Our Summer Travel 2024
Don't you agree when people say time flies when you're having fun? Well, it was the case for us as we made our way from the Netherlands to the Balkans and finally to London from June 12th to July 16th. Prior to the trip just a few days before our departure for Europe, we thought our itinerary, one that we made ourselves, was quite ambitious. Now that we're home, we believe it was just right.
For our first week, we chose to stay in the Netherlands to get over jetlag. There we stayed a full week and we decided to make the student town our base for exploring the rest of the Netherlands.
We went to the Hague, Haarlem, Delft, Rotterdam, Zaandam, Zaanse Schans, Alkmar and Amsterdam. One city a day and sometimes even two. I have to say, I really appreciated the tap on and off to enter and exit train stations all over the Netherlands. It was convenient and safe. I wouldn't mind returning to the Netherlands again. I have to admit though that it was very expensive to visit here. The hotel stays cost double compared to other cities in the continent. It also didn't dawn on me when the news reported about the over tourism in the country until I saw it first hand in Amsterdam where there were crowds, thick ones, everywhere in the city on this trip.
Our vacation also made me realize how fun the Balkans can be. Their cities are attractive not to mention affordable. I wouldn't mind visiting again. They sure are value for our buck. Just to prove out point, the shuttle bus that took us from the international airport in Bucharest cost the equivalent of 88 cents US. That cheap!
Anyway, for this first blog about our European adventure in the summer of 2024, I have compiled pictures of Leiden, our home for our entire stay in the Netherlands. I too waxed nostalgia our entire stay in this city since back in the days of my youth, I lived here for two months.
Leiden's Central Station resembles a mini mall. How it has changed over the decades. The station I first saw in the 90s was nowhere near its modern present day self.
It was mid afternoon when we reached our hotel in Leiden. We stayed at the IBIS opposite the train station. As soon as we we given our room, we freshened up, dropped our bags and went out for a walk in the pretty student town I had to chance to live in and spend my summer decades ago. On the day of our arrival, we walked around the center and saw the Roman Catholic church of Hartebrugkerk opposite the bank whose ATM machines I got money from.
The multi story Canadian department store had already closed and a C & A had taken over the building's first two floors. Outside, there were cafes busy and full of customers drinking, eating, and socializing with friends.
This particular building, old and historical, had been converted into a bar and restaurant.
We wanted to enter and visit the Hooglandse of St. Pancraskerk. But, it was closed every time we passed by it.
At an outdoor market one Saturday morning
Dutch Architecture in Leiden. Really Beautiful!
It is hard to miss this windmill in Leiden.
The Fort of Leiden on top of a hill
The Rembrandt Square
I saw two museums in Leiden on this trip which weren't in the city at all decades ago during my first summer vacation to the city. This museum, the Museum of World Cultures, was new to me.
Care to play chess? Taken on the grounds of the Museum of World Cultures in downtown Leiden.
A quiet afternoon in Leiden
The Morse Gate
A drawbridge