The "Hooglandse Kerkgracht" towards the drawbridge
Below left: Towards the Hooglandse Kerk
Last week I had to be in the center of Leiden. It was a dull but mild day. Early spring, the trees still bare waiting for that sign they recognise to open their buds and unfold their leaves. Normally Leiden is bustling with activity, with students, bikes, tourists visiting the many museums Leiden is famous for, the Hortus Botanicus with its special plants, the many picturesque almshouses to mention a few things. On top of a choice of well-known museums, there are two famous churches, as impressive as cathedrals. Leiden moreover can boast of several beautiful historic pipe organs and a rich organ culture. Walking through Leiden I was struck by its emptiness. The shopping streets deserted, no cafes or restaurant-barges on the Rhine, no music, no students enjoying themselves or cycling to friends or lectures. No people admiring the collections in one of the museums, the prints in the Japan museum, the flowers in the Hortus and the hothouses there. In fact it felt as if the heart of the town had been ripped out. No boats on the many canals either. The town was dead. If it had been midnight, it would have been calming. But in the middle of the day, it filled me with sadness.
The former orphanage on the Hooglandse Kerkgracht
A flower shop which really cheered me up, and which had done its utmost to give its shop and the pavement in front of it a very festive look.
Leaving the center the view of the windmill was also balm to the soul.
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