The Panorama Mesdag

Despite appearances to the contrary, the girls are not leaning against a balcony or window by the beach. This is, in fact, the Panorama Mesdag, which we visited on Wednesday with Mairi (a friend of mine from Edinburgh Uni, on her biannual trip from NZ). Amazingly, her neighbours in Auckland had also visited here and had recommended it before she came. A visit well worth making, should you ever find yourself in The Hague.

Some facts about the Panorama Mesdag - a cylindrical painting, it is 14m high and 114.5m long (or round the circumference of the building). It's a vista of the sea, the dunes and Scheveningen village in 1881 and was painted by one of the most famous painters of the Hague School, Hendrik Willem Mesdag. It is the oldest 19th century panorama in the world in its original site, and a favourite cultural attraction in The Hague.

Our impressions were that it was huge, very realistic and atmospheric and quite some feat of construction and artistry. When faced with it, my overriding thought was, how on earth was such a vast painting ever created! I'm sure we'll be there again with visitors, in the months to come!