Leiden celebrates defeat of the Spanish

Monday October 3

I slept very soundly! Around noon Eric and I went to Lisse to get groceries (4mi), then dropped them home and headed for Leiden, celebrating the defeat of the Spanish siege there in 1574. Bike paths the whole way, albeit with some detours due to construction. Many shops are closed Mondays (maandag gesloten) as were both bike shops in Sassenheim as my rear tire went soft. We pumped it up and soldiered on.

The main train line from Amsterdam to points south runs along part of the path so I got to see several trains. Central Leiden was packed for the festivities--rides, games and fried food. I had poffertjes with gran marnier and then we visited a supermarket that happened to be open for drinks and snacks. The health stores in town were closed so we had to stop at one in Sassenheim on the ride back. (15.5mi)

After refilling my tire at home I took the bike out for 3 miles or so to test it and go in another direction. While you can't get lost, you can get stuck in residential neighborhoods.