Hey! Wait up!

We have been noticing increased security presence and more helicopters than normal over the last few days because of the Nuclear Summit which started this afternoon in The Hague. Delegations have been arriving at Schipol for the last several days on their way to the meeting. In addition, there have been visits to Amsterdam by world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived on Saturday with a large trade delegation.

Barack Obama was in Amsterdam this morning, and we knew when he arrived because of the non-stop helicopters flying over our neighbourhood. Accompanied by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the President toured Rijksmuseum, where he saw works by the great masters as well as the 200 year old Treaty of Friendship between the Netherlands and the United States. The Dutch Act of Abjuration, signed on 26 July 1581, was brought from The Hague for the President’s visit. Afterwards, a press conference was held in front of Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

Although Rijksmuseum, the Museumplein, and other nearby museums were closed to the public, thousands of people were there to watch the excitement. The Museumplein itself became a temporary heli-pad for the five helicopters that accompanied the President’s motorcade. The blurry background in the photo, which was taken just after the President’s car left, is created by the helicopters’ motors. It reminded me of a movie when these security agents started to run. Their colleague in the car was looking down the road after the President's car and didn’t seem to care about the runners behind and eventually beside him. Nothing actually happened, so either it was a false alarm, a diversion, or they missed their ride!

A few minutes after the photo, all five choppers took off in synchronicity to escort the President to The Hague. It was quite a sight! The spectators were delighted when they circled back for a fly by.