Feet First Walking

 

Other than the minor detail of our hotel being mysteriously shut down (a fun surprise we discovered at 6pm, luggage in hand), we actually had a fantastic time in Leiden.

This walk is from a booklet we picked up from the Tourist Information office. There were several walks, but I think we picked the best!

One of the city gates at Morspoort, that also served as a jailhouse.

 

Doelenpoort Gate, which has apparently been moonlighting as a red-light district since the 15th century...though today it looked like they had taken a day off.

 

Doelengracht.

 

Leiden is a university town, and we were very impressed with the student accommodation -- this building on Rapenburg looked less like student housing and more like somewhere parents would aspire to live.

 

Some of the beautiful street and buildings around Pieterskerk, one of Leiden's oldest buildings (1121).

 

 

 

The City Hall on Beestraat.

 

 

A duck trying the local gin.

 

Hooglandse Kerk from the Burcht -- the a motte and bailey stronghold. We also got to meet the famous black cat of the citadel!

 

We got a bit lost along this stretch -- purely for sightseeing purposes, of course -- but it did give us a delightful detour to a part of Leiden we would never have found if we knew where we were going.

 

Peak tourist, sightseeing in Leiden doesn't get much better than beautiful Nieuwe Rijn and Visbrug Bridge. Nothing gets more Dutch than this.

 

 

And to complete the truly 'Dutch' tourist experience, we had chips and mayonnaise.

 

Molen De Valk at the end of the walk, and it was still gloomy but at least not raining. Off we went to pick up our bags and check-in to the next nights hotel!