Frederik Hendriklaan - "de Fred"

Frederik Hendriklaan street, known as 'The Fred' to locals, has some sort of shopping for every taste. Or you can engage in people-watching from a sidewalk cafe along this old European tree-lined boulevard. Or both.

Are you looking for an enjoyable day shopping on the most attractive lane in The Hague? Then welcome to The Fred. I count myself fortunate to live a mere two blocks away.

It's the local place for exclusive brands. But it also has more than it's share of every-day shopping spots.  Alongside the upper-end boutiques are discount shops.  I love to shop for daily groceries and pick through the fresh produce cart, check out the flower stands, relax with a cappucino and pastry, then finish up at the Albert Hijn market - a sort of European Whole Foods/Trader Joe's - before riding my bicycle home to prepare dinner for Linnea. 

The best lemon meringue tort in The Hague can be had at the Kicking Horse Cafe, located inside Paagman's bookstore on The Fred. Be warned that tables get hard to find when it's raining and cold outside. Fortunately, there's a huge selection of foreign-language books and magazines to help relieve the wait.

"The Fred"

The #17 tram runs down The Fred.

 Paagman's bookstore is a huge business, occupying five adjacent buildings on The Fred.

 The Kicking Horse Cafe - inside Paagman's

 This is Europe, so of course your best friend is welcome to join you for lunch.

 

I learned the difference between younger and older Gouda cheese 

and now Linnea is thoroughly hooked on the 4-year stuff.

...and a few doors down is a wonderful pastry shop.

We were waiting for the tram one morning, and a horse-drawn funeral procession passed through The Fred. 

We never did discover who had died, but old-fashioned processions like this are prohibitively expensive and so are normally used for wealthy aristocrats or royalty.

 FINIS.