After a Lengthy Layover in Leiden…

… The Pilgrims, in 1620, sailed across the Atlantic and became the founding fathers of the United States

A photograph of a copy of the American Declaration of Independence of 1776 on display at the Pieterskerk in Leiden [All the photographs are owned by the author. Not to be used without permission]

It’s a catch-22 situation. My partner and I were hard-pressed for time. We didn’t have much of it. Our friends, who had moved base to Haarlem a few months earlier, called that morning to provide details of the venue for the scheduled reunion. We were supposed to meet the couple earlier during our stay, but the plans got deferred. We were already heading to the intended destination when the confirmation came.

There was no time to contemplate changing the plans altogether. As such, we decided to go through with the pre-decided trip, even though cutting it short was the only way to honor the upcoming commitment. Considering our trip to the Netherlands was ending, and we were supposed to board the flight back home the next day, there was no way we could have postponed the meeting with our friends any further.

Leiden is known as a university city, but there is more to this minor conurbation in South Holland. Like many others in Europe in general and the Netherlands in particular, it is a city of canals. Then, there are churches and museums galore in Leiden. Exploring each one in one trip was impossible, especially when no overnight stay was planned.