This old town called Leiden.
Leiden is one of the towns I visit during my stay in The Netherlands.
Every time I visit a new city, what fascinates me the most if how it still got preserved after many years of development.
Cities like Chicago, that even after the fire, it still got its character.
Leiden is a old town, full with life. I dont know if was the fact that the day I visited Leiden was the best day (weather wise) or just because Leiden is awesome, and the day was almost perfect.
One of the best parts of downtown is you can walk freely, allow yourself to get lost in those streets, and see from many different perspectives. Imagine yourself going back to the 15 century, or even the 19 century, it is truly possible to imagine how it was back on those days.
Before leaving my hotel for Leiden, I read in someones’ blog that in some parts of the city, there were poems on the walls. And it is true.
Those are famous poems, and in many different languages. I saw in Japanese, Dutch, English, and several other languages. Check out below:
These are just few examples what you can find in the streets of Leiden.
Reason why, I decided to “get lost” on those streets.
To see myself back centuries ago, and breath the air like the Dutch.
The whole country is fascinating. And the best part is that pretty much everyone speaks english. So don’t be afraid if you cannot speak dutch, just speak in english.
After getting lost on those streets, I had to have lunch 🙂
So I went to this street market, where both sides of the river have restaurants. And I chose one of them. It was a Italian restaurant. I know, I was in a dutch country, but I was having dutch food for the part 4 days, I needed a change, and I know europeans know how to do Italian food, so I had to have it =)
After my lunch, I head for the Leiden Castle. I would say is more like a fortress built to help people escape from the flooding.
It’s the one free entry attractions in Leiden, and it’s nice to visit. At the top, there’s a 360 degree view of the city.
And like in any city I visited in the Netherlands, Dutch people were really nice to me.
So if you ever think on visiting the Netherlands, try to make a day trip to Leiden.
I loved it, and I’m sure you will too!
Thanks guys.
See you later!
Tourism 4 fun 