Leiden - Take 2!

Made it to Leiden!

Bonjour!  So I’m told that it has been quite some time since I last contributed to the blog.  So I’m told.  Well, what can I tell you, it’s been busy and as an artist and a writer if inspiration isn't there then you can’t force greatness.  But good news, I’ve found good subject matter and finally have the creative juices flowing!  And just like last year I'm here to talk about Leiden.

What is Leiden?  Well, Leiden as you recall is a cute little town in the Netherlands that hosts a marathon race each May.  Click here for Google map of the City. We discovered this town and race last year and had such a wonderful time we decided that we would just have to return.  And return we did to do it all over and see if our first impression was valid.

It was.

By one of the many canals

 A quick refresh in case you forgot and are too lazy to search this very blog for the previous post.  We both entered the half marathon for 2013 and had already booked the weekend when we discovered a bun had been placed into the proverbial oven.  So I ran the half marathon last year while a fan base of one cheered on and we discovered that Leiden was absolutely amazing, beautiful, and fun. 

Returning again in 2014 I entered the half marathon while Cleaver had her sights set on the 10K race.  The bun came out of the oven in a dish called Joséphine and now we were three making the trip.  We also again rented an apartment for the weekend which is our new favorite accommodation when traveling.  Especially with a 5 month old, the added space and comforts of home are a necessity.

View from the Burcht van Leiden Castle

Arriving on Friday afternoon, instantly our memory of last year and initial impressions were validated.  The canals, brick streets, and restaurants were all there just as we remembered.  And as a bonus, this year the weather was absolutely gorgeous sitting around 22 (we do things in Celsius here) and sunny all weekend. 

First order of business, a drink by the canal just down the street from our house.

We also discovered a food website related to Leiden called Leidenfoodie.com which was a great resource for the weekend.  The catch now with Miss JoJo Bean of course is that eating out is not always easy or fun, so take away dinner has become the needed norm.  First night sushi.  Amazingly good for a random spot.  And there is day 1.

Waking up Saturday were two key items on the agenda.  The Saturday market and the race packet pick up.  The Saturday market in particular is fabulous as they have all kinds of fruits, vegetables, Gouda cheese of course, this great dip place we discovered, and Kibbling stands.  Kibbling is basically Dutch fried white fish with a sort of tartar sauce.  All so good, too bad you have to behave with the race on the following day.

Yes, you get a beer when you finish.  Very Dutch

We also discovered this year (thanks internet!) that there is an old castle on top of a hill right in the middle of town with a fairly decent view, though I hear it’s much better in winter when the tree leaves do not block the view.  Literally, that is what I heard someone say when we were there so let’s just go with it.

Our little cheerleader waiting for Mommy

Saturday was a quiet night with the race upcoming on Sunday morning, so take away that night was gyros.  Giant chicken gyros made by sweaty Greek guys with knuckle hair.  It’s delicious, just trust me.

Sunday race day.  My race started at 10:30 for the half marathon, Cleaver had decided to change to the 5K given some initial running pain, which combined with the unusual heat wave was a very smart decision.  So she was starting at 1:30 which meant perfect timing for me to finish cheered on this time by a party of two, then I could take JoJo Bean and Cleaver could go to run her race.

Good run Cleaver!

The event is a very pretty run through the Dutch countryside and back into town past the canals and little villages along the way.  There were a lot of runners and it is a bit crowded but very well organized and a tremendous amount of fun once again.  Both of us completed our races, felt good while running and celebrated at the end with some cheese, dip, Dutch beer, and great weather.

  

Oh, and was great to have a new little cheerleader supporting us both along the way!