name so he would know I’m there (as I’m not using a cell phone). Outside of the gates I yelled out “Andre!? Andre!!” There is something amazingly intimate about yelling someone’s name this way, someone you never met. Usually yelling someone’s name is reserved for family, loved ones, those close to us. Andre was quite nice, he told me about his life, then drove me back to Stroom, where I was staying.

3. Daisy (Galerie De Rijk) Daisy was as elegant as the gallery itself (and its owners Heleen and Eugene), an elegance personified through her movements, gestures, and body language. Capricious, she resembled in dog-form her namesake from The Great Gatsby, the famous and fragile Daisy who belonged with luxury and fine living.

4. Tiga (Studio of Tawhida Engelenburg) Tawhida spoke to me about the parts of Tiga that reminded her of herself. Everyone dislikes these painful “mirrors” in others, but are inevitably drawn to them, to learn from them, to forgive them, and perhaps to heal them as a way of indirectly healing or forgiving themselves. She prepared a special herbal tea for me and Isabelle, my girlfriend. The sewing kit was something in a box nearby, from her Mother. I asked if I could open it and display the contents, and was happy to find it was a sewing kit.

My thanks to Isabelle, to the kind people of The Hague, to the dogs and dog owners I met, to May Lockhart, to Jordy van den Nieuwendijk, to Linda Overzee, to Simone Branson Harper, and to Mischa and Connie from Stroom.

Vonkel and the Standup Gallery (short “the Gallery”) are both located in the centre. Vonkel (Assendelftstraat, near Westeinde) is a modern art gallery, displaying contemporary and if you will, somewhat ambitious art on the ground floor: this is where museum worthy artists, young and older, display their work in a modern, fresh setting. On their first floor, however, you walk into a living room setting filled with timeless art. The aim: to make you feel at home and to allow you to take your time to enjoy art as you would from your own sofa. These two floors are very different, displaying art in different settings. Their latest exposition, “OK GLASS” seeks to link contemporary art to technological Innovation and explores the effects of a new Google technology on artists and their way of working. Very different but equally interesting is the Standup Gallery in the Haagse Bluf. Bryan Diender showed me the opening speech he wrote for it, and having read that, and having visited the place, I have learned that there is not one way to describe it. Diender’s “For a while, there are no rules” probably comes closest. The Gallery allows young artists to put their dreams on a pedestal by giving them the space to develop their ideas. The Gallery is an art shop, an exposition space, and more: step past the perhaps somewhat messy looking entrance and prepare to be intrigued. This is more than a gallery, this is a platform. A creative space where there is always something new to be discovered. Today, that might be a guy changing a simple IKEA table into a stylish piece of furniture covered in classical music sheets, tomorrow it might be a poetry gig. The excitement is in its versatility. These two galleries, in my opinion, sum up a wide range of different art styles. Vonkel, because it is new, contemporary, exciting, but homely, and the Gallery because of its boundless opportunities. Both galleries have young and established artists on display, and I recommend visiting both.

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Art & Design

hidden collections museums Underground •

By Damini Purkayastha

he best stories often unfold behind the scenes, even at a deceptively simple art exhibition. In this series - Museums Underground - we talk to some of the top museums in the Netherlands for a sneak peek at what goes on before big opening nights. Our journey begins with the the Historical Museum of The Hague - Haags Historisch Museum. Here we are met by Marco van Baalen, the director. Van Baalen recently took over from Antoinette Visser, who was the director for 8 years. The room we are in houses a temporary exhibition that was curated for Visser’s farewell - works acquired during her tenure. “We have over 2,000 works in storage as we can only display 700 odd works at a time. This was a good way for us to explore some of our acquisitions and exhibit some of the works otherwise in storage,” says van Baalen. The Haags Historisch museum, which chronicles the history of the city, began with 6 portraits in the 18th century. The museum continued to grow and in 1934 it moved to the Stadhouderslaan, overtime gaining an impressive collection of artworks. History, however, took a backseat. Until 1986, when the collection of works about Den Haag got a new home in the archery house of St Sebastien’s guild (circa 1636). One of the most impressive works here is a painting of The Hague by 17th century Dutch master Jan van Goyen. “Technically, this painting could have gone to the Gemeente Musuem, but since it tells the story of a key moment in the history of The Hague, it was decided that it belongs here,” he says proudly. The room we are in has another painting by Goyen, a smaller one that was donated to the library by a patron. “This painting was part of the pre-World

War II collection of a family and they decided to donate the work to this museum because it seemed more fitting in the context of the city,” he says. Acquisition of new works is not easy. Auctions at big houses such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s are often out of scope and others happen too quickly for them to able to raise sufficient funds. Old Dutch families from The Hague do however seem to favour them. The family of Dutch explorer-photographer Alexine Tinne recently donated a large body of her work to them. Even for a small museum, the logistics involved are staggering. Their “depot”, where 75% of their collection is stored, is in the outskirts of the city. The temperature controlled warehouse is divided into aisles where artworks are carefully catalogued and stacked. “It is not open to the public, of course,” says van Baalen. The depot is usually visited when an exhibition requires certain works. The planning for a big show can often take years, especially if it’s in collaboration with other museums and involves the transport of works of art. “In fact, people sometimes start an informal discussion on the matter about 3 years in advance.” One of the works from the collection of the Haags museum will be shown at a large exhibition in Boston in 2016 - the logistics are already in place. Preservation is a tricky matter too. “A painting will last for centuries, but no one can say it will last forever,” he says, pointing out the cracks in the canvas of a brightly coloured family portrait. We talk of cryogenics and the research into preserving paintings in nitrogen. But that’s far off in the future. For now, works on display at the museum itself have to be kept in humid environs. Every room has stabilisers to ensure that there’s 50% humidity at all times. “Keeping the climate under control is a big task. This building wasn’t designed to be a museum. Still, it’s a historic landmark and what better place to preserve history?”

Also expats experience the Corona feeling in the heart of The Hague!

my favourite painting •

By Rebecca Seward

The painting I have chosen is Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer, by Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn. Rembrandt, born in Leiden in July 1606, is considered one of the most famous painters in Dutch history. One of the biggest contributors in painting to the Dutch Golden Age, his reputation and works were highly regarded throughout his lifetime. Not only did he create many masterpieces he also spent twenty years teaching other Dutch painters. His reputation was made through his portraits, and his illustrations of scenes from the bible or historical events Continuing on the historical theme, the painting Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer was painted in 1653. It shows the great Ancient Greek philosopher contemplating the bust of the blind and humble Homer. The room is in shadow but the world weary look of contemplation on Aristotle’s face, and the hand he places on the bust are painted in light, giving credence to the interpretation of depicting the man of science deferring to the arts, as a beacon of light in the darkness. Rembrandt was known for putting his knowledge and understanding of a subject into his work and I feel this is reflected in this picture of a great philosopher possibly contemplating the intangible nature of the Arts. This painting currently resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was purchased in 1961 for 2.3 million dollars, which was the highest amount ever paid for a picture at the time. It was also the inspiration behind Joseph Heller’s 1988 novel Picture This.

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Issue 17. July/August 2013

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Reinventing the Way People Donate to Charity •

By Niya Stoimenova | Photos by Cheron Huskens

• Mobile gaming and social network company Gramble World BV is on a mission: to improve the lives of 1 billion people through games. While Gramble offers many other advantages to their players – from innovative features to their social community – what really sets them apart is their dedication to reinvent the way people donate to charity.

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Why the Netherlands? Founded in May 2012 by English-Australian entrepreneur Adam Palmer, Gramble has its headquarters in The Hague. One of their main reasons for choosing the Netherlands was Novamedia, their biggest investor and a key strategic partner. “The Hague seemed to be the perfect choice. It’s not as crazy as Utrecht or Amsterdam, but just as many big things are going on here,” explains Jon Butterfield, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. No Longer a Guilty Pleasure The idea to set up a gaming social network came from Blue Ocean Strategy, a hugely popular book, according to which innovation is the key to success. “Initially, Gramble was about making games. But this wasn’t very Blue Ocean. Then, it struck us that instead of developing games, we could create a network that hosts the games and gives developers the tools to write them,” says Butterfield. Charity was a big part of this strategy. “There are 70 billion apps to be downloaded this year – almost

10 per person in the world. Gaming, as an industry, is bigger than Hollywood. But, little is done for charity. Imagine if everyone got together for a cause: players, developers, and charities. Gaming is no longer a guilty pleasure; you play for good.” Giving Love So far Gramble has signed on 13 charity partners. Gramble looks for charities that are already engaged with their demographic; charities that are young and innovative, have a good social media understanding and a solid Twitter and Facebook fan base. “We don’t want to have thousands of charities and give couple of euros to each. We want to first help the ones that match our demographic,” explains Viral Patel, co-founder and Chief Operations Officer. Instead of donating to a charity at large, players donate to a specific cause. “The online player may never get to see what the charity is doing with their donations, which is why we have causes. This way everybody knows where their money is going,” explain Palmer. Charities and causes that partner with Gramble receive a portion of the Gramble Foundation’s proceeds every time a player makes a transaction, clicks an ad, etc. “Even our lawyers have donated a significant amount to the Gramble Foundation. And that really shows how many people believe in our vision,” adds Butterfield. The Monkey Island Instead of an ordinary office, Gramble has a Monkey Island: “We call it Monkey Island because we are on the top of a tree and are a bunch of

monkeys that want to have fun and cause some disruption,” says Palmer. Words such as ‘work’ and ‘office’ are considered curse words here. “Every time somebody says one of the curse words like ‘office’ or ‘work’, or ‘meeting’, they have to put money in our swear jar,” adds Butterfield. The Big Hairy Audacious Goal “Why do we do it? I think our vision explains it all: we want to be the most fun, the most respected social entertainment network in the world and help improve the life of 1 billion people by reinventing the way people donate to charity. That’s what we call our BHAG: Big Hairy Audacious Goal,” explains Palmer. Gramble’s team is key in making this happen. For example, “The person who looks after the charity relationship Queralt Escrich, is called the Chief of Smiles…and the chief delivers happiness,” adds Patel. Working Overtime for a Good Cause Gramble was part of the Eight Hours Overtime event held in The Hague earlier this year. “I think this was a great initiative: to see teams of 5 coming together, in their own time, to work on a Friday until three in the morning to solve a problem for a charity is incredibly inspiring. We were really honoured that they chose us, that they asked us to help them,” said Adam. Also commendable is Gramble’s own initiative. One that will definitely set the wheels of change in motion.

People & Passions

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Vitali Rozynko

urban legend: daan kruijt

de nachtstrijker = the night ironer

The Road to Becoming an Opera Singer •

People & Passions

Issue 17. July/August 2013

By Darina Kozlova

Talented Russian-American opera singer Vitali Rozynko, now living in The Hague, talks to Darina Kozlova about his life as a professional Opera Singer. Introduced to opera at a school trip to Madam Butterfly by Puccini at the age of 9, it wasn’t exactly ‘love at first sight’: ‘I was SO bored... I had been yawning so much that I had tears in my eyes and I remember thinking ‘This is the most miserable art form ever, I will NEVER come to another opera!’, so it is quite funny that it turned out to be my greatest passion.’ Vitali’s fascination with operatic singing came somewhat later, when he met an opera singer at his California high school. Further encouragement from friends, family, a well-known singing teacher and of course a voice to match, saw Vitali debut at 19 as an opera singer – a small role in Puccini’s La Bohème for a company in California. Since then, Vitali’s dramatic voice has been heard in many renowned operas, from La Traviata and Fidelio to Countess Maritza and The Rape of Lucretia. Why singing? What do you love the most about it? The feeling of creating that sound with your body is so uplifting! When you’re singing well, you physically feel fantastic, and, if you’re singing opera, you have the luxury of being accompanied by an orchestra, so you are almost swimming in a vastness of other music and then you also get to act, another wonderful thing, and you get to share the stage with good colleagues, with whom you can share the experience. The opera is such a culmination of so many art forms. As the famous opera director Peter Sellars said in an interview once: ‘Opera is a very high stake art form’. There are so many art forms at stake: there is ballet, the acting, the set design, the orchestra, the conductor, lighting, and singing, of course. There are so many things going on and when they come together - it is like an explosion of brilliance. But, if a few things fail, then, sometimes, others will also fail, because they rely on each other - in that way it is indeed a very high stake art form. And I love that about opera. What was your most challenging role? I’ve sung a number of roles by the composer Verdi and his music is the one I find the most vocally challenging. He really stretches the boundaries of what the voice can do, and it is so exciting and satisfying because of that. Musically, I’ve sung a few modern and atonal pieces, which can be very difficult - it takes a while for your ears to get used to certain intervals and certain sounds. Even the Owen

Wingrave opera, though not atonal, was inspired by the 12 tone technique made famous by people like Schoenberg, so the tonal aesthetics were at times quite far from the obvious melodic lines. What is the secret of your success? Hard work. And patience. And 2 hours of practice per day, to stay in shape: a warm-up, a singing lesson and then work on the repertoire. It is necessary to take care of your voice, to understand the principles of vocal production. Any suggestions for our international readers? Go to the opera, go to the theatre, go to the symphony. People have got to be exposed to music. How can we ignore music? As Maude said in the wonderful movie ‘Harold and Maude’: ‘Music is the cosmic dance’. It’s not a luxury. It is art. But apparently the government doesn’t think it’s important, so we have to support it ourselves. Go, go, go.

Read the full article, the intelligent and insightful remarks of this amazing artist www.theunderground.nl

Hans de Back Sound Therapist •

By Wicked Wendy & Laura Dragulin

Hans de Back ‘The Wounded Healer’ doesn’t think of himself as a doctor, a healer or a therapist. He has Tibetan singing bowls that do the introductions for him. His interest in sound massage started in 1974 during his psychotherapy study, which he never finished as other interests took over. ‘Over the years I’ve observed that when you guide someone to their emotional centre, it’s much easier to gain contact than by playing doctor and digging up their past,’ he explains, confessing that it is not easy to do manual massage with the physical problems he has. ‘That is how the singing bowl became my calling. No words are necessary and no need to undress; I only touch people with sound. I don’t need to speak as my singing bowls do that for me’. Even though sound massage is an exclusive practice, there are more and more people willing to try it, he says, ‘Some of my clients have been coming to see me for more than 30 years’. Hans is one of the leading authorities in sound therapy in Europe but has chosen to divide his time between our Old Continent and Asia. He spends six months a year in Holland/ The Hague and the other six in Taipei and China.His magical tools originate from the Himalayan Mountains and are composed of copper, tin and various minerals that influence the sound. Hans not only uses his instruments for massage purposes but also performs concerts and has brought out several CD’s. He has even been nominated for a music award in Taiwan where his music hits the charts. Although the first thing you notice when you meet him is his disability, he refers to Quasimodo when describing himself. It’s the last thing you remember, Hans de Back is a remarkable man doing remarkable things. And he does them with a smile on his face, no word of complaint, with great respect and even more humour. When in Holland Hans runs his practice from the most beautiful setting, deep in the heart of Wassenaar, on the grounds of Wittenburg Castle. He offers various therapies, some of which can be claimed on insurance, and I can personally recommend him. It really is a wondrous experience and one that everyone should try at least once in their lives.

For those interested in making an appointment, taking a course or visiting a concert, all relevant info can be found here: www.hansdeback.com

• By Woody Daan Kruijt is an exceptional “Nederlander” whose Dutch is more perfect than his English. If you’ve lived here for a while, you’ll know what I mean! Daan is a guy who throughout his waking hours is fizzing with ideas, opinions and cerebral energy. Fastidiously groomed, he is a head chef and collaborator at de PIP on the Binkhorstlaan. Daan is a Night Ironer. To an English ear, the term Nachtstrijker sounds ominous, bringing about images of violence in the small hours. But far from it, Daan gets his thrill from setting up an ironing board and settling in for a night’s session with a hot and steamy iron! Some execs might find their peace on the golf course and others may relax riding a motorcycle, but for Daan rest is obtained from the ritualisation of the perfect crease on the sleeve, the downturn of the collar and alignment of the buttons. There’s a film of him on Platform, Geert Verhoeff’s cultural video magazine, where his passion for late night ironing is auto-narrated in an almost poetic Dutch; it sounds nuts, but really this is worth watching. While ironing, so much time and space is gained for the mind to simmer down, to collect and disperse the overload of the day. Listening to music is intensified with no outside distractions. Thoughts are thought out and clarity reached, a dissipation of mist occuring through the repetitive task for tactile perfection; and a mental edge is honed.

I met Daan at the legendary Florentia ice cream parlor for coffee and cake on a blissfully warm sunny afternoon in April. I had seen his film on YouTube and read his pieces on the web, yet was surprised by how approachable and erudite he is; and deeply engaged with The Hague’s überculture. I think this term better encapsulates a new generation of freethinkers and go-getters than counterculture or urban rebel or whatever. What I see here is not a kid rising form the ghetto or a university drop-out wanting to create the big bang, but someone who is swimming above the tides and currents of street politics, someone who is actively pursuing a different and collective cultural agenda. Global change is created through local action and De Pip in The Hague is such a manifestation. An independent cultural organization busy with the performing arts, debates, exhibitions, workshops, production, a printing press, a pop up restaurant and nightclub, it provides a space for diverse artists, especially in this period of recession and difficulties with funding. At PIP’s, Daan is also the resident “Chef Smaak” (the chef of taste) both literally and culturally. He writes for the PIP website and although you might not always agree with his comments they are always passionate. Or maybe you’ve got to love and hate him all at the same time, there is no middle path! www.pipdenhaag.nl/item/2012/chef-smaak/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kavz9Wn1has

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Travel

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Hidden Paradises •

“When I spoke to the King at the reception on Queensday, he was excited to hear an ambassador trying and speaking Dutch”

By your Travel Adviser, Dicky H.I. Riel

In Italy, two little spots of paradise:

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If travelling to Tuscany and to Florence there is a fantastic place to stay, to enjoy a nice break or holiday. Hotel/Ristorante Villa Le Rondini lies on a beautiful hill with a special view on the City of Florence. This 16th century villa is encircled by 22 hectares of park, olive trees and set in the typical Tuscan countryside. For sport lovers, golf and riding facilities are at short distance, and on the premises there is a tennis court, swimming pool and even a heliport! Villa Le Rondini’s rooms are decorated in classic style but with air-conditioning and their restaurant uses products from the nearby family farms. There is a large parking area at the Villa and good public transportation nearby, bringing you to Florence city centre in just 10 minutes. Address: Hotel/Ristorante Villa le Rondini, Via Bolognese Vecchia, 224, 50139 Florence Tel: 0031 055 4000081 www.villalerondini.it South of Rome, at about 2 hours’ drive on the way to Naples and Abruzzo, is another location worth mentioning. In an area known as Ciociaria there is Fuiggi and Fuiggi Terme! Nowadays, the Italian mineral water San Pellegrino is well known but few people know that the water from the source at Fuiggi is of the same level, if not higher in quality. Fiuggi Terme is also famous for Spa health treatments. The adjacent town of Fiuggi has a very nice golf course and many good hotels set in nice surroundings. Closer to home: A hidden paradise in Belgium Just outside Gent and not far from Brugge lies St. Martens Latem, a very cosy village in green surroundings with a well-known golf course. This village, formerly known as the Artist Village, was home to a number of famous painters and artists and still retains a special cultural feel and you will find it hard to leave! It’s a good place for a short break or a weekend and can be combined with a trip to the Belgium coast – Oostende and Knokke are about an hour away. Alternatively, take a boat ride on the Leie, the pretty river that runs from Gent via St. Martens Latem to the North Sea. From Gent you can take a boat going to St. Martens Latem and one of the recommended stops is at the Auberge de Pecheur. a fine hotel with an excellent restaurant. It can also be easily reached by car and has good parking facilities. Watch out for the next travel review by Dicky Riel, where he will be revealing little hidden paradises in Georgia, in Algeria and in Venice.

His Excellency George Troup of New Zealand

meet the ambassador •

Text by Priya de Langen I Photo by debestpix.com

His Excellency George Troup, Ambassador of New Zealand speaks to Priya de Langen about his work in The Hague, his love for Dutch food and speaking to the King in Dutch. “The Hague is a popular place to go for ambassadors. In our service, it is one of the positions that is most sought after and I feel very lucky to have been sent here,” says George Troup, Ambassador of New Zealand Embassy. Troup assumed his position in The Hague in 2010 and in the three years, he has made efforts in improving the already strong diplomatic and economic ties that exist between the two countries. The Netherlands is the largest European investor in New Zealand and two countries share a historic relationship – a captain of the Dutch East Indies Company and his sailors were the first nonMaori to conduct an expedition into a land that is currently known as New Zealand in 1642. The relationship between the two nations was made stronger by migration over the years. A significant number of Dutch migrants settled in New Zealand after World War II while many New Zealanders have also settled in The Netherlands. Troup estimates that currently 10,000 New Zealanders are residing on Dutch soil. His scope of work is wide-ranging and he says that the main objective of the embassy in The Hague is working with the Dutch. He says he is keen to promote the possible synergies between two countries in the oil and gas industry. “We are interested in investment from The Netherlands. We are interested in selling the New Zealand know- how to The Netherlands and using the Dutch know-how in New Zealand.” Troup has also hosted a reception for a conference of the Superconductors industry to showcase what New Zealand is doing in this industry. His duties also include attending and representing New Zealand at important conferences held by international organisations such as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague. He observes that he likes talking to intelligent and knowledgeable Dutch people from all industries. “One of the great things about a posting here is the Dutch people all know what is happening and they try to tell you about it and they say it honestly.” Of course, it is not always about work for Troup who has taken to acclimatising to the Dutch culture and way of life with gusto. He admits that croquettes and bitterballen are some of his favourite Dutch fare and even forces his visitors to try herrings, which he says he likes very much. In his spare time and for recreation he has taken up Dutch biking: “I really enjoy cycling across the dunes; I live in Wassenaar and I like to get on my bike and sometimes cycle along the dunes to Scheveningen and then come back through the woods of The Hague.” He likes to attend concerts and appreciates the Dutch taste in music, for composers like Bach, whose music is popular in The Netherlands. Furthermore, he spends time showing family and friends who come to visit around South and North Holland or takes them on a ride to the countryside. Troup has also taken to the Dutch language and spent two weeks on an intensive Dutch course in a language school in Vught, near Den Bosch. “I can read and write Dutch and I can often understand what is said on the television and in the news but the challenge is to practice speaking. Dutch people speak English so well that they all turn to speaking English when I speak to them.” One could say that the language lessons have paid off since he got the chance to speak to King Willem-Alexander in Dutch. “When I spoke to the King at the reception on Koningsdag, he was excited to hear an ambassador trying and speaking Dutch,” he recalls.

Music

Issue 17. July/August 2013

PARTY scene

Diary of a Music Festival Organiser (Part 2) •

Music

Issue 16. May /June 2013

By Richard Morris

• By Arletta Hovinga

If someone would have told me back in March that in three months time I would be putting on one of the largest singer-songwriter festivals in Europe, I would have laughed. Heartily. But the reality is that first edition of The Hague International SingerSongwriter Festival (THISSFest 2013) has come and gone, and unlike most dreams, this one actually came true.

The Hague was not known for its party scene. That is, until a few years ago, when a world of opportunities was created and named “de PIP”. David, co-founder of PIP, tells us more. Where did the idea for “de PIP” come from? About five years ago, several groups of creative people within The Hague all had the same problem; they were looking for a place to work, hang out, and express themselves. The “Blauwe Aanslag” had been taken down and we were all running short of places to go. At some point some people started saying “It’s our own fault there’s nothing to do here” –so we all decided to join forces and start a collective, nowadays consisting of about 20-25 groups. It gives us all the advantage of a much bigger network and more possibilities.

When I first dreamed up the idea of producing a music festival, I envisioned a cozy little get together of a dozen or so singersongwriters to perform original, acoustic music at a café or two and exchange music, ideas and connect with a few like-minded artists. I never could have imagined then that my little idea would have blossomed into a festival with more than 200 artists from 30 countries performing in seven venues over four days. I must confess that I didn’t have any experience organizing a music festival, which turned out to be a virtue, as I wasn’t constrained by anything except the limits of my own imagination, creativity and a good many sleepless nights. And while I was the “one-man band” behind the scenes—doing the publicity, designing posters, running the website and social media outlets, organizing two successful pre-festival meet and greet events

Supra Naturals •

By Arletta Photos by Marketa

How’d you get to the name, “Wild Education”? Chris: That was actually just the working title. It wasn’t set in stone while writing or anything, it just turned out to fit the record perfectly. and putting together a mammoth timetable with more than 500 individual performance slots—the true success of the festival is owed to the scores of talented artists, tireless volunteers, generous media and social partners and the enthusiastic music lovers who made THISSFest 2013 an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. Early on during the organizational process of the festival, I was approached by a fellow singer-songwriter who asked me how I planned to “maintain the quality of the performances” with so many artists coming on board and no apparent criteria for weeding out the ones who didn’t have a “high standard of ability.” My answer back then was simply “I don’t know.” Secretly, however, I did know. If this was to truly be the kind of music festival I had envisioned—a celebration of the art and craft of the singer-songwriter—there would be no criteria, as songs are living things, created by people who are passionate, at times vulnerable, and whose gifts and talent transcend any standards or criteria. In the end, we saw a wide variety of performers, performances and genres. Some artists have long, tried and tested careers, other are signed to management agencies and record labels, and there are some who write songs as hobbies or who have just started creating their own music. There were artists who have recently recorded their first demos on laptop computers in their living rooms, and there are a few whose songs have appeared on records that have sold into the millions of copies. Amongst us there were doctors, lawyers, restaurateurs, teachers, students, scientists, engineers, fitness instructors and IT technicians. But everyone who took the stage during the four-day festival—every singer, songwriter, guitarist, piano and keyboard player, bassist, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist—had one thing in common: a profound, undying love and admiration for music and for creating songs, songs that touch us all and that serve as a constant reminder that music is more than a universal language, it is the one thing that connects us to our soul and to our passion, joy and zest for life. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make THISSFest 2013 a huge success and a dream come true. See you next year. If not sooner… Richard Morris is the founder of the Secret Singer-Songwriter Society (S4), a registered Dutch nonprofit organization supporting independent artists and a variety of global humanitarian projects. The S4 are the organizers of THISSFest 2013.

For those who don’t know you; What does Supra Naturals sound like? What are your main influences? Kit: I don’t think influence and inspiration is a good start point. There are just too many different things. Rock&roll, dance, hiphop, punk, stoner. But at the end of the day we’re mainly fishing in the Essex, UK bigbeat pond- we just serve that fish with our The Hague sauce. You guys get compared to the Prodigy pretty often. How do you feel about that? Chris: Applause!! Youri: We don’t mind getting compared to bigger bands of course- Prodigy isn’t the only one. Chris: Yeah. Like Rage Against the Machine. You have the stage presence to match. Chris: Yeah. I think I could get away with looking American, too. What’s the first and second single off the album? Kit: Plan 9. Chris: We don’t really know what the next one will be yet.. Kit: We just really like making videos. Or rather, Chris makes them, we just get to have fun in the meantime. The album was mixed in the UK. How’d you find someone over there to work with you? Kit: E-mail. Chris: And this guy stays up late, just like us, so our 2 am e-mail was responded to within hours. Kit: And he’s a great guy.He really likes batik shirts, too. Youri: He understands what we want. His mixes were perfect at his first try, which saved us a lot of time. Kit: Time is money! But really, he likes batik shirts, so he’s kind of trigger happy with delays and that kind of effects, but we talked about that. He did a great job.

You have plans to tour the UK and Ireland. What’re your other plans? The US? Europe? Chris: Hopefully, we’re starting our first promo tour this year, between September and December somewhere. Youri: We don’t exactly know when, but it’ll probably be at the end of this year. The record was released on April 1st over there. Kit: We have a deal with Rough Trade distribution here, but we’re our own label. So we’re not looking at the US just yet, ‘cause sometimes we just run out of money. France and Germany are our more sensible options right now. You guys only started in 2011. How did you get to play such big shows, like Schollenpop, Popronde last year, and Parkpop this year? Youri: Well,we started without Chris, but did our first show with him in the winter of 2010. Chris: We dated for a while, but we’re a happy couple now. Kit: We really wanted to release a record as soon as possible, and do fun stuff outside the Hague. The record, I guess, is our transition from our own projects toward being a band. Chris: We were pretty lucky with the people we know and how they’ve helped us out though.

Did that network help you end up with this huge location? Steven (the other founder) and I had the idea of the PIP and wanted to organise a festival to see how many people would be interested. One of our friends, from the Royal Academy of Arts, had hosted an exhibition here, so we got in touch with the housing service Vestia and explained what we wanted. The guy we talked to turned around and said “Forget the festival. Do it all here.” Which kinds of people come to the PIP? Well, we do a lot of different things. We host party after party every weekend, but we organise workshops, skating and break-dance, we rent out flex work office spaces and meeting rooms. There are so many possibilities in the space available. What about the atmosphere? The feeling, the vibe? Well, we’re just outside the city centre, so we only get people in here that want to be here. That really helps to create a good vibe. Like the other day, when a drunk guy kicked over our fire pit and a couple of other guys just cleaned up his mess and sent him on his way. The sense of community is amazing. Is that what makes the PIP so special? Well, yes. But we also like to make our events special. We hosted a 80’s&90’s party and taught aerobics workshops in the venue next door, we let the national health service offer free aids tests at our Valentine’s Day party. For our Halloween party, our flyers were printed on band aids. We think a night out should be a great experience, not just a venue with a DJ spinning records. More information: www.pipdenhaag.nl

I guess that’s what it is. An experience.

AN INTERVIEW WITH Vinyl Richie •

By Daniel Taylor

NEW YORKER IN THE HAGUE: THE UNDERGROUND MEETS VINYL RICHIE As the new resident DJ at PIP Den Haag, Vinyl Richie has traded in his hometown New York for a life in The Hague. Daniel Taylor sat down with him to talk about the business of making music in his newly adopted hometown. When did you first come into contact with making music? ‘I always wanted to become a DJ. I would get the DJ catalogues and I’d know the price of every single model: Technics 1200’s, 1210’s... everything. I never actually had the money to do it, so I always kind of idolized it. I met my brother, who was a rapper, when I was fourteen or fifteen. He had a studio set up, which was pretty dope. He had these producers that had all moved down to New York, so he had a few different studios he would go to. That kind of gave me the space to start making music.’ How’d you get the name Vinyl Richie? ‘I’d be sampling a bunch of records and leaving them out, without putting them back on the shelves. People were like: ‘You ain’t nothing but a Vinyl Richie.’. Soon after, they started calling me Vinyl Richie. I started DJ’ing right after that.’ What brought you from America to The Hague? ‘I got the opportunity... I’ve been DJ’ing back and forth for a while, making trips to the likes of Sweden, France, and so on.’ You never get sick of it? ‘Hell no! Maybe that’s because I chose that dream since I was young... I mean, it’s a lifestyle. I just want to meet people. I like being able to make people smile, that’s my whole DJ-style.’ How did you end up at PIP Den Haag? ‘I ended up at PIP through a friend who’d been trying to get me to go there for a while. I DJed at a party with a whole bunch of people there and it was crazy. After that, they asked me to come DJ every first Thursday. Those guys are my best friends over here.’ What can we expect next? ‘I’d been working on production work for a while in New York, so I’m trying to get back on that. Me and my brother are going to record an album called the Nathaniel Brothers too. It’s great because... I’ve been making music for people since I was seventeen, travelling the world without him, and now we’re finally doing an album. I’ve You can check out Vinyl Richie every first been holding out alot of music from other peoThursday at PIP Den Haag and online: ple, just to make sure he gets the good stuff.’ So you’ll be in The Hague for the forseeable future? ‘We’ll probably be in Paris or something like that, haha. Nah, just kidding. Actually, my brother loves The Hague, even though the hamburgers here taste more like sausages.’

www.soundcloud.com/yovinyl www.twitter.com/yovinyl www.facebook.com/pages/Vinyl-Richie www.yovinyl.com

Wine & Dine

where to go

Looking for the perfect venue? Bluevents, newly located on the Schokkerweg 37, offers the perfect venue for weddings, private dinners, workshops, parties, book presentations, conferences or any other social gathering. Maurice La Brujeere, owner of the well-established restaurant ‘de Ooievaar’, has utilized his many years of experience to set up this concept. When you enter this wonderful venue, the first thing that hits you is the feeling of spaciousness due to the surrounding glass windows, yet owing to the interior design and the inside balcony it also holds a feeling of intimacy. The huge, modern, professional kitchen at the front will make any avid cooks mouth water. The bar itself is situated discretely at the side leaving a large open space for dancing or could be filled with high tables. Another advantage is the delightful view, which overlooks Scheveningen’s 2nd harbour. The balcony doors can be set wide open and lead to an outside balcony that spans the width of the building. BLU can hold up to 200 guests and provided there are more than 50 paying guests even offers free use of the entire venue. Maurice does not just provide a location, he wants to deliver an experience. He takes the time to find out and discuss exactly what you want and will help and guide you to achieve this. For inquiries and bookings: www.bluevents.nl info@bluevents.nl

recipes of the month •

Recipes by Jesse Johnson I Photos by Paco van Leeuwen

Gatherings around the dinner table have been allocated to special occasions in most of the Western world. This month’s asian-inspired recipes have been created with the revival of the communal meal in mind. So call your friends and try them out! Miso Ginger Fried Tofu Appetizer • 1 block firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes • 2 Tbs oil • 1 spring onion, chopped • 4 cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges • greens for garnish • • • • •

Sauce: 1 Tbs shiro(light) miso 3 Tbs honey 1 tsp fresh grated ginger 1tsp tamari

Heat a pan on medium high. Add the oil then place the cubes of tofu in the pan. While the tofu is cooking combine all the sauce ingredients together. Fry the tofu until all sides are browned; remove from pan and place on a plate. Drizzle the sauce over the tofu. Garnish with tomato wedges, spring onion and greens.

Asian Style Baked White Fish Side dish • 1 whole Dorado or Red Snapper, gutted • 2 kaffir lime leaves • Peanuts, for garnish • Coriander, for garnish • Red pepper, for garnish Sauce: • 1 medium clove of garlic, minced • 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger • 1 small shallot, minced • 1 bird’s eye chili, minced (optional) • 1 tsp sugar (preferably Palm) • 2 1/2 Tbs tamari or soya sauce • 1/4 tsp sesame oil • 2 tsp lemongrass, grated * • 1 pinch of pepper • Zest of half a lime Make three diagonal slits on each side of the Dorado. Combine all of the sauce ingredients. Rub the mixture into the diagonal slits on the fish, and place what remains of the it inside the cavity with the kaffir leaves. Make a envelope out of tin foil and seal the fish inside. Place on the middle shelf in a preheated oven at 180 degrees convection for 25 minutes. Top with coriander red pepper and peanuts. * Remove outer leaves and finely grate

Farmer’s market

every Wednesday from 9.00-18.00 Hofplaats in The Hague www.boerenmarkt-denhaag.nl

Indian Restaurant ‘Taj Mahal’ . Maliestraat 5 . 2514 CA . Den Haag info@tajmahalrestaurant.nl . Phone: 070-3310 669 www.tajmahalrestaurant.eu

TIP!

Wine & Dine

Issue 17. July/August 2013

food for thought ...

SPOTTED

Issue 17. July/August 2013

Restaurant Review hotel CORONA

•

Photos and text by Gerrit Vermeulen

Hotel Corona restaurant: the evolution of a 17th century luxury city hotel. As we walk on the beautiful ‘Buitenhof’ the dark and powerful styling of the recently rebuild restaurant and terrace are in striking contrast with the colourful and sunny establishments on the other side of the square. We are welcomed with champagne by the ‘Maitre d ‘Hotel’ and placed in a lounge chair on the slightly elevated terrace overlooking the square.

What You Need to Know:

To judge this hotel correctly we must know its history, its present and visualize its future. Hotel Corona is the oldest of the 4 star hotels in The Hague. In the last twenty years the restaurant has seen high peaks with a Michelin Star followed by a state of decline in fame and fortune until in 2010, when the building was modernised with a new restaurant and a new glass conservatory with terrace were added. The restaurant has a new and renowned owner with patron-cuisinier, Marcel van der Klein, who also runs Michelin Star restaurant ‘Callas’. Professional people invested a lot in the new formula to bring Hotel Corona back to glory. New food, jazz evenings and live gipsy music nights.

Where

The restaurant is spacious with a lot of light in the front and as you get nearer to the open kitchen in the back the light diminishes. The artwork that is our starter is served: raw mackerel with cucumber rollups and a gel of cucumber and sashimi decorated with a lemon dressing and Maldon salt. Very fresh and tasty! Our wine has a crispy mix of Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc with the power of the Chardonnay backing it up without dominating. Good! Meanwhile we are informed that all the herbs are home grown in a private biological garden in Wassenaar! With our added second starter the level continues: a sardine served on a bed of olive couscous and chutney of tomato covered with a shield of breadcrumbs and seaweed. Well balanced, delicious and a great transition to the main course, steaks of veal in a sauce of morilles with asparagus. The veal could be more tender and the Tasmanian Pinot noir is original but not my favourite. We finish our exploration with a composition of strawberries, almond cake and a rhubarb rollup with basil crème filling. Our coffee is served with the bill and both are fantastic. The coffee is strong and the bill is friendly; 29,50 euros for a three course luxury dinner!

Opening Hours

All the herbs are homegrown in a private biological garden in Wassenaar

Hotel Corona restaurant deserves a wider audience. We wish her the best.

City Centre Buitenhof 39-42, The Hague

Contact restaurant@corona.nl www.corona.nl Tel: 070 - 363 79 30

Daily from 7.00 hours until 1.00 hours

Tip Sign up for the Corona newsletter so you don’t miss out on the jazz and live gipsy music nights.

Events

Issue 17. July/August 2013

The Underground

The Hague

Advertising offer

advertise Advertise in the upcoming 2 issues and receive 10% discount and a free banner worth E45,- a month! Upcoming issues: September/October 2013: Theme: A Helping Hand November/December 2013: Shop Till You Drop!

EVENTS

Robin de Goede Photographer Receive10 High Resolution portrait photos for E50,More information: robindegoede@gmail.com www.robindegoede.com

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Place: Museon, Stadhouderslaan 37 2517 HV, The Hague Date: 01-12-2013 – 05-05-2013 www.denhaag.nl

Robbie Williams Date: 13 July Place: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam Zuidoost Time: 19:00 www.livenation.nl

Earth, Wind and Fire Date: 1 July Place: Heineken Music Hall, Amsteram Time: 20:00 Cost: €59,00 www.heineken-music-hall.nl

Werfpop Date: 14 July Place: Leidse Hout, Leiden Cost: Free www.werfpop.nl

The Who Date: 5 July Place: Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam Time: 18:30 Cost: €85,00 - €150,00 www.ziggodome.nl The Parade Theatre Festival Date: 5 – 14 July Place: Kapelweg, The Hague Price: Free - €7,50 www.deparade.nl Summer Market Date: 5 – 7 July Place: Shopping area Leyweg, The Hague Time: 10:00 – 18:00 Cost: Free entrance www.starpromotions.nl/marktlijst 29th Milan Festival Date: 5 – 7 July Place: Zuiderpark, The Hague www.milanzuiderpark.nl HealthCity Open Date: 8 – 14 July Place: Berkenbosch Blokstraat 20, Scheveningen, The Hague Cost: €8,00 - €15,00 www.thehagueopentennis.nl

prins techniek - with 45 years of experience with tires. adress Keyserswey 14-16 2241 CW Noordwijk

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Among Prins Techniek’s customers are numerous expats living in the Hague, Noordwijk or 088-3852900 www.prins-techniek.nl Techniek Wassenaar, and assisting them has only increased his agenda asPrins the word has spread about his 070-3852900 www.spikesspider.nl Spikes Spider NL great services and passion for his work.

Zeehelden Festival Date: 10 – 14 July Place: Prins Hendrikplein, The Hague Time: 10:00 – 12:00 Cost: Free www.zeeheldenfestival.nl Beach Challenge Date: 10 – 13 July Place: Kijkduin, The Hague www.beach-challenge.nl North Sea Jazz Festival Date: 12 – 14 July Place: Ahoy Rotterdam, Rotterdam www.northseajazz.com

Crosby, Stills and Nash Date: 14 July Place: World Forum Theatre, The Hague Time: 20:15 Cost: €69,00 – €79,00 - €89,00 www.worldforum.nl/theater/theatercalendar Plein Open Date: 20 July Place: Spuiplein and Turfmarkt, The Hague Time: 19:30 – 00:00 www.haagspopcentrum.nl/plein-open WC Nacra 17 Sailing Date: 20 - 28 July Place: Scheveningen, The Hague www.scheveningendenhaag.com Golden Oldies Date: 21, 28 July and 4, 11, 18, 25 August Place: Beach Resort Kijkduin, The Hague Time: 16:00 – 18:00 www.vriendenvankijkduin.nl

Schollenpop Date: 3 August Place: Zuiderstrand, Scheveningen, The Hague Time: 12:00 Cost: Free www.schollenpop.nl Dance Valley Date: 3 August Place: Velsen Valley, Spaarnwoude, Amsterdam Time: 12:00 – 23:00 Cost: €50,00 - €99,00 www.dancevalley.com Snoop Dog aka Snoop Lion Date: 6 August Place: Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam Time: 20:00 www.livenation.nl Mustesounds Festival Date: 9 – 11 August Place: Surf Village F.A.S.T, The Hague www.mutesounds.nl Beach Volleyball Circuit Date: 10 – 11, 18 – 24, 25 – 31 August Place: Beach Scheveningen, The Hague www.beachvolley.nl Internationaal Vuurwerkfestival Scheveningen Date: 15 – 17 August www.vuurwerkscheveningen.nl Grachtenfestival Date: 16 – 25 August Place: Various locations, Amsterdam Time: 20:00 www.grachtenfestival.nl Lowlands Date: 16 – 18 August Place: Evenemententerrein Walibi Holland, Biddinghuizen www.lowlands.nl Jazz Festival Delft Date: 16 – 18 August Place: Various locations, Delft www.jazzfestivaldelft.nl City Racing Rotterdam Date: 18 August Place: Centrum Rotterdam www.bavariacityracing.nl

SLS Classic Rally Date: 29 August Place: Scheveningen, The Hague www.slsclassic.nl

Gay Pride Amsterdam Date: 27 July – 4 August Place: Various locations, Amsterdam www.amsterdamgaypride.nl

Concours Hippique Date: 30, 31 August and 1 September Place: Benelux www.concourshippiquedenhaag.nl

Zomermarkt Date: 2 – 4 August Place: Shopping area, Leyweg, The Hague Time: 10:00 – 18:00 Cost: Free www.starpromotions.nl/marktlijst

SAVE THE DATE YoungTheHague World Games: India Bollywood, Kabaddi and Cricket. YoungTheHague brings you on 6 July a bit of India to The Hague.With the World Games, Young The Hague introduces you not only to a specific country/culture like India, but also to a lot of young expats and other young professionals in The Hague. With India in the spotlights, an afternoon full of interesting sports and culture will be organised next 6th of July. You can participate in the national sport Cricket, the less known Kabaddi (a tag game) or show your moves in the Bollywood dancing workshop. From 14:30 you are welcome on the cricket fields of HBS. Bring your sport clothes with you. Showers and dressings rooms are available. The activities finish around 18:00, but it will not be the end of the Indian experience because then Indian food will be served for everyone. Everything for the price of 10 euros. Who: Young expats and young professionals in The Hague  When: 6 July 2013 from 14:30 20:00  Where: HBS, Sportpark Crayenhout, Daal en Bergselaan 2506 CC The Hague  Costs: €10,00 p.p. inclusive Indian diner www.youngthehague.nl

Diploma Counseliing & Coaching The 8th international group for the diploma course Counselling & Coaching in The Hague is now being formed, scheduled to start Nov 2013. This course provides opportunity for interesting and useful professional development and personal growth and so may interest you or any of your staff. There are two Open info mornings planned: Sep 14, at traininglocation CTK in The Hague, starting 10 am. For sign-up or more details please contact me at basal@planet.nl or 071 528 2661.

20th Art and Antique Days Date: 24 – 25 August Place: Lange Voorhout, The Hague Time: 10:00 – 17:00 www.hkad.nl

Delft Chamber Music Festival Date: 26 July – 4 August Place: Various locations, Delft www.delftmusicfestival.nl

Varend Corso Westland Date: 2 – 4 August Place: Various locations www.varendcorso.nl

Jazz in de Gracht Date: 30 – 31 August Place: Dunne Bierkade and Groenewegje, The Hague Time: 17:00 Cost: Free www.jazzindegracht.nl Westerpop Date: 30 – 31 August Place: Sportterrein Grotius College, Delft Time: 13:00 Cost: Free www.westerpop.nl

Pick up your FREE copy of the newspaper at one of our 100 distributionpoints in The Hague area: www.theunderground.nl/ distribution-points/

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Issue 17. July/August 2013

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Issue 17. July/August 2013