Samuel Pepys, clerk of the English Admiralty, documented his visit to The Hague on May 14, 1660, while Dorothy Wordsworth, an English poet and writer, recorded her experiences in Dordrecht on May 23, 1823. Both accounts provide glimpses into the daily life and impressions of these Dutch cities during their respective periods.

In The Hague, Pepys found a neat and immaculately clean city. He observed the Prince of Orange, noting his simple court and handsome appearance. His journey involved encounters with Dutchmen offering punts, visits to the Queen of Bohemia and the Prince of Orange, and an amusing stagecoach ride with fashionable girls.

Wordsworth described Dordrecht as a beautiful city with fascinating views from the tower, including the town hall, stock exchange, winding streets, trees, and rivers. She detailed visits to the cathedral, where she admired Rubens’ paintings and was moved by the organ music, and the Sint-Jacobskerk, which housed the Rubens family tomb and another painting by the master. She noted the city’s network of waterways.