It has been a week of transition. Our house emptied itself and while we were sad to see everyone go, it is nice to have our space back again. There is still a bit of work left to do in order to get things back to normal, but we also need this weekend to just sit on the couch. The last six weeks have been quite demanding!
Sunday we found ourselves in Leiden. The old city is well-preserved and light on tourists. There was more to do and see than we had time for, but Mom got a guided tour and we walked from point to point reading a bit about the history. We saw where Rembrandt grew up and went to school, the oldest botanical gardens of the Netherlands, and the Pilgrim Church among other things.
The Pilgrim Church was quite interesting because before traveling on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims thought the could find religious freedom in a tolerant, Dutch city. They stayed for a couple years but ultimately decided that Europe just wasn't working for them. Turns out an ancestor of Obama, along with a few other presidents, were part of this group.
Leiden was a lot of fun, but shortly after transportation needed to be arranged, school started, winter apocalypses to be navigated, bags lost, dinners to attend, bikes to return, and life is starting to return to normal...for a little while anyway.
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| A house from 1612. |
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| One of two remaining city gates of the original 12. |
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| The old city. |
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| Interesting History. |
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| Names. |
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| The church itself. |
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| Rembrandt's School. |
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| The big windmill. |
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