Once again, our summer travel plans were inspired by the location of EARMA's 2015 Annual Meeting in Leiden, Netherlands. Leiden is a University town located in South Holland between Amsterdam and the Hague. We flew Icelandair to Amsterdam and were able to take a train directly from the Airport into Leiden to check into our Airbnb Canal House. This was the very first time we used Airbnb: the experience was so positive that we have used the service regularly since this trip.
Leiden has been a University town since 1575 and resembles a smaller Amsterdam. Tiffany and Jen rented bikes from Bizon Bike Company and used them to get from the house to the University where the conference was held each day and then to meet Barry & Matt canalside for dinner and drinks. Leiden was full of classic Dutch architecture, vintage advertisements, and classic cars parked precariously close to the canal.
After Leiden, we grabbed a Thayls train to Brussels. All the guidebooks were fairly dismissive of Brussels but we found it to be a diverse and dynamic city. Even with the almost 100 degree heat wave, we enjoyed wandering around the city. Highlights included drinking at A la Mort Subite, a tour of Cantillion (where we met and shared bottles with other American tourists), moules frites and carpaccio at in't Spinnekopke.
Seeking refuge from the heat, we spent time at Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula and the Coudenberg Palace, which is an excellent museum for those interested in archaeology. We did most of our wandering in the evening, catching the sunset by the magnificent Church of Saint Catherine and grabbing a final dinner with the locals at La Guinguette en Ville.
Our next train ride took us to Bruges. After an enlightening conversation with our cab driver ("Do you like chocolate? Do you like beer? You will like Bruges.") we arrived at Grand Hotel Casselbergh in the center of Bruges. Wandering around Bruges is a magical experience. We found great beer, delicious chocolate, and some great restaurants. Including a charming dinner at Restaurant Grill de Hobbit and drinks across the street at Brugs Beertje. We had a great lunch (and more beers) at Cambrinus. My favorite spot was Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Museum of the Church of Our Lady) which houses Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child from 1505. The statue is just beautiful.
After grabbing a rental car, we headed off to countryside in search of beer brewing monks at Westvleteren in the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus. There was no beer to buy to go but we tried all three beers in the cafe before heading on to the city of Ghent. It was a rainy day so headed immediately to Saint Bavo's Cathedral to see Jan and Hubert van Eyck's famous Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, better known as the Ghent Altarpiece of 1432. Currently undergoing an elaborate restoration, the altarpiece is incredibly inspiring and Saint Bavo's is worthy of a visit on its own.
After Ghent, we took the car and drove back to where this adventure started in Amsterdam! Matt was particularly happy to ditch the car and explore the city on foot. With only two days in Amsterdam, we took a boat tour and headed to the Van Gogh Museum. Our final dinner was once again canalside at Lieve. We chose the chef's menu and every course was delicious. Before leaving for the airport, Matt and I did a morning walk and stumbled upon a private museum called Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder or Our Lord in the Attic. It is a little gem of a museum which provides insight into Dutch history during the Golden Age and a perfect way to end our trip.
