It’s very Orange today…

Yet another very wet day greeted us this morning, we were fortunate to see the sun yesterday. The hotel owner commented that the weather was really bad for April, usually it would be warmer certainly much drier and they would be using the outside seating for passing visitors.

To put you out of your misery, here are hats with their owners.

Each day, our blog cheerily greets us with statistics. Apparently views are up 1,500%, impressive until you realise it’s taken our total up to 28.

Kim was keen to visit the Japanese Garden in Clingendael Park, just north of The Hague. Not far out of our way and it’s the only 20th century Japanese Garden in the Netherlands. Created by Baroness Van Brienen in 1900, following her travels in Japan, visitor access is limited to just 6 weeks a year. It first day of opening happened to be today, visitor information told us it could be closed during heavy rain and the only available parking was on street, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, nothing! On street parking was plentiful, and free, the rain stopped, the garden was open and, in Kim’s opinion, the best horticultural visit of the trip. The entrance and exit were guarded and visitor numbers carefully controlled.

The ground is covered in moss, creating a cool, calming effect. Paths are narrow and most edges are protected with bamboo hoops. You don’t need to know this, Kim simply wanted to share more pictures..

Today is Koningsdag and consists of an orange filled celebration of the King’s Birthday. People are dressed in orange, music, flea markets and fun fairs abound. We took part with a slice of King’s Day cake to accompany our coffee in the park’s cafe, before heading back to the car and our ferry.