Training it around Holland
So, after spending a few weekends not doing a great deal during my days in the Hague except working, sleeping and chilling out, last weekend I began exploring the rest of the Netherlands. There's a great train discount pass which gives 40% off all train travel in Holland, for the bearer & 3 friends, so this has opened up a new world of travel options!
After celebrating Australia Day in style, with drinks at the Embassy, then lots more drinks in the town with the multicultural other interns, and not really getting much sleep, we headed to Amsterdam last Saturday for the day. We wandered around, soaking up the atmosphere, and getting in a bit of sale shopping! Amsterdam is only 50 minutes away by train, but so different from the Hague - much much busier, much more touristy! I then stayed and met up with Ryan and Leah for dinner, which was nice, before heading back for a couple more parties in the Hague - it's a busy social life!
Megan (US) and Bente (Norway)
Acadia (US), Emily (NZ), Frida (Sweden)
Then on Sunday I headed down to Utrecht, a student town about 40 minutes in the other direction from the Hague, to visit my friend Yu, who is finishing his exchange there. It's a nice little town, although I only spent a few hours there - but I don't envy their living arrangements - Dutch places in general are very small, and Yu shares a room the size of mine with another guy, with bunk beds with desks underneath - very compact!! It's funny when I mention to Europeans that I headed to Utrecht just for hte afternoon, for coffee basically, because for me, it's about the same distance as heading to the North Shore to meet someone, Sydney being so big, and I forget that it may seem strange to head to another city in the same way!
Last week at work became much busier, my assignments becoming more detailed - I will be helping to prepare witnesses for trial from next week, so that will be very interesting! We have also been getting quite a bit of general training in international law, with daily lectures as part of our induction training on various parts of the ICTY statutes, and general international law principles, which I'm really enjoying, as it gives a much fuller picture of how what we're doing each day fits into the general scheme of things!!
This weekend was a bit quieter, thankfully, as I went out almost every night last week - my friend James and I went to a play on Wednesday night (in English), called 'Copenhagen', which was about World War II and physicists discussing possibilities for the world - very well done, and always nice to get a bit of culture in!
Friday night, I benefited from my nationality, as a New Zealand judge at the International Court of Justice had invited all young Australian and New Zealand lawyers to 'eats and drinks' at his place - it was good to meet him, and the Australian Ambassador, as well as other ANZACs in the Hague! We then went out dancing, as per usual, so another late night!
Saturday we went to Rotterdam, only about half an hour away. It's a very different city to most of the rest of the Netherlands, much more industrial, less little cobbled streets, but still very nice! We visited the International Film Festival, watching a Danish film, 'AFR', in which a director has taken a pile of interviews with world leaders & Danish politicians and manipulated them into a story about the Danish prime minister being assassinated by his gay lover - very well done! We went for a nice dinner, then an early night!
The Euro Tower
James (Aus), Anamaria and Acadia (US) at the harbour in Rotterdam
Me and the harbour
After celebrating Australia Day in style, with drinks at the Embassy, then lots more drinks in the town with the multicultural other interns, and not really getting much sleep, we headed to Amsterdam last Saturday for the day. We wandered around, soaking up the atmosphere, and getting in a bit of sale shopping! Amsterdam is only 50 minutes away by train, but so different from the Hague - much much busier, much more touristy! I then stayed and met up with Ryan and Leah for dinner, which was nice, before heading back for a couple more parties in the Hague - it's a busy social life!
Megan (US) and Bente (Norway)
Acadia (US), Emily (NZ), Frida (Sweden)
Then on Sunday I headed down to Utrecht, a student town about 40 minutes in the other direction from the Hague, to visit my friend Yu, who is finishing his exchange there. It's a nice little town, although I only spent a few hours there - but I don't envy their living arrangements - Dutch places in general are very small, and Yu shares a room the size of mine with another guy, with bunk beds with desks underneath - very compact!! It's funny when I mention to Europeans that I headed to Utrecht just for hte afternoon, for coffee basically, because for me, it's about the same distance as heading to the North Shore to meet someone, Sydney being so big, and I forget that it may seem strange to head to another city in the same way!
Last week at work became much busier, my assignments becoming more detailed - I will be helping to prepare witnesses for trial from next week, so that will be very interesting! We have also been getting quite a bit of general training in international law, with daily lectures as part of our induction training on various parts of the ICTY statutes, and general international law principles, which I'm really enjoying, as it gives a much fuller picture of how what we're doing each day fits into the general scheme of things!!
This weekend was a bit quieter, thankfully, as I went out almost every night last week - my friend James and I went to a play on Wednesday night (in English), called 'Copenhagen', which was about World War II and physicists discussing possibilities for the world - very well done, and always nice to get a bit of culture in!
Friday night, I benefited from my nationality, as a New Zealand judge at the International Court of Justice had invited all young Australian and New Zealand lawyers to 'eats and drinks' at his place - it was good to meet him, and the Australian Ambassador, as well as other ANZACs in the Hague! We then went out dancing, as per usual, so another late night!
Saturday we went to Rotterdam, only about half an hour away. It's a very different city to most of the rest of the Netherlands, much more industrial, less little cobbled streets, but still very nice! We visited the International Film Festival, watching a Danish film, 'AFR', in which a director has taken a pile of interviews with world leaders & Danish politicians and manipulated them into a story about the Danish prime minister being assassinated by his gay lover - very well done! We went for a nice dinner, then an early night!
The Euro Tower
James (Aus), Anamaria and Acadia (US) at the harbour in Rotterdam
Me and the harbour
posted by Laura B @ 7:38 pm
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