What’s great about the Hague is the beach. It’s not a realy beautiful beach and of course the weather is not exactly great. But it’s nice to have the opportunity to get away from town. I am sure I will enjoy long realxing walks when I will be kerning type later this year.
The Hague is a pretty relaxed town. It’s not too big and it’s big enough to feel like you can get most of what you need. I’ve heard a lot of English speakers around town. There is a “china town” which is always a good sign. You can find the usual large brand stores on the main commercial streets. But most importantly there is the beach. The beach is called Scheveningen, it is around 15 minutes on the tram from the centre. There are expensive “trendy” bars and restaurants along the beach but I would avoid them as much as possible. I think the beach is much nicer if you go off the track and venture a little bit further along the beach, away from all the tourists. But I haven’t had the time to do that yet.
When you settle in a new town there are millions of things to do. Obviously you must find a place to stay. Once you’ve found somewhere nice and not too expensive you must open a bank account so you can pay the rent and all the bills. I asked my renting agency to recommend a bank. I think they are all the same but I went to ABN-AMRO (Kneuterdijk) which is free for students. They are very friendly and if you’re from an EU country there shouldn’t be any hassle.
The most difficult for me is finding food. By that I mean food that will live up to my high expectations. I am very difficult about food and it takes me a while to get used to new things. I was told that I would find some very good products at Albert Heijn supermarket but I was very disappointed by the poor choice of greens and fruits. Good bread —that is to my standards— is hardly impossible to find. Most breads are soft and could be used as a pillow. By chance I’ve found an organic shop (Torenstraat) where I can find good vegetables, fruits and bread.
Next problem was to find an internet hotspot since haven’t got an ADSL connection yet. A lot of bars have WIFI but unfortunately it’s not free and it’s even rather expensive (T-Mobile). The only free hotspot I found was in the Apple store where the staff was kind enough to let me check my emails with the stores connection. There is also one at “Bagels and Beans” a café in the Passage.
Finally I am in The Hague. It was a lot of work moving here from Brussels. I wonder what it must be like when you come from the other side of the world. I am starting at KABK on the 14th of September. I am looking forward to get on with the course.
It is fairly difficult to find an accommodation in The Hague. I went to DUWO (student accommodations) and anti-squat organisation STROOM but they couldn’t really help me. I looked on websites such as studentenkamers.nl and others but their just wasn’t many things available. My best chance was to go through expensive housing agencies. Most agencies will ask you 2 months rent for fees. But via an ex-student I found A&N which will only charge you half a rent plus 200 euro.
