"I Love Leiden" Top 5 Page for this destination Leiden by garridogal

Leiden Travel Guide: 510 reviews and 1,206 photos

Leiden in the Sun

I consider myself lucky to have 2 very good friends who live in Leiden. I met Brian and Jeroen in 2002 at my college roommate's wedding. Bonnie married Brian's brother and since he was in the wedding party, I was seated with his partner, Jeroen. I also got to meet the boys a couple of nights before the wedding, at the rehearsal dinner and since I was there alone, got to ride in the Bridal van with them.

I kept up my friendship with them and when I first visited Amsterdam they met up with me for a couple of nights on the town. When Bonnie and Keith visited the boys for a trip to Leiden, Epernay and Brussels, I was invited along. This was when I was first enchanted by Leiden - even though it was enveloped in fog for most of our time there.

Since then I've been back twice. Most notably, for a week in September '06 when the boys got married. The weather was amazing and the ceremony and festivities even better. I cemented my love for this city on that trip and felt really sad when it came time to leave.

When my friend and I decided to visit Germany in March '07, we were invited to stay with Brian and Jeroen for a couple of nights. I was ecstatic to be back in Leiden and it showed in that I'm almost as good as the boys are at finding my way around it! (Okay, well maybe not *that* good....!)

The photos on this page are from the September '06 trip.

Who'd thunk it?

One of the grooms and I basking

There wasn't a single day during the week when the sun didn't come for at least a portion of the day with the actual wedding day having the best weather by far.

Great planning boys!

And lastly....

"CRUNCH!"

In keeping with my tradition of never missing a good photo op, here's my submissission for the "Supermodel Diet" contest.

We found this guy at the Pieterskerk during the wedding reception and here's to Bonnie for coming up with this idea. Everyone should have a "Pose with the Dead" photo station at their wedding. Don't you agree?

Pros and Cons

Pros:A beautiful small jewel of a city
Cons:You will hear students if your hotel is next to a student union!
In a nutshell:Love Leiden!

Last visit to Leiden: Mar 2007
Intro Updated May 5, 2012
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Reviews (46)

Leiden Central Transportation (1)

The Leiden Central train station is very centrally located. (Maybe that explains the name...) Arriving there, you're... more travel advice

Saturday is Markt Day! Shopping (6)

Although I think that maybe on another day of the week (Weds) the market stalls are out, Saturday the big day. The day... more travel advice

Looks inviting enough, doesn't it? - Leiden

Sandwiches and smoothies before leaving... Restaurants (12)

We stopped here for some food before getting on the train to Germany. It was on the way, looked cute and it was open!... more travel advice

Warm Stroepwaffel Local Customs (2)

One of the best things about visiting the Netherlands is that you can get warm Stroepwaffels at the local markets.... more travel advice

Things to Do (10)
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Travelogues (5)

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Comments (19)

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Jerelis Feb 18, 2013 at 3:44 AM

It's always fun to read about my home country. Thank you for sharing your nice tips and great pictures!
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  garridogal Feb 19, 2013 at 12:36 PM
  
  You're very welcome. I miss Holland! It's been too long since I went back!
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kiwi Aug 14, 2011 at 4:59 PM

Nice page to snoop around :-)
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BruceDunning Mar 11, 2010 at 11:50 AM

You showed the beauty and wonders of this lovely city. It holds so many ornate architectural style buildings and unique bridges. Even your prone pose is a site to behold next to mummy case.
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balhannah Sep 6, 2009 at 12:23 AM

Didn't get to have a stroll around Leiden as planned, so thanks for the tour.
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Nemorino Aug 17, 2009 at 2:36 PM

This may sound silly, but my main memory of Leiden is that I ate my first Coupe Advokat there. Great that you have friends in Leiden and went to their weddings! Was Eleanor Roosevelt a beer drinker?
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mvtouring Jul 21, 2009 at 2:06 PM

Very nice and interesting page you have of Leiden. Thanks for sharing with us ;-)
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spgood301 Sep 27, 2007 at 10:41 AM

We missed you there...we had a grand old time.
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Renate999 Mar 9, 2007 at 1:33 PM

But what's the place called and where is it?
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dtownkitty Feb 21, 2007 at 9:11 AM

Looks like a very pretty town...
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Gypsystravels Oct 17, 2006 at 7:38 AM

Excellent page here Joann!! You've made me regret not visiting Leiden during my visit a few years ago...I guess I'll have to return very soon!