My Weekend in Leiden

This past weekend I went to Leiden in The Netherlands to visit the city. One of our friends told us it was a "really cute" city so Lauren and I decided to take a trip there and see for ourselves!  Above is a map of the Netherlands where you can see my city Arnhem and Leiden as well. 

We left on a train at 6 pm on Friday and arrived in Leiden around 8. We stayed with two friends Tommy and Jordan who lived right in the main shopping district of the city. Their flat was so great and they were very accommodating. Friday night we decided to stay in because we were really tired, but then three Polish people arrived so we decided to stay up and chat with them. It ended up being really fun and we got to learn about each other's culture and also share a few drinks. Turns out the Polish really enjoy their vodka! Here is a picture of Lauren and I with our new Polish friends.

On Saturday we got up and our new friend Pete made us all breakfast! He was Hungarian - I'm not sure if the dish was from Hungary as well, but it was really delicious! After breakfast we went to the general market in Leiden which was amazing. They had fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, meat, fish, bread, flowers, clothing and tons of other stuff! We walked around the market for a long time and it was so much fun. I tasted a few different cheeses, including Wasabi cheese which was green and absolutely awful tasting. 

After the market we visited a windmill and took a tour of it. The Dutch operated windmills (and lived in them) and used them to grind flour, pump water out of low lands, and many other things. The mill we toured was really tall and we had to climb 8 sets of stairs - scary ones - to finally get to the top. About 2/3 of the way up we got to go out and walk around on the windmill and saw a beautiful view of the city.

After that we took a canal tour of the city and saw a few landmarks. The canals in the Netherlands are breathtaking and a wonderful way to sight see. We were hungry after the canal tour so we ate at a Pancake House where we had some traditional Dutch pancakes. The pancakes there are different than what you find in the U.S. The batter isn't as sweet and there are a bunch of different ingredients added to it. Mine was bacon, mushrooms, onions, and cheese and it was HUGE! It took up the size of a very large plate and was really tasty. I'm definitely going to keep ordering those! 

Saturday night it was Jordan's birthday and he had a big party at the flat. There were people from everywhere - Poland, France, Germany, Ireland, Hungary, Taiwan and more! I made a ton of new friends and had a great time. Here is a picture of me singing karaoke at the party and the French guys behind enjoying the tunes! After the party we went to a local bar in Leiden to keep celebrating and we met even more people. We got to dance a lot and listen to some great music too. Here is a picture of us and Jordan the birthday boy. Lucky guy! :-P

Overall our weekend was absolutely perfect! I had an amazing experience and it was so much fun to meet people from all over the world. I can't wait to go back again! And now we are planning to visit our new friends in Paris and Poland! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well! 

XO Sarah