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Introducing Leiden
Lovely Leiden is a refreshing, vibrant town, patterned with canals and attractive old buildings. It also has a few claims to fame: it’s Rembrandt’s birthplace, and it’s home to the Netherlands’ oldest university (and 20, 000 students), the alma mater of René Descartes.
The university was a gift from Willem the Silent for withstanding two Spanish sieges in 1574. It was a terrible time, ending when the Sea Beggars arrived and repelled the invaders. According to lore, the retreating Spanish legged it so quickly, they abandoned a kettle of hutspot (hotchpotch) – today it’s still a staple of Dutch menus in restaurants, and in homes.
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