We stayed in Leiden the first two nights in The Netherlands. Leiden is a university town and has the second largest number of canals, with Amsterdam having the most. On our second day, we took the train from Leiden to Amsterdam. A light rain was falling when we arrived, so we took a canal boat ride, to stay dry and see some of the city. The narration was in several languages and hit the high points of the canal system, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were struck by how many old houses and buildings were leaning several degrees, yet are very well maintained. There are
2500 annual permits for houseboats on the canals of Amsterdam. All are taken.
We were also amazed at the number of bicycles everywhere.
After returning to Leiden in the afternoon, the clouds lifted and we spent time walking about Leiden. It was a beautiful afternoon with lots of people out and about, most of them riding their bikes!
