Tal Maes is a photographer, food and travel writer. As such, she has written books and articles about The Hague and other cities. She also writes for the culinary magazine ELLE Eten and is the author of several cookbooks. She moved to The Hague in her early twenties and immediately fell in love with this royal and green city by the sea. On her bike with her camera at hand, she loves to discover what’s new, hot and hidden in town, which she shares in the The 500 Hidden Secrets of The Hague.
"The Hague offers the creative energy and impulses that come with city life, yet it has stunning bits of nature in and around the city."
“The 11 kilometres of sandy beaches make The Hague extraordinary, and incomparable to any other city in the Netherlands. In spring and summer, I love to hang out and have dinner at one of the many beach pavillions, or bike and hike through the vast and beautiful dune area. In fall and winter, I love taking windy walks along the seashore and observing the amazing ever-changing skies over the North Sea.”
“As a city girl who loves to explore nature, I find The Hague the perfect city to live in. It offers the creative energy and impulses that come with city life, yet it has stunning bits of nature in and around the city, like beaches, parks, forests, and lakes. So my perfect day would be a combination of both. I would start with breakfast at my favourite vegan restaurant Plenty and have a coffee at Bookstor or Kaafi afterwards. I'd stop by at Parimar, Paagman or ABC (American Book Center) to pick up a cookbook or visit a vintage shop like Little Green Shop, to see if I can find any props for my food photography.
For lunch I love going to Greens, a restaurant in a newly built greenhouse in the middle of Westbroekpark. After lunch, I’m in the mood for art and head to the beautiful Beelden aan Zee or to the GEM and Photography Museum. When I crave a drink in the late afternoon, you can find me at the rooftop bar of Bleyenberg or, weather permitting, at Zuid, a relaxed beach pavillion at the quiet Zuiderstrand. For dinner, I love to picnic at Park Clingendael near one of the ponds. But dinner at Restaurant ñ is also a treat. To top the night off, I like having a beer with friends in the beer cellar Hoppzak.”
The 500 Hidden Secrets of The Hague is available in our webshop as from 11 September 2019.