Leiden walking tour, Netherlands

There. Is a country, in northern Europe that's largely, underwater, at least, most, of it is below sea level something. That might be happening to other countries, in the near future but. It's always been that way in the, Netherlands. And somehow. They have made the most of that precarious. Situation. Pumping. Water out with windmills, for nearly the last thousand, years creating. Farmland, and canals, then. Expanding. To a global. Superpower, in, the 17th, century with, a fleet of sailing, ships and trading practices that, made them one of the richest countries in the world it, was, a relatively, brief golden age but even today the Netherlands, is one of the world's, great countries, with, the quality of life among, the very best they, built thriving, cities that have retained, their historic, character, and are, a delight, to visit now we're. Taking you to one, of the best I mean. Light in Holland, enjoying. The pleasures, of this beautiful, town it's. Another one of the great, historic. Cities of the Netherlands. Most. Famous perhaps, for the university, it's the oldest university. In the, Netherlands, founded, back in the mid 16th, century, and. So there's a lot of university, students here and. It's. Not as touristic. Certainly. Not nearly as crowded as a, place like Amsterdam, which. Is only about a half an hour away by train so. It's really a refreshing, change to, come, and visit, smaller. Cities like lighten this, city has. Got, the canals running through it as most. Dutch, cities, do, and. Here it's really quite, special that canals, come right through the middle of the old town, there's. Half a dozen of. These very peaceful. Waterways, especially. Nice in the morning busy. In the afternoon with lots of people out walking around shopping eating. And drinking so. Many travelers come, to Amsterdam and, that's. All they see and. That's the impression they got of Holland. It's the big-city kind. Of crowded, and moving very, much hustle, bustle of course. Amsterdam, is a wonderful. City to visit it's certainly, among, Europe's, top 10 places to, go so, rewarding a must, for any visitor to the Netherlands, and we'll take you there in our series, on this fine country and. Another segment but this program we are taking, you all around in Leiden. You. Can easily get outside of Amsterdam by, train by bus by. Tour and. Within, 15. Minutes or half an hour you're, transported. To several. Other small, cities such. As Leiden, the. Cafe that I'm sitting. At now is a good place to have morning. Breakfast or cappuccino. Later. In the day it, fills up with people. Having a drink having lunch having dinner it's, a perfect spot it's right next to the classic. Bridge, across the canal that was the, old green. Bridge. Was a green market, and they, store the grain under the roofs of the arcade there during. The program, you, will get a good look at most of the interesting, parts of light in I'll, take you on a thorough, walking, tour we'll go, down some of the main lanes and little back Lane side, lanes we'll see the University, and its botanical gardens will walk along canals, and, we'll just show you this town inside and out starting. In this central, part of the city probably. The most attractive, and popular, place, to spend, time where.

The Old brine canal, and new Ryan canal come, together. And. While you're here have breakfast, oh well that. Looks great what's, the name of the restaurant for, a fan - we, open, at 8 o'clock during, the week and in the weekends, we open at 7:30. And you're pretty busy all day yes. Are, they yeah. What's, the peak times like 12. To. At. Most two, outs. Okay ready, for lunch yes. We're. Open till 6:00 or two. Six-thirty. Okay. So. Breakfast, has arrived a nice. Open-faced. Sandwich. With boiled, egg on it mmm-hmm. Also. Open-faced. Sandwich with cheese. Danika something. And, a coffee all. For 10, euro a. Pretty. Good deal, considering. The hotel. Breakfast was also 10 euro in a, dark. Breakfast. Room no. This is much nicer if. You see nothing, else enlightened, be sure to spend some time at this lovely central. Area of, course Leiden is small enough that there's. No problem, in seeing, most of town in a day with, time for shopping, and a couple of museums we'll, come back to this lively central. Area later, in the show on the, map of Leiden you'll see the canals in blue and a yellow circle at the cafe, we've been sitting at and the, two Rhine rivers old and new coming, together at, the confluence, in the center of town and lots, of other great sites that will be taking, you to as we walk around the city. Many. Visitors reach, light in by train, perhaps, coming in from Amsterdam, for a day, trip scenery. Outside the window will be flat but, colorful, with flower farms, and pastures and. Canals, if, you can avoid travelling. At rush hour there'll be plenty of room on board the train arriving. At the station which is right, in the town just, a few minutes walk from the centre you'll, find the train system of the Netherlands, is truly, spectacular. Clean. Modern. Efficient. Frequent. Service, affordable. So easy to use in a relatively, small country so you can get from one city, to the next usually. In a half-hour it figures that as, soon as you walk out of the station and take a few steps you're going to see a windmill. It's an authentic original. Survivor, that's been turned into, a, museum, so you can actually go, inside where. You'll discover that like, many other windmills, it was a house inside, and they've, got the period, furnishings. At the dining, room the living room the. Kitchen looks. Like somebody's, still living here ready. To sit, down and have a meal and, we see some of the working machinery, including, the big mill stones for grinding, the grain you're. Able to walk, around and, explore it from top to bottom. It's a multi-level. Structure with, a steep. Stepladder, that, you can take to go, to the, upper floor a little more challenging, than your typical staircase. But even kids can do it upon, reaching the top you're welcome, to step outside onto. The, terrace fo you'll have a close-up, view of the sails spinning, by and a, view, looking. Out over Lydon you'll. Learn about life in the mill from there exhibits, and videos and from. A friendly guide. And. Was it for green yes. It was used for milling grain this. Was built was in the city that's also why it's so high to. Catch the wind above the houses. Video. Displays, show you how these mills, function, grinding. The grain with. Energy, supplied, by the wind a technology. That we're trying to reinvent. In the modern age to produce electricity. The. Dutch were way out of the times and the, videos we also learn there was three different kinds. Of windmill, grinding. Grain there, was the polder mill which was for draining, the marshy areas to, create try land and there, were sawmills. For cutting, lumber dafuq. Moanin, dafuq the, Falcon, means. Something. It's, considered, the most easily visible, windmill, in the Netherlands, because of, its location upon. A hill and within, the old town this, makes an ideal place to pause for a moment to enjoy, one, of the prettiest sights in live in located. On the busy main single, canal, around town, then. Walk south, for a couple blocks to. Reach the inner harbour called the Beeston mark in the old days it was the animal, market, where sheep, and cattle in particular, were brought for sale now, it's the largest, plaza in the old town with. A beautiful, harbour. In the middle there, it has some turbo traffic, and a, popular, docking, spot for little pleasure boats and. There's fountains, around it there, are various hotels and restaurants and, shops on all sides of this Inner Harbor it's, a picturesque, spot, just 300, meters from the train station, and. While, you do have that water traffic, in the middle the, streets around this, Plaza are really. Quite urban, it gives the feeling of a downtown, City, location. Here in contrast. To the more narrow lanes that we'll be showing you in the old town with the canals and pedestrian. Atmosphere, around this Harbor there's a lively, feeling of urban, vitality and, some, very good restaurants, such, as bistro, entrecote, and old. Leyden cars, going by and mostly bicycles, that's how people get around here there, are way more bicycles.

Than Cars as usual, in the Netherlands. Morning. Rush hour at this location. Is a fine, place, to watch, the parade, of local, bicyclists. Students. Workers, retirees. All, sorts, out on their bicycles, when. You are walking around be sure to stay out of the bicycle lanes as a courtesy, to riders and for your own safety. The. Map shows the route that we've just walked from the train station down. To, the harbor then we'll continue our walking tour right, through the heart of the old town covering. The highlights, that can easily, be seen in a one-day visit that. We'll take you through in some detail for, the rest of the program stepping. Over two blocks to the west side of town to have a look at a beautiful, gateway. To the, old city called Moore's port part of the medieval fortification. Protecting, town something, like this interplay, between the. Cat and the dog with. A face-off. Confrontation. A threatened. 'scrimish and then, scurrying. Across the, bridge invading. The city in the, old days a guard was stationed, at the gate to prevent such things from happening and you, could have been locked up inside that cupola, which served as a prison, now. It's all very peaceful, with a beautiful. Terrace, restaurant serving. Lunch and dinner the. Wall was not just decorative, and beautiful, it really was necessary. For defense of the city especially. Famously. Back in, 1573. With, the siege of Leiden that, went on for one year, with. The Spanish surrounding, and attacking, the city until finally. Driven away by Prince, William of Orange, another. Historic, site nearby is, the Rembrandt's, bridge, which. Is at the location where that famous, painter was born in, 1606. Right here in Leiden and stayed. Here, for most of his first 20 years in this. Neighborhood, called Venice dig with. That windmill. Nearby, which is a reconstruction. Of what, may have been similar, to his father's windmill, it's, called, mole and aput and this, one was built in, 1987. As a reminder. Of times, past it's, open, to the public but only, on Saturdays. Well. You can walk out on the bridge at anytime and from there you'll have a lovely view, looking back at the old Rhine, canal, at a. Wide point forming, a small harbor and now. We're shifting over to, a walk along the out of s canal which is lined by more of the as elegant, old buildings, and we'll, be getting to one of the important, art museums, for a brief look at the Museum, de la qahal with. Highlights, including, some paintings, by world-famous, Leiden. Masters, including Rembrandt. And Yan Steen they, has visual arts that illustrate, the history of Leiden and the various, arts industries, here it's, recently, undergone an expansion, with new exhibit halls and a cafeteria it's. Building, was erected in 1640. As a guild, hall for cloth merchants, one of the most important, industries, of the city back then it's.

Been An art museum since. 1874. Will. Cross over the canal on a bridge called Marburg, and there. You can see that building with the red awnings, it used to be the bridge keepers house now it's a restaurant this. Brings, us into a residential, neighborhood, with new housing, that's built in the old style very. Tastefully, done Wow. It does have limited, access for. Automobiles, you see there's no parking, areas on the street it's mostly for pedestrians, and bicycles, then, arriving at a quiet. Shopping, street long amara where, you'll find a hotel some, vacation, rentals, restaurants. And cafes, on, our way to the main pedestrian lane, of the city Harlem. Or straat, this. Is, lightens, big shopping, street with a broad range of clothing toys. Shoes. Jewelry. Electronics. Sportswear. Shops mostly. For locals along, with some souvenir, stores and in, addition a big branch you'll find little specialty, shops in leather. And children's. Fashions, and many cafes, along the way with, so many eateries ranging. From fast, food to Italian. And Turkish, this, is a great place to have a casual, lunch it's. The only major, pedestrian. Lane in town but you still want to be careful and watch out for the bicycle, bike cars and roller, skaters, going by. One. Of the traditional. Dutch elements, that you find here is the hop game this. Is the traditional. Housing, for senior citizens, you, find these garden apartments, throughout the country. With a history. That goes back hundreds. Of years, this one was founded in 1487. And is, named after the saint. Of the beer industry st. Stephen, the. Map route shows where we've just been walking and where we're heading, we're going across the canal to the book then we'll continue on to the University neighbourhood and back, to the center where we opened, the program no. Matter where you walk you're always near, another, beautiful canal the, ornamental, gate at the end of this Lane is quite special you'll, see a lion, on top, with a sword in his hand this, leads into the, fortress. It's the Borg the Citadel, of Leiden, up on, a man-made hill, overlooking. The city it's. Certainly worth, walking up this staircase to get, to the castle it's, an amazing, space from, which you have a view of Hogue Lanza here one of the most important, of town the, Citadel is open all day long and into the evening with, no admission charge so, you're welcome to enter, and walk, around and, climb up on the ramparts it's. Up on an artificial, hill, called, a model, that was created, during the late 9th century the. Brick walls were added later it's, a typical, motte-and-bailey, type. Construction. With the circular, fortress, on top it's one of the oldest, examples, of such, castles, still in existence in the Netherlands. Originally. It was a defensive. Fortress situated. In a strategic. Spot where the two arms, of the Rhine merged, together also, making it a good place from which to inspect, the shipping going by it's a prominent, location on, the highest point in the old town and yet. It's surprisingly, difficult to, find it nowadays with. So many eighteenth-century buildings. Clustered. All around it but, keep looking it's, worth, discovery. Because, of the fantastic Hill, the castle, and the viewpoint you can, see in this dramatic 3d. Graphic, from Google Earth how the book seems highly, visible up on the hill but as you're at street level it kind of disappeared, hiding. In plain sight, it's. Located, next to the new Ryan canal that we started, the programme now we're just crossing over to the other side passing. Through the City Hall with their open, terrace, Courtyard, Cafe and. Coming around to the front side of the city hall to admire its, facade, that was designed in the late 16th, century and rebuilt. After a disastrous. Fire in 1929. Located. Along the very busy, brace trot one of the main shopping and. Transportation. Streets of the city it's, limited, to bicycles. And bus for most of the day with. Local and intercity, bus routes such as to the hog you can reach in about 45, minutes with, a generous, sidewalk for pedestrians, and many shops restaurants and, cafes. Making. This probably, the busiest street, in the city especially with its proximity to the University, where we're going next in, the Middle Ages this street was already one of the most important, residential, centers it remains so today with shops at the ground level and apartments. Upstairs. The. Concert, hall is an impressive example of, Neel Renaissance, architecture, that is rarely found in the Netherlands, Leiden.

Has Had a concert, hall for more than two centuries, construction. On this one was, completed, in 1891. Although. It does not run alongside any, canals, it is still a very attractive Street, to experience especially because of the lack of cars, so. This is a place for people with many practical, shops and places to eat and drink and, yet perhaps the, best attraction. Are the little lanes that lead away from it heading, over towards, the University. Of Leiden, which, bring you into, a small-town. Village, atmosphere with, a somewhat. Bohemian character. The. Neighborhood is called Peters, Quarter because it's all around the Church, of st. Peter with. Many little lanes for pedestrians, and lined with shops and cafes, the. Map route shows our paths from the brook over to City Hall and into. The Peters, Quarter, for, a little wander over towards the University it's, only a few small blocks but, if you were lured, to meander. Up and down many of the lanes because, of the attractive shops you'd be walking over a kilometre, you might enjoy browsing, around here for a couple of hours we're. Talking about the neighbourhood between, the new Rhine and, the Rothenberg, canal, it's, a little bit off the beaten track for most tourists. Who come to light him but, there are some historic, structures, in this area that will bring the visitor in to have a look around, so, when you come over be sure to, check out those little alleys and also, the historic, sites like Peter's, Church, Robin. Steen prison the, Latin School and a few other sites but mostly it's the historic, overall, character, of this neighborhood which is one of the oldest, parts of town Peters. Kirk is the namesake, of this Peters, quarter neighborhood which, is also sometimes referred to as the Latin Quarter because of the, Latin, language used for early schooling, in the area it's believed, the city's, name Leiden, was derived, from the Latin, word log, dunam and there, is evidence of ancient Roman, settlements. Peters, Kirk is late gothic, that dates back to 1390. But. In the 1970s. It was deconsecrated. And, converted, into a museum and event, space sometimes. Open, to the public. Widens. History, goes back a long long way, people. Have lived, on the banks of the Rhine for millennia, around. The Year 1200, the settlement, had developed, such that the count of Holland offered, city rights to the inhabitants and the city of Leiden, was born at. The end of the 15th century Leiden, was the largest city, of the county of Holland, largely. Thanks to the International. Cloth making industry, which was their main trade, and that. Prosperity. Is reflected, in buildings such as Peters, Kirk, you. Can tell we're getting closer to the University campus with, more students. Out and about on the roads it's one of those special times of the year when some students are graduating which means it's time to have a little party in the, Netherlands, they don't all graduate, at once as a unified, class, it's more like especially, for graduate students individual.

Graduation, Ceremony, and will soon see one inside. The academic, halls, there's. A perfectly. Beautiful outdoor, restaurant, conveniently. Located just, across the canal from the university, makes. A good place to sit down and, enjoy life, with your friends and celebrate. Your new diploma. Crossing. The rapin berg canal we are entering the campus, of the University, of Leiden. It's. The oldest college in the country was founded in. 1575. By Prince, William of Orange who. Famously gave, the people of Leiden a choice after, the victory over the Spanish they, could either have a reduction, in their taxes, or they, could have a free, university. They, chose the university, right. Away we see its most impressive building. The Academy, building which. Dates back to the. 1580s. Each, faculty department. Has its own room here and it's the location, of all important. Ceremonies, especially. Graduations. The, university began in this building which started, out as a chapel, of a former, Dominican, convent, and the nuns left the convent, after the Reformation and the building was empty so, the university took it over and expanded. It now there are 30,000. Students, the. Hardest Botanica, s' is part, of the university of leiden and it's the oldest. Botanical, garden in western, europe aside, from a couple of gardens, in italy it was founded in 1590. And it's been accessible, to the public from the beginning you'll, find that it's a delightful, place to stroll we, had a little chat with a professor, who does some research here and also serves, as a guide to tell the public about the gardens. My. Name is John thanks Twingo, I'm a biologist, and I'm working here for, well. More than twenty years now as a guide I'm. Guiding. The peoples through this Botanical Garden, our. Main, research. Objects. Is the family, of the orchids, it's. Huge, 135, thousand, different species for our collection of living. Ones is about, six, thousand, and, also the garden played a role in the tulip phenomenon, man yeah right yeah, flowers, became important, to the economy, so this garden.

Since. Some, essentially, we, call the Netherlands the tulips. Land, of the world and now, it's, still, an important, economic factor I mean there. Are hundreds, of millions. Of euros. Running. In this business and. The, first Dutch tulips, were planted, in this garden eventually. Creating, a big economic boom that's continued, to this day but, not many tulips in the garden now to see them you want to go out to the fields, and nearby cooking, off the famous, tulip fields especially in, late April, early May here. They've got some greenhouses, that you can walk into during, your visit and there. Are several different ethnic. Gardens like the Chinese, herb garden, and the Japanese, pebble garden for a little Zen meditation, it's, a little reminder of how the Dutch were able to set up a very successful trade, deal with the Japanese, back in 1609. The. Only Westerners, allowed into that closed, society. An, especially. Delightful, part of the garden is this stretch along the single, canal where. You have the lawn and, flowerbeds, and, almost a picnic ground it's one of the nicest canalside. Environments. In the entire city and, you can only see it if you pay the small entry, fee or, from a canal boat tour but nicer inside the garden this view alone makes the entry. Price worthwhile, while. We enjoy some final, moments, of peace, and, beauty and tranquility in, the garden let's listen to some thoughts, from the mayor of Leiden, who, tells us. The. International. Reputation Leiden. Enjoys, as a city of knowledge as one a monumental. Renowned and a long history. New. Discoveries, are still, made in our city every, day at the, University, at, the ylides University. Medical Center and at. The bioscience, park which is developed, into one of the world's strongest, biomedical. Science clusters. Leiden. Boasts, many attractive, features as a city rich in cultural, heritage a, vast, wealth of history in art and science, and a, beautiful, vibrant city, centre where, almost everything. Is within walking distance. Thank. You mr. mayor and a, message, forwarded, to us by the light, and tourist, information office, a very, helpful. Source of information about. Visiting, Leiden, and now. We're walking back, to our final, destination to. The new, Rhine canal, just. 800 metres away so it's, only about a 5-minute walk we, come back to the center of town where the old Rhine. New Ryan canals come together at the border square where you have several cafes with, nice views of the canals and the, bog which is the old weighing house and now it's a popular, bar from.

The Mid 17th, century it, was a place where merchants. Came to weigh and trade a variety of goods. We. Are back in the epicenter, of town where the canals come together the, terrace cafes, look out at each other and people. Are here, for, a good time if. You only came to lighten for 2 hours this is the place you want to come but, you've seen in the program there is so much more of this city to enjoy it's. Worth spending one, or maybe two nights. If. You're there on a Sunday the town is pretty quiet but there is a market going on along side the main canals, it's a fabric, market although. It's kind of ironic, and. A little bit sad that Leiden, which had been a major, manufacturer. Of fabrics back in the 17th, 18th 19th. Centuries, doesn't. Make any fabric any longer. It. All is imported. From other countries, and. That's the way it goes in the modern world but. The fabric market is a popular, place to be if, you're there on a Saturday there's, a much bigger market, typical. Street Market with mostly vegetables. Produce, there's, clothing antiques. All sorts, of things going on Saturday, and a, smaller street market happening, on Wednesday, but. There's an advantage to being enlightened, when there's no market going on the, town is a little bit less crowded, and so, you can enjoy the, streets, the lanes the, museums, of the town itself without, so many people around, no. Matter when you come you are going to love this city. We. Upload, new, travel movie every, week so if you want to be informed please subscribe, and click. That little alarm bell so you'll be notified and if you enjoyed the movie how about a thumbs, up and we always welcome comments down below or if you have questions about the destination, make note and we'll answer them thanks. For watching.

2019-04-28 21:53

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