Garden Gazing

The roses in the Princessetuin aren't in bloom yet, but the garden still makes for a nice place to relax during our warm spell.

More "Thinking of..."

Thanks to all who commented on yesterday's theme day photo, "When People Think of My City They Think of..."

I'm still viewing the other participating sites ... with the CDPB community constantly growing, it takes longer each month!

If you read any of the comments from yesterday, especially the ones from our dutch neighbors, you might have realized that Wassenaar is considered to be an upscale area. Some people would call it downright "rich." When we tell dutch people we live in Wassenaar, we have to say "in a normal house," else they assume we are moneybags (which we definitely aren't). "Geen kasteel" we often say (no castle). There's a specific reason many expats live here, which we'll reveal in a few days time.

There's no denying the town does have its share of big estates. The prince and princess live here, and other royalty have in the past. The pic above (taken last autumn) shows DePaauw, built around 1840 by Prince Frederick and now serving as town offices. The "estate" surrounding the building is a beautiful park. Many of the large estates in Wassenaar have been repurposed as embassies, given that we are so close to the government in The Hague.

So this is the type of image that many people have when they think of Wassenaar. We'll continue with this "theme" for a few more days.

Blank Stare

One of the lions (leeuwen) that guard the De Paauw, a former royal mansion that now houses some Wassenaar city offices.

Autumn Bridge

This was runner-up to Saturday's theme day post. I featured a different shot of this statue last month. She's normally wading in the water, but the river of leaves makes it look like she's stuck.

Thanks to all who commented on theme day; we were traveling this weekend and haven't had a chance to see all of the bridges, so we'll be looking at the posts over the next couple of days.

Wading Maiden

Normally, this maiden is wading in the pond. To me, with the leaves covering the surface, it looks like she's stuck in quicksand or something.

Autumn Leaves

I really don't like the song "Autumn Leaves," but it's hard not to think of the lyrics this time of year:

The falling leaves drift by the window

The autumn leaves of red and gold...

With apologies to the French and Johnny Mercer fans for my "dis" of the song.

Fall at De Paauw

The De Paauw estate sits on the main thoroughfare that connects Wassenaar to The Hague.


It was built around 1840 by Prince Frederik and now serves as the Wassenaar town hall.


This is the view to the back of the building from the surrounding forest, which is now a pleasant public area to walk & bike.