Boating in Leiden...

The final 40th birthday event was an informal breakfast at Reinhart and Inga’s house. We then picked up the keys to take Bootjuh out for a spin, which was conveniently located on a dock much closer to their house. 

It was awesome that the timing worked out for Terri...

…Johanna and Frank, who had recently moved back to The Hague from Houston, to join us. We had a great time catching up!

Although I appreciated the name of this ship as Leiden still felt like home, I was nervous when it came towards us. Luckily Captain Jimmy stayed calm and avoided a collision.  

I enjoyed the view of these lovely cherry blossoms both from the river...

…and as we walked back to the train station. 

The tree in front of the first house we rented when we moved to Holland was also in full bloom.  

When we took the ferry that night, we were happy to have a room at the end of the ship with an extra large window. 

Jimmy went straight to work the next morning, while I made my way back to our flat. Instead of taking the escalator, I took the inclined elevator at Liverpool Street Station for the first time.  
 

Party Time in Leiden...

We were thrilled to be invited to Reinhardt and Inga’s 40th Birthday Party, which started with a pub crawl in Leiden on the Friday night. Inga was completely shocked that Jimmy and I had never been to De Bonte Koe (The Spotted Cow)…

…a charming café from 1880 decorated in Delft tiles of cows.

We always love an evening in Leiden!

We also went to Jeneverhuis, a jenever bar that we had also never been to.  

On Saturday, Inga laid a hash trail in Leiden. Sadly, I have somehow lost all of the photos with people in them, but have a few of the scenery. It was a great trail highlighting much of what the city has to offer: sculptures...

…windmills...

…charming alleys...

…and new street art.

Inga was especially happy to show this new artwork to us...

...as well as this almshouse that we had never seen despite the many hashes and walks we’ve done over the years.

The drink stop was at De Burcht, the highest point in the city with amazing views and later we ended on the top floor of a parking garage. That evening they hosted a lively party at Crooked Spider Brewery.
 

Leiden Boating...

It was a bit tricky to get on and off the boat; luckily the folks in the boat next to us were helpful when I had to climb down from this brick wall to meet up with the boys.

It was a beautiful night!

 

Leiden Boat Parade...

On June 24, Jim joined us for the Leiden Boat Parade. This year Jimmy was determined to watch it from Bootjuh. He managed to find a spot directly across from the Waag (old weigh house). 

It was a great spot to watch the boat occupants duck under the bridge.

Not sure what the official name is for a cross between a car and a boat, but they were entertaining.

Guessing that this kid crashed the parade, but he was adorable and made us smile.
 

A Beautiful Day for Boating...

On Monday afternoon, we all went boating. 

Always love it when the sky is blue and the waters are still. 

Check out this funky old car!

It’s nice to see groups of Leiden University students setting up their own tables for group meals along the sides of the canals.

Always happy when we manage to get a family shot.

The backpackers left the following day for Exeter, where Veronica would stay for a few weeks.
 

May Hashing...

In honor of The Hague H3’s 40th anniversary, there was a special hash with 40 beer stops, on a Saturday in mid-May. I must confess that the idea sounded disastrous, but the beers were thankfully tiny and it was really fun. We learned a lot of interesting hash trivia at each of the 40 stops. And the long trail itself was quite good, starting in a park that I didn’t know well. Here’s a few of the things we saw along the way: a swan who misunderstood that sitting on all of the eggs was the goal... 

…some urban art...

…a non-hasher that looked dressed to go to a Red Dress Hash...

…and lots of folks enjoying the sun at the Hofvijver. 

A great time was had by all!

Two nights later, we had sunny skies and a good turnout in Leiden to celebrate May’s super flower moon with another trail live hared by Opee. It was great that DogShit, the FILTH’s previous RA, was visiting from Hong Kong with his girlfriend.  

Comes Too Soon couldn’t resist stripping down to take a quick dip in the canal in front of the beer stop. 

She swam across the canal and back.