Leiden.

Here is another episode of The Adventures of Sanne and Marion in the Netherlands. Of course we couldn't miss out on a trip to Leiden, my university city. During my time at uni there were often moments when I was stuck in Leiden for an hour or two, waiting for class to start or killing time before work. The city center of Leiden is quite small and doesn't hold a lot of secrets for me anymore, which meant that I could take Marion to some of my favorite spots.

I've spent countless hours at the Bagels & Beans, both on the first floor looking down at the people walking past and at some of the tables outside, close to the Rijn (or Rhine, for y'all English speaking folk. Side note: I had to Google whether this river was actually the Rhine. I'm aware that the Rhine is huge, but in my head it only exists in my home town). Of course Marion and I took forever to get out of bed in the morning and we arrived in Leiden quite late in the day. So after munching on a bagel and looking at the passing boats we headed into the city. 

The Burcht (or Burrow) is an old building on top of a hill, and if you've ever been to the Netherlands you will know that just the hill on its own is quite a special thing, since we're known for being an extremely flat country. The building is nothing more than a circular wall, but the path that slowly winds up the hill provided us with a great view of the surrounding houses. I might have taken some sneaky pictures of a gorgeous house with huge a bookshelf, including a sliding ladder. 

Sometimes I regret not moving to Leiden when I started studying there, but it wasn't really necessary since I lived about 30 minutes from the city. It is actually one of the few places in the Netherlands I wouldn't mind living. It has an amazing history, beautiful buildings and an abundance of adorable restaurants and cafés. Hopefully I'll be able to visit Leiden again soon, because I know that I'll appreciate it even more now that I can't just hop on a bike to get there.