The Hague has some winding streets that are difficult to navigate. They also look different at night. I have lost count of the times I've gotten completely turned around in this town, heading confidently off in exactly the wrong direction. Last night, I had one of those moments, except that it was actually a whole string of those moments. Biking in the dark, I was on my way to the art club to draw from a live model. I found myself in new territory and figured I must have overshot the turn to the art club. So, rather than backtrack I took a shortcut to the right. It started a whole chain reaction which ended up with me in the Bermuda triangle of the Hague. I had a map, but no compass. I kept heading off, and ending up in the opposite direction I'd intended. I'd backtrack, locate myself, go about a half mile, re-verify with the map and find myself in an entirely unexpected area on the map. I'd backtrack again, and find myself coming right back to where I'd started. It just wasn't possible. I couldn't understand it. I'd go past the same thing spot, over and over, in huge circles. I saw a strange canal with houseboats I'd never seen before, three times. It was almost as if I was losing my mind. After several false starts, and completely losing confidence in myself and the map, there came a point where I asked myself if this was real. It felt like a movie. I stopped the bike, and really wondered, "Am I in Hell? Did I have a car accident, and my mind is playing terrible tricks on me? Am I really lying in the gutter, injured or worse?" I thought about it for a good five seconds. A disconcerting interlude, to be sure. Since I didn't remember any strange near-collisions or flashbacks to an accident, I decided I was alive, and ended up laughing out loud at myself. Quite a moment. I spent an hour biking around, and in the end went home and had a beer.
The Hague will do this to you. Beware the curvy streets and buy a good map and a compass. It's worth the peace of mind.
7 comments:
I have to laugh too at this post.
Take every map with a grain of salt. I have been in this exact situation twice in other cities around the world. Both times, it was my fault because I trusted the map too much. I now know better - never assume a map is right. Even a good looking map with scale and seemingly precise naming conventions can be off here and there in street connections or street types (path vs trail vs street vs convenience connector). You'd think this doesn't happen in modern Europe, but it does. It's even worse in other less developed places, and horribly wrong in more. I honestly think we are a little spoiled here in the states with the general quality of our maps. Accurate mapping around the world is in great need of change.
There's business model in there somewhere...
time for a Tom Tom!
I'd like to blame faulty maps, but I'm guessing the fault lies with yours truly. Blame that and the poor light and tiny street names and aging eyes, and rain... I hope I go to the good place when I die, and if I don't, then at least I have a Tom Tom.
Blaming it on age? That's weak. Really. At least blame it on beer. Too many beers !
I wish! No the beers were later. You're too young to know about aging eyes.
Could it have been a "blond" moment?
hmm, uh uh. yup. that's right.
well, here's my bland-ish thoughts on the matter. it raises that all-important philosophical question for the ages, like that falling tree in the forest - is a blond still a blond, once he shaves his head?
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