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Leiden walk review + travel & stay observations.
Upon arrival at Schiphol airport, we headed for the train station within the airport. We learned that our American credit card with a magnetic strip was not acceptable for purchasing train tickets - neither from a machine nor from staff - so we found an ATM machine to get euros.
In general, we observed that the Dutch are not fond of using credit cards. For example, the grocery stores we went to would not accept them. Using euro bills in denominations higher than €20 was also frowned upon.
Trains to Leiden departed frequently. The Dutch trains were fast, on time and very quiet.
From the Leiden train station, we took a taxi to our apartment, making it an easy process to get there, even with our luggage.
The Right Vacation Rental (a branch of www.untours.com) put us in touch with Edmond Van Putte, a travel guide. We engaged him to take us on a walk of Leiden for an afternoon. Guided tours: (www.guideholland.com).
We spent the time seeing the sights and learning about the history and culture of Leiden. The city is so ancient that many of the sights were difficult to locate on the narrow streets and alleys, which were laid out in a haphazard manner. It would have taken us a lot of time to figure out the layout of the city, but Edmond was able to lead us efficiently from one sight to another.
One of the highlights of our stay in Leiden was attending a free organ concert at the 16th-century Pieterskerk church. We also enjoyed shopping at the outdoor markets that are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Dutch cheeses were so delicious!
Another highlight was climbing up the stairs to the top of a reconstructed, operating windmill. We learned how a windmill functions while getting great views of the city.
We also enjoyed a boat trip through the canals of Leiden.
Bill Kemp - Austin, Texas
May 2012
Click here to download this review in PDF.
More reviews : click on images below.
This review is part of an article Bill Kemp wrote for International Travel News about stay and travels in Holland, that included a full day bike tour in the Amsterdam countryside.
Click here to download the complete ITN article in PDF (2.6 MB).
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