Could we see ourselves living in Leiden? Haha of course! We're the other Texans living in The Netherlands with a TH-cam channel. If you come again you should go to the Lakenhal. And 3 October is a fun time too. Let us know next time you're in town we'd love to show you around.
3:45 I saw it a month or so ago in its original location: the large LUMC hospital building at the rear of Leiden Centraal (the railway station). Once you go through the main entrance, it’s in one of the hallways on the ground floor not too far from said entrance.
"Could you live in Leiden?" Well, yes, because I do. Was fun to see my hometown through the eyes of visitors! Reminds me to visit Oudt Leyden again, their pancakes are amazing.
Lots of history in Leiden. The breaking of the 2nd Spanish siege and relief of the city was the turning point in the 80 years war. It was very much a last ditch effort. With a decimated army (after a crushing defeat at Mookerheide), combined with mostly unpaid (payment was promised) mercenaries from Wallonia, Germany, England and Scotland, and the crucial addition of the Sea Beggar fleet. For 3 weeks they fought for the control of local roads, breaking levies to flood more and more pieces of land and waiting for the water to rise. The water drove the Spanish from their barricades, and they rowed 250 commandeered boats/pontoons/barges/flatbottoms/rafts inland over the flooded lands towards Leiden, and sailed in a fleet of 70 ships by way of rivers and canals. Finally breaking the siege, and relieving Leiden with mostly white bread and herring. Leiden holds a key place in the history of the Netherlands. It's 449 years ago now, the Leids ontzet is still celebrated in Leiden each year, on the 3rd of October.
Leiden is great! (I lived there for 7 years) You missed a lot, so good reason to come back. Try the Ethiopian restaurant next time and visit one of the great Museums or Hortus Botanicus. Do you guys own a Museumcard yet? (It is €60 per year and gives free entrance to over 450 museums in the country. It really is a must have for any day trip)
The stairs to ‘nothing’ at the town hall were meant for announcements. The Rijnlandse Voet is the little metal stick just on the right side of the stairs.
I was born and raised in Leiden only to move out and eventually move abroad. People often ask me if I don't miss The Netherland and my answer is always: I don't miss the Netherlands but do miss Leiden.
Great video. I'll be visiting Leiden for 4 days in late May with my husband and can't wait. Thanks for the suggestion of breakfast at Borgman Borgman and we'll definitely eat there. Love your videos, from Australia 🦘🇦🇺
If you have the chance and time i would definitely recommend a trip to the oldest city in the Netherlands. Maastricht, it’s the capital city of Limburg all the way in the south. The area surrounding Maastricht is very beautiful too. You’ll see extremely old farms and farmhouses, some dating back to early 1700’s. It’s very hilly (if that’s even a word), but it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the flatter and more urban area in the west of the country.
Fun history fact: John Quincy Adams studied in Leiden. John Adams Sr. made the decision to move there from Amsterdam in his time as ambassador, so his sons could study there. They lived in the Langebrug street, number 45. Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barrack Obama are all descendants of Leiden Pilgrims. The Bush presidents and Obama even share the same family. You could visit the St. Pieterskerk in their commemoration. Also; Leiden cheese ftw.
I'm a direct descendent of John Adams and also DAR, but my membership is in remission because I haven't found any DAR in the Netherlands. Yet a group from America visited and blogged about it last year. They even went to 45 Langebrugstraat because of Adams being the very 1st US amabassador to the Netherlands. I've also written a 4-part mystery series based in Leiden, so I know a lot about the city through research even though I live further south. Cool university city, though, with some wonderful local hangouts.
I lived in Leiden for a couple of years while I went to the University. It's a really nice city with lots of things to do. I really miss it sometimes, the atmosphere is so unique🥰
The Elephant building was designed by the world famous architect Dudok and used to house the Leidsch Dagblad, a newspaper. The Sea Elephant resides at the LUMC, the hospital in Leiden.
The intriguing thing about the citadel (Burcht) is that you only see it when you're standing right in front of it; from all the other sides it's obscured by houses. I know people who lived for years in Leiden and didn't even know it existed. BTW, I live in Leiden and can recommend. It's also very good if you want to go places: there are four ways to leave the city by train, two highways, and there are two airports within spitting distance. Only disadvantage is that the culinary scene isn't fantastic, mainly due to The Hague being so close by and having a great cuisine.
I recently discovered this channel because of your posting about buying Dutch bicycles. I have enjoyed your videos and especially this one about Leiden. I have visited Leiden twice for work with a previous employer. The first time I visited was on the 2nd October and found the celebration there fascinating to observe. I enjoyed seeing the Burcht and the other sights. I don't think I knew about the poems, but I did get to do a walking tour of Leiden including the Burcht and also got to tour the Valk windmill. Leiden and Delft which I also visited were eye opening to an American who has mostly lived in very car centric towns and cities. I look forward to checking out some of your other videos.
That concerned sea elephant statue can be found in the LUMC hospital on the ground floor, behind the railway station. Actually, 5 minutes walk where you had your wrap-up.
@@buncharted The sculpture still exist, no doubt about that, however it was replaced by an new one three years ago. Since all art financed by public means belong to the community, it tends to move around. Stored at LUMC is most likely. That said this video shows the unicorn-mermaid and the artist m.th-cam.com/video/MfuwWKye5P0/w-d-xo.html
Not sure if you knew, but the Pilgrims used to live in Leiden before they took the Mayflower to the US. They have a museum dedicated to them in Leiden.
True - 37 English who'd settled in Leiden were members on board the Mayflower. They'd been a part of Pastor Robinson's separatist Puritan congregation in Leiden, The Netherlands, calling themselves the 'Brownists'. But Robinson didn't join them when they were finally able to set sail from Holland because of being ill. BTW, 35 million people can trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower, and you can join the 'Mayflower Society' if able to document this geneologically. There is also a Pilgrim walk in Leiden, which is interesting if you do it.
Both excellent towns. If you had asked my late mother, who was born & raised in Tholen, what her favourite town in Nederland was, she was torn between Leiden & Haarlem also.
Nice video! The two of you have a really nice kind of humor. Love it. Is that a bit un-American? (asking for a friend). In visiting places, do not forget to visit Haarlem. Not a lot of canals, but a really nice city. Close to Amsterdam, Schiphol, beach and great dunes. It is where people from Amsterdam go shopping in order to avoid the mass. I would recommend to check it out!
My ancestors came from France to Leiden as many ‘Huguenots’ did. There was a big French protestant community there. I think there is still a very old ‘Waalse Kerk’ somewhere in the city centre. Nice videos!
I grew up in Leiden! And still living here for my studies! After that I'm planning on moving to the east of the Netherlands, but Leiden has a special place in my heart ❤
"Could you live in Leiden?" - not yet but it is in fact where we are planning to move! We've not quite got our ducks in a row (we live in the UK currently and I'm doing postgrad work) but we'll be there for 2 weeks in the autumn. Can't wait! Also - I may have squealed at 0:00:35 when Michelle walked into Nieuwe Mare and I could see our AirBnB from last summer - with the cargo bike parked out front.
@@michielvdvlies3315 Thank you! Do you live in Leiden? Any tips for 3 October? Must-sees or must-dos? We've watched T & T's video about it several times -- the atmosphere and spirit remind us of the summer festival we have in Bognor Regis here in the UK.😊
My favourite town in The Netherlands. If it was in my retirement budget, Leiden is my first choice for living abroad. Quick language lesson: The -en at the end of pannekoeken is the pluralizer. So technically, you got one pannekoek and not a pannekoeken
A good day for vlogging in Leiden would probably be October 3rd. Also for the food, provided that you like the hotchpotch, sausage, herring and white bread that are associated with that day, which is to commemorate that in 1574 a siege on the city was broken after almost a year. The herring and stuff, the tale goes, was the first proper food most Leideners had had after months of starvation. I have never been to Leiden on that day mind you, and I am not from there. I just love it so much when a city or a community keeps traditions alive that go back so many centuries 🙂
I live in a village next to Leiden, next time you should visit the museums there.. Rembrandt is from Leiden. Also visit on October 3rd, they celebrate being liberated from the Spanish. great party all over the city
Think you missed a few highlights of Leiden! The Canals and 16th century houses around them (Amsterdam is not the only city), the various unique musea and the various Hofjes (16th-18th century courtyards).
That Frisian flag behind you in the intro is of the very famous Frisian bakery "Bertus". Almost always a line. Their oranjekoek is top notch ( A frisian specialty)
I also like to point out that this is called the Groenhazengracht and it is the only gracht in Nederland named after a madam, who used to run a brothel there. :D
If you guys are doing a visit to The Hague, be sure to visit the West Mall in Leidschenhage, the Food hall in the city center and of course, Scheveningen 😊👍🏻
You can find your sea-elephant (elephant seal!) sitting in the hall of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) (main entrance) at the back of the railway-station...actually among other objects of art. The sculpture is called "Homunculus Loxodontus"
It's funny (and in a way a bit sad) that you both probably know more of the Dutch history than most Dutch people themselves. I love how deep you guys go into this 👌🏻
Ah you failed to mention that Leiden is the birthplace of Rembrandt, that the milky way was discovered there (not the chocolate bar) and that Einstein used to visit Lorentz from whos theories he derived his famous equation.. .
Also the Leyden jar was created in Leiden, it was the first thing humans made to store electricity. They charged them with static electricity and used them to shock all the people in a room by them holding hands while one person touched the jar.
I miss Leiden. Used to go there a lot for work and just walk around the center. One of the most pleasantly walkable citycenters, in my opinion. Was fun seeing everything again.
I currently work in Leiden but am only seeing this video now. (Cool that you went to Velvet but you should also check out Plato.) I have worked in Dordrecht for a few years as well; if you like really old Dutch cities, you should definitely check it out. And it's close to Rotterdam...!
Three years ago I came back to live in Leiden again: the city where I was born, raised and went to university. After 35 years of self-imposed exile, I couldn't remember anymore why I left Leiden in the first place, and settled for Amsterdam. That was a big mistake. Huge! 😉Nice vid, by the way... 👍
Cool video guys. Love the fooie side to your videos and your unique sense of humor. Have watched @tantgodutch vids aswell and it was cool to see the Leiden the have showed us and tour video confirmed how cool Leiden is. Definately spot we would consider when we move over.
we put the recording dates in all of our video descriptions :) a lot of cafes do allow you to sit outside during the winter and they occasionally will have heaters out there. but it’s not our first choice in the winter…
8:06 The path where the old citadel (Burcht) is connected with, happens to be named after my grandfather. :D So yes, I could life in Leiden. Did so most of my life and still close enough to walk there.
@@buncharted Sure, no problem. He was an architect specializing in restoration. A lot of churches and other big buildings where restored by him (Well, him company. Didn't do it alone of course) Two of the bigger projects where a church and the library right at the start/end of that path. He unfortunately died early and a bit before the completion of one of those projects (the library if I remember correct) So, in honor of what he did in restoring parts of the city they renamed the path right by two of the bigger projects. Never knew him myself since he died pretty young. Still have some pride in the (his)story though :)
I would love to live in Leiden. What are the best ways to find housing? I would love a vacation location a tiny home, small place. What site would you both recommend?
Arnhem ! We kennen Arnhem natuurlijk van Burgers’ Zoo en het Openluchtmuseum. Het is ook een modestad en je kunt er zeer goed slagen, zeker bij het Modekwartier. Wat Arnhem ook bijzonder maakt is dat het de enige Nederlandse stad is waar nog trolleybussen rijden. De Gelderse hoofdstad heeft ook een middelpunt voor de cultuur, educatie en kennis: Rozet. Het gebouw alleen is al de moeite waard om te zien.
7:20 Ah! The ‘Rijnlandse Roede’ (Rhineland Rod). It’s dimensions are actually derived from the metal half loop thing in the wall behind you 😅 nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijnlandse_roede
Next time you have a big pancake like that (I suggest getting chocolate sauce next time) Roll it up and cut it into small rolls. then eat it with leasure. Rolling up the pancake is the traditional way
Tip: Next time you may visit Leiden, go to the National Museum of Antiquities. It is among the top museums in the world with Egyptian objects, among others.
we're planning on doing something like this as part of a larger video, but won't be until this summer sometime (after we move, haha). in the meantime, all of the cities east of the randstad are significantly cheaper, if you don't need to be near amsterdam or rotterdam for work! (like deventer, enschede, groningen, etc.)
Your videos are getting more entertaining by the day 😂 I was actually in Texas last week and I have to say I now look totally different at your videos 🤭Can't wait to see which city is next!
@@buncharted We started out in Fort Worth & Dallas. Then we rented a Ford F150 to blend in and travelled through Waco to Austin and San Antonio. We also made some small trips to smaller towns and the Enchanted Rock area. It was a cool, interesting and educational experience 😁
One is called pannenkoek, plural is pannenkoeken. Do you know which US president studied in Leiden, as did Rembrandt? And that Leiden was the favorite city of Einstein, who regularly taught there?
You should go to Leiden again on 3 october also known as Leidens Ontzet (Leiden liberation day). The town then celebrate the liberation from the Spanish occupation in 1674. It's a real fun then being in Leiden. And if you can you should really gonna life in Leiden.
Anywhere in the Netherlands my favorite pancake is ‘spekpannenkoek’ (bacon pancake) smothered with syrup. The savory that’s combined with the sugar is heaven to me. Btw, I’m Dutch and have lived most of my life in or around Haarlem. This city is older than Amsterdam.
I watched your videos so far. Trips in the Netherlands and Europe. I like the videos but I am curious if you also go to famous museums in all those cities. I would do that but I am addicted to cultural things
On our travels we have a similar metric, "I wanna live here!" We are heading to the Netherlands for a month June 20 after not having traveled since Fall of 2019. I really enjoyed your take on Leiden... until you grossed me out with the steak.
Leiden is my second-favorite city, the first being Rotterdam (born & bred). I lived in Leiden for seven (university) years, in three different houses (rooms in small, privately owned student houses). Loved it, occasionally miss it, but that's with a bit of "pink glasses reminiscing". Thinking rationally, I probably couldn't live there anymore, for a number of reasons. It is a true student town, which means a couple of things: it's quieter on the weekends, when many of the students file out, but a lot of day-trippers, out-of-towners and tourists flood in - it's a different atmosphere, a bit like Rotterdam on a Sunday afternoon. It is very, very quiet during Summer when nothing really moves, and then suddenly thousands of new students flood in in September - you will see a lot of lost-looking kids with backpacks, trying to figure out where they need to go. Charming, but after a couple of years .. repetitive. Student life is very noisy and very nocturnal, so living amongst them is, let's say, a mixed blessing. If you're a sympathetic vomiter, sleep with ear plugs in. If the sound of a fountain makes you want to tinkle, stay away from the canals, which double as toilets when bars close. Also, after seven years, I was kind of done with all of that, and even though Leiden itself is not small, the interesting and picturesque part of it really is. So I moved back to Rotterdam, where I've never been bored. I did move out of Rotterdam again (last year), but that's because my (American) wife was a little bit done with the crowded and noisy surroundings. Stay in Rotterdam if you can, there's no place like it.
Born & raised in Delft (did you already visit that city by the way?), but very happy to live in Rotterdam now as well :) I lived in Leiden very briefly in my student years, haha memories..
Fun fact about Leiden, did you know that the 2nd oldest university in the world is in Leiden, only beaten by the one in Florence (if I am not wrong that is)?! Thumbs up!!
Fun fact: The group of people who became your famous pilgrim fathers (Calvinists) first fled from English Catholic persecution to... yes , you've guessed it... Leiden. A few years later, they left Leiden because they found it too liberal. Tells you all you need to know , really.
Could we see ourselves living in Leiden? Haha of course! We're the other Texans living in The Netherlands with a TH-cam channel. If you come again you should go to the Lakenhal. And 3 October is a fun time too. Let us know next time you're in town we'd love to show you around.
My husband and I follow your channel avidly because we plan to move to Leiden. Not just yet - but we'll be there for 3rd October this year!
3:45 I saw it a month or so ago in its original location: the large LUMC hospital building at the rear of Leiden Centraal (the railway station). Once you go through the main entrance, it’s in one of the hallways on the ground floor not too far from said entrance.
ahh, thank you!!
"Could you live in Leiden?"
Well, yes, because I do. Was fun to see my hometown through the eyes of visitors! Reminds me to visit Oudt Leyden again, their pancakes are amazing.
So true
Nice to see my home town through the eyes of a tourist. If you ever return, the "Hortus" (botanical garden) is highly recommended if you like plants.
Lots of history in Leiden. The breaking of the 2nd Spanish siege and relief of the city was the turning point in the 80 years war. It was very much a last ditch effort. With a decimated army (after a crushing defeat at Mookerheide), combined with mostly unpaid (payment was promised) mercenaries from Wallonia, Germany, England and Scotland, and the crucial addition of the Sea Beggar fleet. For 3 weeks they fought for the control of local roads, breaking levies to flood more and more pieces of land and waiting for the water to rise. The water drove the Spanish from their barricades, and they rowed 250 commandeered boats/pontoons/barges/flatbottoms/rafts inland over the flooded lands towards Leiden, and sailed in a fleet of 70 ships by way of rivers and canals. Finally breaking the siege, and relieving Leiden with mostly white bread and herring. Leiden holds a key place in the history of the Netherlands. It's 449 years ago now, the Leids ontzet is still celebrated in Leiden each year, on the 3rd of October.
Leiden is great! (I lived there for 7 years) You missed a lot, so good reason to come back.
Try the Ethiopian restaurant next time and visit one of the great Museums or Hortus Botanicus. Do you guys own a Museumcard yet?
(It is €60 per year and gives free entrance to over 450 museums in the country. It really is a must have for any day trip)
The stairs to ‘nothing’ at the town hall were meant for announcements. The Rijnlandse Voet is the little metal stick just on the right side of the stairs.
I was born and raised in Leiden only to move out and eventually move abroad. People often ask me if I don't miss The Netherland and my answer is always: I don't miss the Netherlands but do miss Leiden.
Great video. I'll be visiting Leiden for 4 days in late May with my husband and can't wait. Thanks for the suggestion of breakfast at Borgman Borgman and we'll definitely eat there. Love your videos, from Australia 🦘🇦🇺
thank you ❤️
Your video’s are getting more informative and better edited by the day!
thank you! ❤️
If you have the chance and time i would definitely recommend a trip to the oldest city in the Netherlands. Maastricht, it’s the capital city of Limburg all the way in the south. The area surrounding Maastricht is very beautiful too. You’ll see extremely old farms and farmhouses, some dating back to early 1700’s. It’s very hilly (if that’s even a word), but it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the flatter and more urban area in the west of the country.
we visited maastricht last december! we LOVED it!
the unit of measure was next to the window
hahahaha whoops
Fun history fact: John Quincy Adams studied in Leiden. John Adams Sr. made the decision to move there from Amsterdam in his time as ambassador, so his sons could study there. They lived in the Langebrug street, number 45. Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barrack Obama are all descendants of Leiden Pilgrims. The Bush presidents and Obama even share the same family. You could visit the St. Pieterskerk in their commemoration.
Also; Leiden cheese ftw.
I'm a direct descendent of John Adams and also DAR, but my membership is in remission because I haven't found any DAR in the Netherlands. Yet a group from America visited and blogged about it last year. They even went to 45 Langebrugstraat because of Adams being the very 1st US amabassador to the Netherlands. I've also written a 4-part mystery series based in Leiden, so I know a lot about the city through research even though I live further south. Cool university city, though, with some wonderful local hangouts.
I lived in Leiden for a couple of years while I went to the University. It's a really nice city with lots of things to do. I really miss it sometimes, the atmosphere is so unique🥰
Nice Video. And you are right, Leiden is a nice city.
BTW : "the "ou" in Oud (Dutch) is prononced like the "ou" in Out (english)
The Elephant building was designed by the world famous architect Dudok and used to house the Leidsch Dagblad, a newspaper. The Sea Elephant resides at the LUMC, the hospital in Leiden.
The intriguing thing about the citadel (Burcht) is that you only see it when you're standing right in front of it; from all the other sides it's obscured by houses. I know people who lived for years in Leiden and didn't even know it existed.
BTW, I live in Leiden and can recommend. It's also very good if you want to go places: there are four ways to leave the city by train, two highways, and there are two airports within spitting distance. Only disadvantage is that the culinary scene isn't fantastic, mainly due to The Hague being so close by and having a great cuisine.
I recently discovered this channel because of your posting about buying Dutch bicycles. I have enjoyed your videos and especially this one about Leiden. I have visited Leiden twice for work with a previous employer. The first time I visited was on the 2nd October and found the celebration there fascinating to observe. I enjoyed seeing the Burcht and the other sights. I don't think I knew about the poems, but I did get to do a walking tour of Leiden including the Burcht and also got to tour the Valk windmill. Leiden and Delft which I also visited were eye opening to an American who has mostly lived in very car centric towns and cities. I look forward to checking out some of your other videos.
That concerned sea elephant statue can be found in the LUMC hospital on the ground floor, behind the railway station. Actually, 5 minutes walk where you had your wrap-up.
we checked and it wasn't there - have you seen it there recently?
@@buncharted The sculpture still exist, no doubt about that, however it was replaced by an new one three years ago. Since all art financed by public means belong to the community, it tends to move around. Stored at LUMC is most likely. That said this video shows the unicorn-mermaid and the artist m.th-cam.com/video/MfuwWKye5P0/w-d-xo.html
Not sure if you knew, but the Pilgrims used to live in Leiden before they took the Mayflower to the US. They have a museum dedicated to them in Leiden.
True - 37 English who'd settled in Leiden were members on board the Mayflower. They'd been a part of Pastor Robinson's separatist Puritan congregation in Leiden, The Netherlands, calling themselves the 'Brownists'. But Robinson didn't join them when they were finally able to set sail from Holland because of being ill.
BTW, 35 million people can trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower, and you can join the 'Mayflower Society' if able to document this geneologically. There is also a Pilgrim walk in Leiden, which is interesting if you do it.
It’s always a good thing to get in touch with the local cats
they know all the best places to go
The founders of present-day America, the pilgrims, left Leiden 400 years ago with the ship Mayflower. Have you found any traces of this in Leiden?
Born raised and living in Leiden. Nice you enjoyed it here👍
As someone from Haarlem, I cannot say many cities can compare to that. But Leiden does. Yes, I am chauvinistic.
Both excellent towns. If you had asked my late mother, who was born & raised in Tholen, what her favourite town in Nederland was, she was torn between Leiden & Haarlem also.
Nice video! The two of you have a really nice kind of humor. Love it. Is that a bit un-American? (asking for a friend).
In visiting places, do not forget to visit Haarlem. Not a lot of canals, but a really nice city. Close to Amsterdam, Schiphol, beach and great dunes. It is where people from Amsterdam go shopping in order to avoid the mass. I would recommend to check it out!
My ancestors came from France to Leiden as many ‘Huguenots’ did. There was a big French protestant community there. I think there is still a very old ‘Waalse Kerk’ somewhere in the city centre. Nice videos!
ja Waalse Kerk is aan de breestaat naast waar vroeger LVC zat, de kerkdiensten aldaar zijn nog steeds in het Frans
I grew up in Leiden! And still living here for my studies! After that I'm planning on moving to the east of the Netherlands, but Leiden has a special place in my heart ❤
So familiar terrain! I know Leiden inside & out. Spend a lot of weekends there. 🥰 Now I live in Norway.
"Could you live in Leiden?" - not yet but it is in fact where we are planning to move! We've not quite got our ducks in a row (we live in the UK currently and I'm doing postgrad work) but we'll be there for 2 weeks in the autumn. Can't wait! Also - I may have squealed at 0:00:35 when Michelle walked into Nieuwe Mare and I could see our AirBnB from last summer - with the cargo bike parked out front.
autumn as in october 3rd? ;-)
that's a great location for an airbnb!!
@@michielvdvlies3315 Yes! Not planned deliberately but we're really looking forward to experiencing Leiden's big festival.
@@velovoice47 enjoy your time overhere.
@@michielvdvlies3315 Thank you! Do you live in Leiden? Any tips for 3 October? Must-sees or must-dos? We've watched T & T's video about it several times -- the atmosphere and spirit remind us of the summer festival we have in Bognor Regis here in the UK.😊
The sea elephant statue is in the LUMC at the moment. It's on the ground floor near the main entrance.
we checked and it wasn't there - have you seen it there recently?
@@buncharted Yes. I was there yesterday. Ask the receptionist. The sea elephant was sitting there nearby
huh! well dang, i guess we didn’t see it. we will have to go back!
My favourite town in The Netherlands. If it was in my retirement budget, Leiden is my first choice for living abroad.
Quick language lesson: The -en at the end of pannekoeken is the pluralizer. So technically, you got one pannekoek and not a pannekoeken
A good day for vlogging in Leiden would probably be October 3rd. Also for the food, provided that you like the hotchpotch, sausage, herring and white bread that are associated with that day, which is to commemorate that in 1574 a siege on the city was broken after almost a year. The herring and stuff, the tale goes, was the first proper food most Leideners had had after months of starvation.
I have never been to Leiden on that day mind you, and I am not from there. I just love it so much when a city or a community keeps traditions alive that go back so many centuries 🙂
I live in a village next to Leiden, next time you should visit the museums there.. Rembrandt is from Leiden. Also visit on October 3rd, they celebrate being liberated from the Spanish. great party all over the city
I live close to Leiden , and always love going there. It has some great museums and a great atmosphere.
I grew up very close to Leiden and went to high school there. Lovely little city. Have you checked out Delft and Utrecht?
not yet - but we're definitely planning to!
You should come back on a saturday when they have the street market. One of the nicest in the Netherlands 🙂
Think you missed a few highlights of Leiden! The Canals and 16th century houses around them (Amsterdam is not the only city), the various unique musea and the various Hofjes (16th-18th century courtyards).
That Frisian flag behind you in the intro is of the very famous Frisian bakery "Bertus". Almost always a line. Their oranjekoek is top notch ( A frisian specialty)
we were wondering why that flag was there! that makes sense. we should have stopped in -- next time, i suppose!
I also like to point out that this is called the Groenhazengracht and it is the only gracht in Nederland named after a madam, who used to run a brothel there. :D
Kirtanmedia: As well as the 'dumkes' and the 'sûkerbolle'.
If you guys are doing a visit to The Hague, be sure to visit the West Mall in Leidschenhage, the Food hall in the city center and of course, Scheveningen 😊👍🏻
You can find your sea-elephant (elephant seal!) sitting in the hall of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) (main entrance) at the back of the railway-station...actually among other objects of art. The sculpture is called "Homunculus Loxodontus"
i think it’s been moved to the staff entrance - i’m not sure it’s accessible to us normies 🥲
Leiden is one of my favourite Dutch cities, i went there for college
It's funny (and in a way a bit sad) that you both probably know more of the Dutch history than most Dutch people themselves. I love how deep you guys go into this 👌🏻
we do our best :)
Ah you failed to mention that Leiden is the birthplace of Rembrandt, that the milky way was discovered there (not the chocolate bar) and that Einstein used to visit Lorentz from whos theories he derived his famous equation..
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Also the Leyden jar was created in Leiden, it was the first thing humans made to store electricity. They charged them with static electricity and used them to shock all the people in a room by them holding hands while one person touched the jar.
I miss Leiden. Used to go there a lot for work and just walk around the center. One of the most pleasantly walkable citycenters, in my opinion. Was fun seeing everything again.
I currently work in Leiden but am only seeing this video now. (Cool that you went to Velvet but you should also check out Plato.) I have worked in Dordrecht for a few years as well; if you like really old Dutch cities, you should definitely check it out. And it's close to Rotterdam...!
Three years ago I came back to live in Leiden again: the city where I was born, raised and went to university. After 35 years of self-imposed exile, I couldn't remember anymore why I left Leiden in the first place, and settled for Amsterdam. That was a big mistake. Huge! 😉Nice vid, by the way... 👍
Stab your fork sideways into the rim of the pancake and roll the fork ..... the pancake becomes a roll which is easier to cut and eat ....
Cool video guys. Love the fooie side to your videos and your unique sense of humor. Have watched @tantgodutch vids aswell and it was cool to see the Leiden the have showed us and tour video confirmed how cool Leiden is. Definately spot we would consider when we move over.
Great video!
It would have been very cool to know what month this was as you were eating in a sidewalk café. Can you do that in winter?
we put the recording dates in all of our video descriptions :)
a lot of cafes do allow you to sit outside during the winter and they occasionally will have heaters out there. but it’s not our first choice in the winter…
Could I live in Leiden? Yeah sure and am doing so for 47 years already :) Nice video on my hometown.
Born and raised in Leiden , Nice video by the way !
I had an apple pancake there with cinnamon and sugar. It was amazing.
8:06 The path where the old citadel (Burcht) is connected with, happens to be named after my grandfather. :D
So yes, I could life in Leiden. Did so most of my life and still close enough to walk there.
that's awesome! what's the story there, if you don't mind me asking?
@@buncharted Sure, no problem. He was an architect specializing in restoration. A lot of churches and other big buildings where restored by him (Well, him company. Didn't do it alone of course)
Two of the bigger projects where a church and the library right at the start/end of that path. He unfortunately died early and a bit before the completion of one of those projects (the library if I remember correct)
So, in honor of what he did in restoring parts of the city they renamed the path right by two of the bigger projects.
Never knew him myself since he died pretty young. Still have some pride in the (his)story though :)
I would love to live in Leiden. What are the best ways to find housing? I would love a vacation location a tiny home, small place. What site would you both recommend?
Arnhem
! We kennen Arnhem natuurlijk van Burgers’ Zoo en het Openluchtmuseum. Het is ook een modestad en je kunt er zeer goed slagen, zeker bij het Modekwartier. Wat Arnhem ook bijzonder maakt is dat het de enige Nederlandse stad is waar nog trolleybussen rijden. De Gelderse hoofdstad heeft ook een middelpunt voor de cultuur, educatie en kennis: Rozet. Het gebouw alleen is al de moeite waard om te zien.
Lovely video again..
And Michelle you look great. Alex is a lucky man 😁
❤️❤️❤️
7:20 Ah! The ‘Rijnlandse Roede’ (Rhineland Rod). It’s dimensions are actually derived from the metal half loop thing in the wall behind you 😅 nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijnlandse_roede
😂😂😂
oops! that definitely looked like a handle or something…
I lived here for a few years. I loved every minute ❤
Leiden is soo lovely! It's got the best university's in, maybe, Europe! X
Love your video and the kitties!!! That panekuken was awesome!!
its pannekoeken, cookie in english comes from the dutch word koekje
Next time you have a big pancake like that (I suggest getting chocolate sauce next time) Roll it up and cut it into small rolls. then eat it with leasure. Rolling up the pancake is the traditional way
I worked in and lived near Leiden, very nice city. Amersfoort has also a very nice medieval centre.
I know where the sea elephant is!! It is inside the hospital in the lobby just around the corner when you walk inside. Across the art expo.
have you seen it there recently? we went in there and i think it was moved :(
you going to assen too? it's more of a hybrid of a village and city, but it has alot of charm. you should definetly check it with TT
Tip: Next time you may visit Leiden, go to the National Museum of Antiquities. It is among the top museums in the world with Egyptian objects, among others.
There is al town in the Netherlands that's also in Belgium at same time, will you also explore that?
what's the name of it? sounds like something we'd be into :)
@@buncharted Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog
Could you do a video on the most affordable and smaller cities? Trying to aim to move in October!
we're planning on doing something like this as part of a larger video, but won't be until this summer sometime (after we move, haha). in the meantime, all of the cities east of the randstad are significantly cheaper, if you don't need to be near amsterdam or rotterdam for work! (like deventer, enschede, groningen, etc.)
Your videos are getting more entertaining by the day 😂 I was actually in Texas last week and I have to say I now look totally different at your videos 🤭Can't wait to see which city is next!
thank you! where'd you go in texas? 🤠
@@buncharted We started out in Fort Worth & Dallas. Then we rented a Ford F150 to blend in and travelled through Waco to Austin and San Antonio. We also made some small trips to smaller towns and the Enchanted Rock area. It was a cool, interesting and educational experience 😁
everything but fort worth and dallas sounds amazing 😂 we love waco, austin, and san antonio. enchanted rock is beautiful too!
Elephant statue is inside the entrance hall of the hospital LUMC.
One is called pannenkoek, plural is pannenkoeken. Do you know which US president studied in Leiden, as did Rembrandt? And that Leiden was the favorite city of Einstein, who regularly taught there?
The Sealion can be found in the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) main hall.
have you seen it there recently? we checked there and we think it was moved...
I tried to find out. I think it is moved to the staff entrance of the hospital.
You should go to Leiden again on 3 october also known as Leidens Ontzet (Leiden liberation day). The town then celebrate the liberation from the Spanish occupation in 1674. It's a real fun then being in Leiden. And if you can you should really gonna life in Leiden.
A little correction. It was not in 1674 but in 1574 when Leiden was freed from the Spanish.
This is gonna be a city tour and food tour is it not! Love it! 👍🙂
You make a roll from a pannekoek and eat it like that. Rijnlandse voet and roede. A voet is a little more then 30cm. A roede is 12 voet 377 cm
Nice to see that the intro started with the frisian flag in the background. Hope you guys visit up north soon.
we plan on it as soon as it gets a little warmer :)
Didn’t you guy’s run into T and T go dutch?
I think I spotted myself in the video somewhere in the background.
My old university town! Loved living here.
Anywhere in the Netherlands my favorite pancake is ‘spekpannenkoek’ (bacon pancake) smothered with syrup. The savory that’s combined with the sugar is heaven to me. Btw, I’m Dutch and have lived most of my life in or around Haarlem. This city is older than Amsterdam.
It's essentially hits the same spot as salted caramel, as the bacon is usually heavily salted, but savory.
that sounds so good!
I get hungry, every time I see one of your videos.
Was this just a few days ago? I assumed it was but then saw 2022 in the description...?
hahah oops. fixed :)
I watched your videos so far. Trips in the Netherlands and Europe. I like the videos but I am curious if you also go to famous museums in all those cities. I would do that but I am addicted to cultural things
we do go to museums from time to time, but we don't like to vlog in museums! plus, we prefer walking around and exploring the cities anyway :)
On our travels we have a similar metric, "I wanna live here!" We are heading to the Netherlands for a month June 20 after not having traveled since Fall of 2019. I really enjoyed your take on Leiden... until you grossed me out with the steak.
an occasional steak is nice but it definitely reminds us why we spend most of our time as vegetarians 😄
Leiden is my second-favorite city, the first being Rotterdam (born & bred). I lived in Leiden for seven (university) years, in three different houses (rooms in small, privately owned student houses). Loved it, occasionally miss it, but that's with a bit of "pink glasses reminiscing". Thinking rationally, I probably couldn't live there anymore, for a number of reasons. It is a true student town, which means a couple of things: it's quieter on the weekends, when many of the students file out, but a lot of day-trippers, out-of-towners and tourists flood in - it's a different atmosphere, a bit like Rotterdam on a Sunday afternoon. It is very, very quiet during Summer when nothing really moves, and then suddenly thousands of new students flood in in September - you will see a lot of lost-looking kids with backpacks, trying to figure out where they need to go. Charming, but after a couple of years .. repetitive. Student life is very noisy and very nocturnal, so living amongst them is, let's say, a mixed blessing. If you're a sympathetic vomiter, sleep with ear plugs in. If the sound of a fountain makes you want to tinkle, stay away from the canals, which double as toilets when bars close. Also, after seven years, I was kind of done with all of that, and even though Leiden itself is not small, the interesting and picturesque part of it really is. So I moved back to Rotterdam, where I've never been bored. I did move out of Rotterdam again (last year), but that's because my (American) wife was a little bit done with the crowded and noisy surroundings. Stay in Rotterdam if you can, there's no place like it.
Also, if you like student towns, don't forget to visit 2000+ year-old Nijmegen with its historic meandering center and lovely waterfront.
yeah, living near students is not our jam 🙈
Born & raised in Delft (did you already visit that city by the way?), but very happy to live in Rotterdam now as well :) I lived in Leiden very briefly in my student years, haha memories..
You guys should work for the tourism bureau of all cities in the Netherlands. The VVV doesn’t provide videos like this. :)
Love the Leiden love, my alma mater
Love Leiden!!!
T he statue is in the hospital LUMC
An interesting way to find secret art installations is with Pokemon GO :)
that is such a great idea!!!
5:19 oprollen met je vork en daarna in stukjes snijden
Did you find the Leiden keys?alex and michelle
the ones on the coat of arms? i think they were at the entrance to the citadel 🤔
Fun fact about Leiden, did you know that the 2nd oldest university in the world is in Leiden, only beaten by the one in Florence (if I am not wrong that is)?! Thumbs up!!
That is wrong on many accounts, neither even reach the top 10 :D
Still, the King and Mum's alma mater
I live in Leiden 😊
You really missed all the museums
Leiden is south Hollands Amsterdam and ofcourse it’s better than Amsterdam 😄 Leiden is geweldig ❤
Are you guys coming 2 alkmaar 2?
we'd like to!
Fun fact: The group of people who became your famous pilgrim fathers (Calvinists) first fled from English Catholic persecution to... yes , you've guessed it... Leiden. A few years later, they left Leiden because they found it too liberal. Tells you all you need to know , really.
😉😊
Just so you know... pannenkoekEN is the plural. One would be just a pannenkoek.
One correction
Pannekoeken is more than one
One pannekoek
Two (or more) pannekoeken
ah, right - thank you!