We walked by the main square area on the Nieuwe Rijn, past the Koornbrug and the intricate carvings on the Stadhuis. It was nearly 6:30 pm, so we decided to look for a restaurant over by Pieterkerk.Along the way we passed a plaque paying tribute to the leader of the Mayflower Pilgrims, who came to Leiden trying to escape persecution in England and later Amsterdam. The first group of Calvinists left Leiden in 1620 for Delfshaven (Delft's harbor in the golden age, Rotterdam today) where they bought the Speedwell. The Speedwell was a leakey vessel and after several attempts to cross the Atlantic, they traded it for the Mayflower and sailed to America.
We found a great local cafe with a 3-course meal for only 15 Euro. We had a nice and filling dinner. Then we worked our way to the train station for our ride home. Leiden is a lovely city. It's home to the fine arts university in Holland, so there is quite a college presence in the city. This is definitely a place I'd like to visit again to check out some of its museums and the botanical gardens.
Other sights around Leiden:
Interesting house and roofline
Viscious lion statue near entrance to the Burcht
Rijnsburgersingel and de Valk windmill
posted by Whitney @ 4:22 AM
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