Great day yesterday

Goodmorning everybody!

Oh my, what a gorgeous weather it was. Sun, blue sky, almost no wind and temperature around 75 F.
You couldn;'t have asked for more!
And we did take advantage of this.
I started yesterday vaduuming the house and then Jan suddenly asked me if I was ready. For what? I asked.
Well, to go to Leiden as you already wanted to do for a long time and it's the right weather for it today, so let's go!. So suddenly I had to hurry up, and off we went, with tramway to station and there we took the train. That already was a kind of treat for both of us LOL! I cannot remember when I was in a train the last time, but for Jan it was at least 10 or 15 years ago! The town of Leiden isn;t at great distance, about 20 km at the most, so we were real quick at our destination.

I had already prepared a whole list of little court yards to visit, but we ended up seeing just a few, we'll have to go back another time, because there were a bit scattered through town. But we enjoyed so much our walk through the town, it's a lovely old town centre, with lots of old fronts , all around little streets or even just allies, that demand a closer look LOL, but then you will find the loveliest things.
I have pictures for you, and also have some links where you can read a bit of the towns history, if you want.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiden
http://www.vvvleiden.nl/en/history.html

We only did a part of the town, as I said, we surely will go back another day, then also to visit some musea. Well, you only can do two perhaps on one day, but there are some really interesting ones. I'll just have to see the Hortus Botanicus(Botanical Garden) and we also want to visit for sure the National Museum of Ethnology.Without further delay now some pictures, I think I will split it up in two days, I have to many for one post, hahahah.

More Dutch it almost cannot be, hmmmm, leaving the station this is about the first you see.

After a little while this is about the first courtyard you can visit, I don;t know why, but I have a kind of crush on those places.!

Here the front of the Elizabeth Gasthuis

The St.  Elisabeth Gasthuishof knows a rich history.  In 1428, the rather rich Jan Dirk Coenenzoon and its wife Katrijn founded the house as hospital for ill women. 
Their hospital in the downtown of Leiden was devoted to the saint Elisabeth of Thuringen.  This Elisabeth spent her short life looking after  ill people. 
In 1575, the nearby situated St.  Ursulaklooster and it's chapel were added to theis hospital  After 1760, it got into financial trouble and the house got varied destinations.
 In 1963  a foundation saved it from decay, repaired it in its old splendor and brought back the historical position as a nursing home.
In 2008 is the hospital was renovated within the historical style and serves  again as a hospital. 





Here another one of those lovely little courtyards

It's a pity I couldn't take a better picture of this gorgeous "watch"cat LOL. It was a beauty!

A view on one of the canals always so great to see.

And another one, and see how inviting this looks, all around there are little cafe's and restaurants, and with this great weather of course a lot of people enjoy it this way!

Here one of those typical houses, you see loads of them!

Crossing a bridge I saw this, thought it was a beutiful view. It was a little parc, so we entered that, and it was lovely.

Walking again over the bridge you see on the picture above, to the right, I saw this house, also a beauty.

And here our walk stops for today!
I really had a terrific day, it felt like a kind of little holiday.
Now today I should do some things let are still waiting to be done, I planned them for yesterday, but as I should know by now, my plans dont'work so well! I think it will be laundry day, washing AND ironing, oops,
and perhaps some grocery shopping so that the weekend I will be "free". There is going to be another fair, the"autumnal"one, near to our street, so perhaps we will take a look there tomorrow or Saturday.
Also in the evening we had a bit of bad news, Jan went for a moment to the cafe and he heard there that a friend of us, not a real close one, but we know her, seemed to be in hospital after probably a heart attack and that she had an angioplasty( I am not sure about the word, but the open a blocked vain with a little tube). To hear something like this always gives a shock, the more as she was only about two weeks ago here for a short visit.! Hopefully we will have more detailed news today about the whole event.
This wasn't the kind of way a lovely day had to end! Cross fingers it was only a real minor stroke and surgery, and she will be home soon!

Pfff, al together this was a rather long post! Time to finish it with the 3rd set of Autumn Delight.
Have a wonderful day.

Download     part 3 HERE