Thank you for reading the Love in the Lowlands Series! Since this series is set in my adopted town of The Hague, I based several locations in the book on actual places. Some are well-known because they’re tourist hotspots. Some are known to me because – for example – it’s my favorite place to have a special dinner.
I thought it might be fun to show you those places.
Dutch Engineered
I don’t think anyone who’s familiar with the oil and gas industry or has lived in The Hague will be surprised to hear that I based Petroix Oil, the company Abby and Avery work for, on Shell.
This is the French Bistro where Abby and Jasper have their disastrous date. (Does everyone hate Joke as much as I do?) This place is called Bistro Mer and has the best seafood. The hubby and I went for an anniversary a few years back. Love it!
Dutch Treat
Niels – much to Avery’s chagrin – shows up at her apartment to take her out for a day of sightseeing in The Hague. They end up at the Scheveningen – aka the beach. The Kurhaus (on the right) and the Pier (on the left) are some of the sights they see.
Mia and Abby take Avery to this prison museum, which just happens to be one of my favorite museums. What can I say? I love torture chambers.
The town of Grave, where Niels’ parents live, is an actual place. I first discovered it when I was walking the 4 daagse (an insane 4 day walk of 50 kilometers per day). It’s a fortified town, which means forts and fortified city walls. History geek Valhalla!
Double Dutch
Matthijs and Mia walk past the Peace Palace on their way to dinner. To me, this building is everything good about The Hague – peace and justice. I actually considered working here part-time. That’s how much I love the place.
Mia isn’t the only history geek. I am one, too (embarrassingly so). The Airborne Museum near Arnhem is an essential stop for any and all WWII or history geeks.
I used to run past this palace when we lived in Haarlem. The former Napolean residence is now home to the Province of North Holland. I used to work for the province as a policy advisor, but I didn’t have an office in this cool building. I did argue a case here once. I won. They appealed.
Dutch Courage
This is where Nico works. I live a few blocks from here and pass it on my bike all the time. It’s currently under construction. Fingers crossed they manage to make it less ugly. This picture does not do justice to its ugliness.
This is the restaurant where Cornelius takes Char on a date. I’ve wanted to eat here since I moved to The Hague. It’s never happened, though, as planning ahead to make a reservation is not my thing. FYI – That makes me spontaneous not chaotic.
This is the bar where the Anti-Valentine’s Day party was. They don’t actually do an Anti-Valentine’s Day part, but they should.
This is the amusement park where Nico and Char take Joris. If you like rollercoasters, I recommend The Baron. It will make you pee your pants in fright, which is a prerequisite to a good roller coaster in my opinion, but you should probably refrain from wearing white pants. Just saying.
Madurodam or mini Holland – another day out for Nico and Char and Joris – is a mere five-minute bike ride from my house. I helped put on a gala there once and made a treasure hunt with clues about Dutch history. Everyone said it was too hard. They probably shouldn’t have asked the history geek to come up with the clues.
Dutch Online
The Zaanse Schans is the outdoor museum where Sofia did a photoshoot and ended up stepping in cow shit. It didn’t exactly make her amicable toward the model Ravi. If you’re in Amsterdam for a weekend, you need to go here. Must see.
This is the photography museum in The Hague where Sofia had her exhibit and maybe realized Rafael was more than just a jokester.
This is the restaurant where Rafael meets Sofia’s parents. The food is excellent. I would kill for their dim sum. Kill.
This is the bar where Rafael works one of his many jobs. It’s on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. Across the street is the Bulldog, a famous coffee shop (aka place to buy weed). When I worked in Amsterdam, my office wasn’t too far from here. Many a Friday afternoon/evening were spent here.
When Rafael screws up (oh boy does he screw up!) he takes Sofia to some typical Dutch places for her to photograph as an apology. Namely, Kinderdijk (a UNESCO heritage site), the cube houses, and the Markthall in Rotterdam. Food is always a good apology in my book!
D.E. Haggerty 