Leerdam

Leerdam

One of my biggest regrets of going to The Netherlands two years ago is staying mainly within Amsterdam. So last year's trip to The Netherlands was very different. I got to explore more of the country and also got to peep out in Germany as well. I can say it was one of the best trips I ever had. One of the first cities I explored was Leerdam, located in the south of Holland. I remember changing trains from Utrecht and getting a direct bus from Utrecht to Leerdam.

So what if I was to tell you that Leerdammer cheese was not from Leerdam? Would you nod and agree? Or say that Schoonrewoerd is technically Leerdam. Leerdam's main attraction appears to be its local history and the glass centre. There are some nice boats and scenery by the boat yards, but I think Leerdam is too quiet for tourists searching for a buzz.

The Locals

I didn't get a chance to talk to a lot of the locals, other than the shop workers in town. They all seemed quite friendly. Leerdam has a very strong Christian community. This is evident in its big churches. To be precise, they have a strong Protestant faith and can be compared to the Bible Belt region in the south of the US.

The Netherlands has their own Bible belt community which, when you look at the map, actually looks like a belt around the country and Leerdam falls very strongly into that. Which is why my friend suggested to go to Leerdam on a Saturday and not a Sunday, as there's a chance we'd be dragged into a church. And it also means that the shops are closed on Sundays.

I don't think they're quite used to tourists, especially one in a Pikachu dress.

What I Got up To

Me and my friend stopped by the glass centre by the river to have a drink. We didn't actually go in the exhibition itself as we thought it was quite pricey. I felt that we already saw quite a lot of glass stuff on high streets and in the gift shop. The display unit in front of our table was filled with colourful vases. I'd say that counts as an exhibition in itself.

When I was there, it seemed like there was some sort of market going on. We stopped somewhere and picked up some ice cream which was really nice and added some fun to the scenic walk. My friend bought me a purple ring in one of the shops and I keep it by me all the time, even when I don't wear it.

We had a further walk around the city, took lots of pictures and took the train to Geldermarsen. It's good to keep in mind that some places charge a 50 cent fee for using the toilets unless you're already a paying customer. I think on the rare occasion, there are some places that do it for free.

Scenery

We were lucky that the weather was really good. I don't think Leerdam would have been much fun if it poured with rain because of the nature of the place. I really liked the mixture of gothic architecture in the buildings and the coats and some of the houses reminded me of architecture can expect from the Cotswold.

Because I went to both Leerdam and Geldermarsen on the same day, I sometimes look at photos and get the two of them mixed up. Locals would be able to spot the difference straight away but it was my first time in both cities. I think the reason I get them mixed up, despite them both being in different regions in the Netherlands, is their proximity to the river Linge and the fact that I went to both cities on the same day.

Leerdam's train station is a lot smaller from what I can remember. Still, I think Leerdam had some pretty nice scenery and I had quite a peaceful time. I wouldn't mind going there again.

Conclusion

Leerdam is a clean and pleasant city in Holland. It has some nice shopping areas, even though some of the extreme Christian locals don't seem to be fond of the non-religious folk. It's gonna be hard to look for more information for this place unless you're Dutch, and the Top 10 things to do in Leerdam list on Tripadvisor has some duplicate entries on it.

If I was to go to Leerdam again, I wouldn't mind going back to doing the same things we did the last time. I might have a look at going to the Aqazoo as I didn't see it the last time. I don't think I would stay there for any more than a couple of hours, as I think I would get bored if I stayed here the whole week. But I think it's nice for a day out.