Today was definitely an adventure.
Kudos to anyone who can read a map and successfully navigate with it. Really, you’ve got skills. I’ve tried and given up, but I’m kind of happy about this personal failure; one of my favorite parts of going to a new city is the feeling of finally getting home after a confusing afternoon of being lost. Exploring is more fun when you don’t know where you’re going - that’s how you find things you weren’t expecting to see. Besides, with all of the technology you can buy to tell you where to go, what other opportunities do you have to find your own way than getting caught up in a city you’ve never seen before?
I’m finally out of the hotel, which means I moved into where I’ll be staying for the rest of the semester! It’s an absolutely beautiful building, the whole area is full of architecture like this. Apparently this used to be an old laboratory/museum, now it’s renovated for international students. Here it is:
The inside is great too… turns out there are about 4-6 people sharing a bathroom and a kitchen with a dorm-like set up (hallways of single rooms) and a lounge (kind of like Harry Potter =P). My room has really tall ceilings with a window that extends all the way to the top, and my bed is on the lofted level; my pictures definitely don’t do it justice. Regardless, the room is lovely:
I spent a while walking around Leiden today, the first time I really got to wander. Around here there’s a strip called Haarlemmerstraat that acts as the city center, where you go for pretty much everything. I found it after walking wherever my heart desired for about a half hour, and immediately knew when I was there. Leiden has been pretty quiet so far even though it’s a city, similar to Boston on a random afternoon on a weekday (aka, unlike NYC, it sleeps), but at Haarlemmerstraat there were a ton of people walking and on bikes. EVERYONE has a bike here, I guess because just about everything in the city is considered within walking distance, even when it’s not. Thinking about buying a bike, I’m not sure if I’m tough enough to handle it. I haven’t checked out the public transportation system yet, but I’ll need that to start my research so I’ll probably get lost on that soon.
I was told I actually got to see this city a way most visitors don’t get to: covered in snow. I heard it snowed at home today too! If only New Brunswick was this beautiful in winter. I wish Carl could be here to take pictures that actually captured how amazing this place is, but hopefully my less than professional photography skills can show you some of its character. There are waterways and bridges throughout the city, which are now frozen over and sparkling in the sun during day. If it’s this gorgeous in winter, I can’t imagine how great it will be in the spring.
I’m going to keep posting pictures of beautiful Leiden in hopes that I can convince some people to come visit during the semester. Go to Amsterdam, and visit me in Leiden while you’re there! I’m only 20 minutes tops by train…at least think about it =)
