Tourist for a day in Leiden #2
When I feel bad, I like to have a change of scenery, may it be in my own city, in my own country, or abroad. When you are somewhere you have never been before, you get new impressions and experiences, which can change the way you look at things.
In my previous "Tourist for a day in Leiden" article, I mentioned the Leiden Street Market, but since I didn't go on Wednesday or Saturday back then, there was nothing to see in the pictures. This time, I went to Leiden on a Saturday, and I was finally able to see the market stalls placed on the narrow streets along the water. It is pretty surreal, when you have been there before, when the streets were empty. It makes you wonder if it is the same place. It got a lot more crowded and sometimes, I needed to wait a bit after every step, before I could take another. But it does make you feel like you are one of the locals. The friendly banter, the sampling of small bites, and the scent of fresh vegetables and fruit, bakery goods, and fried fish. Although I dislike having people too close to me, it felt comfortable to be part of that crowd.
As you can see, there were many delicious ice cream flavors to choose from, and nothing cheers me more up than a nice cup of ice cream. I got the one with pistachio and banana in the front and the other person in the group, who was persuaded by me to also get some ice cream, got the mint chocolate and passion fruit. The pistachio was quite good, very nutty and not too sweet. It also had a soft and light texture. The banana tasted very natural with a slight bitter note, as like the real fruit. I also had a small bite of the other two flavors. The mint chocolate was not that amazing to me, as the dark chocolate come in large chunks and I happened to get none in the small bite that I got, but the passion fruit was nice, very good sweet-sour balance and strong fruit flavor.
In my previous "Tourist for a day in Leiden" article, I mentioned the Leiden Street Market, but since I didn't go on Wednesday or Saturday back then, there was nothing to see in the pictures. This time, I went to Leiden on a Saturday, and I was finally able to see the market stalls placed on the narrow streets along the water. It is pretty surreal, when you have been there before, when the streets were empty. It makes you wonder if it is the same place. It got a lot more crowded and sometimes, I needed to wait a bit after every step, before I could take another. But it does make you feel like you are one of the locals. The friendly banter, the sampling of small bites, and the scent of fresh vegetables and fruit, bakery goods, and fried fish. Although I dislike having people too close to me, it felt comfortable to be part of that crowd.
Vishandel Klaas Hartevelt
I didn't take a picture of the market, but I did get some fried fish pieces, called Kibbeling in the Netherlands, at the fish market stall from Klaas Hartevelt. I bought a bag of 500 g of piping hot, fried fish pieces for €5, to share. The batter was thin and crunchy and the fish inside was still a bit moist. You do need to sprinkle a bit of salt or dip it in some dipping sauce for some extra flavor.Gelateria Maxim's, Leiden
Since it was a particularly hot day in October, I also went for some ice cream as dessert at gelateria Maxim's. It was my first visit, but I walked past before and I still remember the pretty entrance.
As you can see, there were many delicious ice cream flavors to choose from, and nothing cheers me more up than a nice cup of ice cream. I got the one with pistachio and banana in the front and the other person in the group, who was persuaded by me to also get some ice cream, got the mint chocolate and passion fruit. The pistachio was quite good, very nutty and not too sweet. It also had a soft and light texture. The banana tasted very natural with a slight bitter note, as like the real fruit. I also had a small bite of the other two flavors. The mint chocolate was not that amazing to me, as the dark chocolate come in large chunks and I happened to get none in the small bite that I got, but the passion fruit was nice, very good sweet-sour balance and strong fruit flavor.
Gelateria Maxim's
Official website
Nieuwe Rijn 32
2312 JE Leiden
