Graham Jackson, Blogs Editor
Featured image by NCHS MUN Club Advisor Allison Freeman
DAY 1
Bon Voyage
Eight Model UN club members (including myself) and two teacher advisors departed from New Canaan High School after the second period on January 23. Our final destination: The Hague International Model United Nations conference (a mouthful of a name acronymized as THIMUN) in the Netherlands. While our trip would eventually take us across the Atlantic, we first had to overcome the infamous New York roads and traffic.
Newark State of Mind
Our red Dattco bus pulled up to the United terminal and everyone quickly exited the bus and scurried around back to grab their suitcases from the luggage compartment. The wind and cold whipped across the raised platform while we hauled our bags to the automatic doors.
Escaping the harsh weather during bag check was a welcomed relief for us until several in our group realized their bags exceeded the weight limit and had to rummage through their bags to remove just enough so that they weren’t slammed by United with a massive fee.
Once we checked our bags and passed through security seamlessly we made our way to the gate. Upon arriving we took a table next to the boarding gate desk, dropped our bags and split off in groups to find lunch.
After eating a burnt burger, I returned to the gate. Eventually, we boarded the flight, and I settled into my seat. I plugged in my headphones into the jack, put on 007 Skyfall and leaned back to enjoy the flight. Only 7 hours and 40 minutes to go.
DAY 2
Den Haag or Bust
We touched down at Schiphol International Airport around 7:00 AM Central European Time. After making our way through customs we were discharged into the main terminal building. We soon went to an ATM-like machine to purchase train tickets to Den Haag.
After receiving our cards we descended on an escalator to the hidden Schiphol Airport Station underneath the terminal. After a short wait, we boarded a yellow and blue Nederlandse Spoorwegen train and were off towards Den Haag Centraal (The Hague’s main transportation hub).
After about an hour’s train ride, a couple of quick transfers (during one of which another club member and I nearly got severed from the main group by an automatic door on the train that refused to stay open) and a several rounds of imposter we had finally arrived in The Hague at Den Haag Central.
The station was wide and open with a stunning diamond pattern on the glass ceiling. Unlike many train stations in America, Den Haag Central provided easy access to last mile forms of transportation like buses. In order to head to our hotel, the Marriott Den Haag, where we would stay for the majority of the trip, we had to grab a tram. Fortunately, the trams ran very regularly and networked the whole metropolitan area so our transfer was seamless.
Jet-lagged in Delft
After arriving and checking into our hotel we took about an hour to rest and put our luggage away. Everyone was exhausted and could have easily fallen asleep but we had scheduled a trip to Delft, a small city adjacent to The Hague. Soon, we walked out of the lobby and found ourselves at another tram station on the line to Delft.
After the short tram ride we emerged onto a quiet Delft street lined with sleek modern architecture and split by a glassy canal. We had planned to grab lunch in the historic Markt Square but first we needed to navigate through the seemingly haphazard streets (the medieval era Netherlands roads and canals criss-cross each other and create a jumbled grid).
Markt Square is a centuries-old plaza in Delft with various restaurants and shops. It is home to the old city hall building and a church from 1496 (ironically called the Nieuwe Church, or “New Church”). We arrived as the sun was low in the sky and had a rather scenic view of the square.
We walked over to the restaurant “Het Konings Huy” (The King’s House) and grabbed a quick lunch. Many of us were surprised to find a plate of buttered bread covered in sprinkles on the menu. It turns out that this dish is called Hagelslag and is a famous Dutch specialty eaten for a meal at breakfast and – surprisingly – lunch.
After grabbing lunch we dispersed and walked in groups around the streets, popping into small stores that sold knick-knacks. In search of an authentic souvenir I went into the “House of Vermeer” Delftware (the famous porcelain that shares a name with the city it originated from) shop. However, I immediately felt the urge to leave as when I opened the door it flung into and rattled a shelf of expensive plates, inviting a stare from the cashier.
Following my avoidance of near catastrophe, everyone regrouped at a bench in the central square, each carrying various treasures from their miniature expeditions. When we were all grouped up we made our way back to the tram station and were on our way back to the hotel. Upon arrival back to my room I laid down on my bed and fell asleep instantly.
DAY 3
Morning in The Hague
Everyone woke up and got ready for the day, bundled in coats and ready to charge the chilly Dutch streets. The teacher advisors led us outside to a station about 10 minutes down the street. After a brief wait we hopped on one of the HTM trams and made our way downtown.
After we disembarked at our stop we made our way to the “Escher in het Paleis ” Museum. This museum (not surprisingly) is famous for the Dutch artist Maurits C. Escher who is famous for his paintings that used perspective and illusion to intrigue observers.
As we made our way through (which is in an ornate, former royal palace), the museum gradually morphed from a traditional gallery to a collection of various mirages (this included a room that used perspective to distort people’s relative sizes and a glass sphere).
Vermeer is Near
After leaving the Escher museum we made our way to the Mauritshuis Museum which is in a stately building next to the old brick Dutch Parliament. The museum houses various famous paintings including Johannes Vermeer’s famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”
The museum had a beautiful collection of Dutch art with several works by Rembrandt. One of my favorite pieces of art was Rembrandt’s “Laughing Man,” depicting (not surprisingly) the warm face of a laughing man. This piece had a certain human quality that made it enjoyable to revel in and picture the subject actually laughing right there with you.
DAY 4
Madurodam
On the fourth day of the trip, we had so far seen several historical sites around The Hague and had something a little different planned.
The main event of the day was a trip to the theme park Madurodam. Madurodam is a modestly sized (a small fraction of the size of Waveny Park) Dutch entertainment park which boasts one of the Netherlands’ largest scale models (of the Netherlands) and several rides (no roller coasters, though).
After purchasing our tickets everyone split off into groups and took a tour of the mini-Netherlands. It was early in the morning and there was barely anyone there so we were free to roam all over the park. It was funny to have an opportunity to look at a lot of massive buildings that we had already seen in person, sitting at our feet.
Once we traversed the majority of the park all of the smaller groups met up and decided to go on the two rides (although, I had gone on a bit of a ride earlier when I wiped out on a small flight of concrete steps).
The rides didn’t compare with any of the rides that you would find at a typical American amusement park with windy tracks wrapping around massive steel mountains. Nonetheless the rides were enjoyable and there were no wait times. One of them was a magnetic “dark ride” where you went around in a circle and looked at massive screens that projected events in Dutch windmill history to the present day.
The other ride was a “flight simulator” where you boarded a real antique DC-3 aircraft (that was anchored to the ground) and screens where the passenger windows would be. The plane “flew” around the Netherlands and provided a neat tour of Dutch history and culture.
Opening Ceremonies
After getting back to the hotel, everyone changed into the traditional Model UN clothing, WBA, or Western Business Attire. We then made our way right down the block to the World Forum conference center where the THIMUN conference was held (this is the same building where The Hague NATO summit was held).
Upon entering our group was forced to split up into two groups where the teacher advisors and some of the senior members went into the the main auditorium where our school was given several reserved seats, while the rest of us (including me) were placed in the overflow room on the lower level. Despite having to watch the main events on a screen the Opening Ceremonies were very impressive with distinguished individuals speaking like a UN official and the mayor of The Hague.
When the ceremonies ended the club regrouped and tried to rush back to the hotel to escape the massive crowd of thousands of Model UN students also heading back to their rooms for the night.
DAY 5-8
MUN
During days 5-8 of the trip everyone was dispersed amongst their various Model UN committee rooms. For those not familiar with Model UN, that means everyone was attending their respective debate sessions. As this is a travel blog and not a Model UN blog, I won’t discuss the conference too much, however I would like to acknowledge how enriching an experience it was. I had the opportunity to meet dozens of people from all corners of the world, from Switzerland to Portugal to the Ivory Coast.
While the club found European Model UN less thrilling than its more exciting American counterpart (EuroMUN is stricter in procedure and slower in pace) we all had a great time doing MUN. And, as an added bonus, everyone managed to find a seat in the main auditorium during closing ceremonies on the final night.
DAY 9
Trains, Buses and Trams
On the ninth day, everyone could feel the end of the trip looming overhead. The THIMUN conference had finished the night before and everyone was all packed and ready to head out to the hotel at the Schiphol International Airport, the CitizenM.
The club, with its hundreds of pounds of luggage, regrouped in the lobby one last time and set off to Den Haag Central (the same station we had gone through eight days prior). To get to the station we took a tram and then transferred onto a bus once we arrived, which then took us to a nearby train station where we transferred again onto a long distance train. This train took us back to the Schiphol International Station we had used when we first touched down in the Netherlands, and it was conveniently located only a few minutes away from our hotel.
Visiting Amsterdam
Soon after arriving at the hotel and putting our bags in our rooms the club was off for Amsterdam. We took yet another train to Amsterdam and were then able to walk around the city to get to wherever we needed to go. Our first stop was the Anne Frank House.
The Anne Frank House is a museum that contains the preserved building where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis when Germany invaded the Netherlands during World War Two.
The Franks, who were Jewish, were eventually captured by the Nazis and tragically sent to concentration camps. Their hideout which was above a shopfront is now part of a moving historical artifact that transports you to the dark days of the Holocaust. The museum had a large collection of original pieces and the famous diaries that Anne Frank kept through the occupation. Touring the Anne Frank House was a rewarding experience.
A Ride on the Titanic
After departing from the Anne Frank House we milled around briefly while waiting for the canal cruise we had booked to arrive at a nearby dock. Once it did we lined up to board and were shocked by the name of the boat: the Titanic. I quickly realized that Dutch humor could get surprisingly dark and lacked subtlety.
Despite sharing a name, this vessel proved to be much more “seaworthy” than its White Star Lines companion and everyone had an enjoyable tour through Amsterdam’s various canals.
DAY 10
Home Sweet Home
On the tenth and final day of the trip, everyone got up very early in the morning and after the club grouped up in the lobby of the CitizenM we walked for a few minutes to the airport and quickly checked our bags and went through security.
Once through security we went to the gate for our United flight back to Newark. In order to minimize the amount of Euros I had in my wallet, and in protest to the egregious exchange fees to convert it to USD, I decided to spend my remaining money on Dutch chocolate to bring home as a present for my family (and myself).
Soon after arriving in the terminal we boarded our flight and were off and away for the US.
We touched down at Newark in the early-afternoon and were greeted with bonechilling wind and piles of snow. We collected our baggage, made it through customs and waited in the arrivals hall for a bus to take us back to NCHS.
About an hour and one surprisingly bland rice crispy treat later the bus had arrived and we were finally on our way back home. It was about five o’clock when we made it back into the parking lot where everyone was greeted by their parents with a barrage of hugs and greetings.
While we were all sad that the trip was over, everyone was more than happy to be back home and not have to wake up early in the morning to dart around the Netherlands. Although the trip was over, the experiences and memories we had on the trip will surely last a lifetime.
