As luck would have it, my visit to the Hague coincided with the beginning Charles Taylor's trial. This former Liberian leader is accused of backing the rebel forces in Sierra Leone.
As I arrived in the Hague, I ended up making friends with the very sweet, Eli, an American student studying in France, and she invited me to attend the trial with her group the next day. While I wasn't able to see any of the action, I did go to the building where the trial would be held in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infamous Mr. Taylor. My hopes were dashed, however, not only was there no sign of any war criminals, but also the trial was held in a rather non-descript office building on the opposite side of the city from the Peace Palace, immortalized as the home of the ICC.
I trekked out to the real ICC after photographing the press present to witness Taylor's Day in court. It was closed (inexplicably) for the trial, which was being held across town. Was this closure just for appearance's sake, or did the all of the resources of the ICC need to be preserved for the trial? I'll never know. I visited the Vermeer masterpiece, Girl With a Pearl Earring, located my hostel after some frustrations with the tram, and made my way towards Lieder, an idyllic small Dutch city on the way to the airport. Real windmills! Lots of bikes! The smell of Marijuana everywhere, it's Holland!
As I arrived in the Hague, I ended up making friends with the very sweet, Eli, an American student studying in France, and she invited me to attend the trial with her group the next day. While I wasn't able to see any of the action, I did go to the building where the trial would be held in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infamous Mr. Taylor. My hopes were dashed, however, not only was there no sign of any war criminals, but also the trial was held in a rather non-descript office building on the opposite side of the city from the Peace Palace, immortalized as the home of the ICC.
I trekked out to the real ICC after photographing the press present to witness Taylor's Day in court. It was closed (inexplicably) for the trial, which was being held across town. Was this closure just for appearance's sake, or did the all of the resources of the ICC need to be preserved for the trial? I'll never know. I visited the Vermeer masterpiece, Girl With a Pearl Earring, located my hostel after some frustrations with the tram, and made my way towards Lieder, an idyllic small Dutch city on the way to the airport. Real windmills! Lots of bikes! The smell of Marijuana everywhere, it's Holland!
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