Netherlands Adventures!: Het Loo and Kroller-Muller

Halloween happened to fall on a Friday this year, which means that we had a field trip on Halloween.  We actually didn't pile into the train like we usually do when we go on these trips, but instead we piled into a car which Abby nicknamed The Fun Bus even though it wasn't even a bus.  But it was a really good car :)

Any way, we piled into The Fun Bus and drove about an hour and a half to Het Loo, which is  a palace (a summer palace, I believe) situated in Appeldorn, east of Leiden.  I was really excited to see a Dutch palace!  I've seen English palaces, French castles (though not on this trip), so now I get to see palaces in another country!  Hurray!

It was a little under construction...

Inside the palace was absolutely gorgeous, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (well, with the help of captions):

I want this study really badly...

Chandelier

This clocked plays a really pretty tune on the hour.  Sure beats the annoying buzz of an alarm clock.

It's a hot seat, because it's right next to the fire place :)  Ha.  Ha ha.

Queen Wilhelmina's childhood room.  It was absolutely adorable.

This study would work for me too.  Just saying.

There were gardens too, but it's getting later in the fall and most of the gardens were under construction any way.  I bet it's beautiful in the spring and summer though.  I'll have to come back to the Netherlands in spring, someday!

After we finished up at Het Loo, which hopped in the car again and drove to this park that I can't remember the name of, but it held the Kroller-Muller museum, which is an art museum.  It was once the collection of the very financially well-off Kroller-Muller family.  There was an indoor part (which we quickly glanced at, to be honest) but also a sculpture garden.  Since it was an exceptionally nice day, we spent most of our time in the sculpture garden.  Since Steef said there were sculptures we could climb on and interact with, I went on a hunt for those as we walked together, Abby, Kristin, Marika, and me.

Courtesy of Abby: I wreaked havoc and climbed on the art.  Actually, Marika and Kristin hoisted me up there.  I jumped down, which was a terrible idea.  That structure was taller than I am.  I think I hurt myself from jumping down.  Learned that lesson... don't jump!  Or just don't climb on the art in the first place.

Here's what it looked like on top, where I was sitting.

And down below.  Hello, Marika!

We did go inside the museum for a while, but for a specific reason: the Kroller-Muller museum has the second largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world, after the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam (which I have yet to visit).  

Also ran into the work of my good friend Picasso.  I liked this one because it's a violin.

And that was our day in Appeldorn!

As I write this, I'm hours away from leaving for Munich, Germany.  I've scheduled this post for Sunday though, so as you read this, I'm probably already back in the Netherlands.  Any way, you'll get to hear about my adventures in Munich next week!  Oh, and Belgium too.  I get back from Germany on Sunday and I leave for Belgium on Wednesday.  Then my family comes to visit me!  Hurray!!!

Until next time... Tot Ziens!

--Jude