Living amongst the action

I don't know if it's just living in The Hague, or the fact that Dutch culture is so much more egalitarian and accessible but I do enjoy the feeling I sometimes get, when I'm going about my daily business, of being in the middle of whatever is happening.  

I took this photo on my return from my hairdresser - my usual cycle route home from the centre of town.  It's a picture of one side of the Binnenhof - this is actually the internal courtyard - which houses the Prime Minister's office, the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives.  To give an example in UK terms, it would equate to cycling or walking in and around the grounds of the Houses of Parliament in London - something that is impossible due to high levels of security.  

Here, I cycled through the arch at one end (there was an empty police car parked just inside - don't often see that though) and a few minutes later I exited through another arch which brought me out at the Mauritshuis.  

Lovely!