My sister Tricia, her husband and I visited The Hague during the family trip to Amsterdam. We wandered around the historical center, visited the Mauritshuis, which has an exceptional collection of Dutch paintings including Vermeer and beautiful still lives from the golden age of Dutch painting. We were particularly lucky to visit during the brief period when the famous Japanese gardens in Clingendael Park — six weeks in the spring and two in the fall — are open. The garden is a delicate ecosystem with many rare plants. This garden (although considerably smaller) was every bit as extraordinary as the Keukenhof.
