Leiden for all

As you may have noticed fellow readers, our blog is full of fascinating things to do in Leiden as a student. We work hard, spend a fair amount of time studying, but also play hard, even extending our playground to other cities and countries as well.

Classic Leiden windmill picture

Still, by December last year (wow, it’s amazing how time flies…) I received a very special visit – My 79 year-old grandmother came to visit me here in Leiden. Vó (the short for avó – grandmother in Portuguese) had never been in Europe before, had never seen the snow, does not cycle and does not speak a word in English, let alone Dutch.

Thus, I was cracking my brain to figure out which programs we could do over here, in these cold and windy days. I couldn’t possibly do the things I’d normally do here with her, or could I?

Maybe a visit to a museum, some warm tea?

Well, as things have turned out, my worries and “senior-friendly” planning were in vain. We had a blast while she was here, enjoying all Leiden and surroundings have to offer, keeping up with the rhythm all along:

Walking all around Leiden (maybe on a lower gear than usual, but nonetheless on the move), visiting my favourite bars and cafés, having beer with friends, eating at the market, window shopping in Haarlemmerstraat, commuting to Den Haag and even getting to see all the curiosities all tourists in Amsterdam are keen to know.

New poster girl for Campus Den Haag

Coffee break

Yeah, she did it all, becoming a true Leiden connoisseur. My only worry during these days? She always forgot her gloves 😉 . Apart from that, not even the language was a problem. She even bought a lip balm in Hema somehow, with communication tactics she kept hidden and that still intrigue my curiosity.