The Hague (Den Haag) is an incredible city. We live just North in a city named Wassenaar (Coordinates: 52.115280,4.364690). Wassenaar is one of the greenest villages with over 25,000 people residing in the Randstad area.
In the 19th century, Louis Bonaparte – the 3rd brother to Napoléon Bonaparte (French statesman and military leader) – constructed the “Army Road” connecting Leiden and The Hague for trade and travel. Current day Wassenaar is an official residence: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Queen Máxima. The princesses attend the Bloemcampschool; one house down from where we lived 46 Bloemcamplaan.
De Langstraat, the main shopping street in Wassenaar is a great place to find quick gifts and shop for household items. Wassenaar boasts having the best ice cream parlor of the Netherlands, Luciano’s. Furthermore, there are Football, Field Hockey, Cricket, Rugby, and Tennis clubs located in Wassenaar for locals to participate in or to enthusiastically cheer on
Several ambassadorial residences are located in Wassenaar, including those of Canada, South Korea, Indonesia, and Ireland. In general, there is a large expatriate community of diplomats and business people in Wassenaar, largely due to its proximity to both the international organizations and embassies in The Hague.
Several international schools, including the American School of the Hague (ASH) and the British School in the Netherlands (BSN). The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) is also based in Wassenaar; each year, it provides research time, space and support for foreign and Dutch scholars.
As a community, Wassenaar benefits from several parks and a network of bicycle paths. Trees, mainly beech, oak, and horse chestnut, are widespread, giving the town a provincial characteristic.
