Netherlands: Leiden

Roxi and her school’s jazz band played at a University graduation this weekend in the Pieterskerk in Leiden. The church was built in the 1400s and is known as the Church of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Apparently, the Pilgrims lived nearby and held their services here. Cool, huh? John Robinson, one of the Pilgrim pastors, is buried here. The church was deconsecrated in 1971 and now is used for events.

And so what did Mr. DJ and I do while Roxi was “working”?

HA!!

We enjoyed a leisurely two-hour lunch and wandered around the city in the rain :-)

We had planned to go to the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum afterward, but we ran out of time. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of Leiden last time we were here either! I hope we can make one more visit to this pretty town before we leave the Netherlands. I think it must be worth at least a day to see the old town, the windmill museum, and general poking about.

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About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.

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  1. Leiden is a great little town. I love it.
    Looks like you had a great day even if it rained (surprise, surprise) :)
    Magda

  2. Sandra says:

    Hello Japra ;-)

    Great tip! I was once in Leiden but I don t get the opportunity to visit the city as I wished. As you I think it is a very charming city ;-)
    A must come back for sure!
    Have a great week!

    Sandra

    PS: You and your Mister DJ must be proud of your daughter ;-) Congrats!

    • japra says:

      Sandra, dear, I hope you get to visit Leiden again soon. It is an adorable city! We couldn’t get over how well preserved it was.

      And yes, my husband and I are probably a bit *too* proud of our daughter ;-) She amazes us every day.

  3. Sandra says:

    I did’nt get the chance at the time, I mean…

  4. Christine says:

    the good thing is London is just a short hop away…sounds like you had a lovely day, thanks for the food pics!

  5. Looks lovely! And that lunch looks divine! I’d love to go to Leiden someday since some of my ancestor’s were born there.

  6. julia says:

    oh, yum, lunch looked so good!

  7. Invader_Stu says:

    Leiden is a great place. It looked like you had fun.

  8. Emm says:

    Wow – that church is exquisite. It is a pity they are not using it anymore as a church but thank goodness they are still maintaining the interior. I see the style is “late gothic”. It is really lovely and I think I’ve only seen one building like it in London.

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