All was dry this morning!! We had a good sleep in and then, had our breakfast in the little shelter.

We walked into Leiden, with our first stop at the tourist information center. We had a self guided tour on my phone and some tips from the tourist info person as we set out to explore this city.

The history of the formation of Leiden is very interesting. Leiden started life as a major textile center in the 1400's, producing fine woolen cloth for international trade. After revolts, sieges and occupations, the result was the liberation of the city in 1574. A year later the first Dutch college was founded in Leiden which later became Leiden University, a major leading learning center and the oldest in The Netherlands. Leiden is also the birthplace of Rembrandt and where he learned how to draw, paint and make etchings before moving to Amsterdam.

We had lunch at a pannenkoeken (Dutch pancake) place which was very good. Then, we went on a canal cruise to see the city from the many waterways. The rain started again but, fortunately we were in a covered boat.

We continued our walk through the old city, visited Pieterskerk (12th century former church with incredible history and a beautiful organ) and strolled through an old shopping district (small alleys). A very pretty city.

We picked up groceries and walked back to camp. Thank goodness we had that shelter because we were soaking wet when we got back. We dried up, had supper and enjoyed the other camper's company for the evening.