September 14 - Hiding from the Wind

Monday - Hoofddorp to Leiden
We took our time leaving as it rained all through breakfast. Now we have our rain gear on more for warmth than wet. We can't wait out the wind though which is from the southeast, predicted to be about 13 mph with 25 mph gusts, and we are headed south. Instead we have picked a route that stays in towns as much as possible.

The cars get the middle.

Staying in towns did have some micro scenery advantages. This miniature train landscape is in Nieuw-Venner.

In Lisse. This time the canal is in the back yards.

So far, so good! Our wind strategy is working and it has stayed dry.

The drawbridge went up while we were taking of our rain gear so Doug asked the operator if he could take some pictures on the water side of the barrier arm.

There is not a whole lot of extra room!

If you look closely, the person in the purple jacket is wearing a University of Oregon hat. What a small world.

Lisse market square.

Saint Agatha Church

The list of pastors of the parish going all the way back to 1461. That is pretty good record-keeping!

B-17 Jayhawk Memorial was just dedicated in 2012.

It is just north of Sassenheim.

By far, the most modern style house we've seen with a thatched roof.

Entering Leiden

We made it to the hotel at 12:45 and our room wasn't ready yet. We left our loaded bikes there and walked to lunch. Yes, it is Subway and yes, that is sunshine!

 We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the central part of town. Leiden has 17 miles of canals. This one is called the Galgewater where the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) and the Nieuwe Rijn (New Rhine) come together.

Another part of Leiden's heritage is fabric manufacturing.

The New Rhine

The Old Rhine

One guy was taking out pavers to do work underneath them and this guy was putting them back in just as quickly.

It was luscious!

We don't think new legs will be all the helpful now since we only have a couple of  days left but they sure are bright!

Just the smell made you hungry. We did get one of the few souvenirs of the trip here......a really good cheese slicer. Donna also fell for some 3 year old Gouda.

And only a block away is our home for the next 2 nights.

The view across the street. We got settled into our room and about an hour and a half later the thunderstorm came through. 

Some purple art to share with granddaughter Tia. It was on display at the restaurant where we ate dinner.

The art on our hotel room wall. There is a music studio behind the hotel across an alley from our room. One more time we had our own personal concert as there was a classical music group practicing there for about an hour after we returned from dinner. We are already glad we picked Leiden.