On a cold April day we decided to give the city Leiden a visit, without any preparation or research beforehand. So on the way to this destination we quickly searched for things to do for "free" and saw that it happened to be a market day in the center of Leiden.
And though the weather forecast predicted a sunny day it was grey and gloomy earlier in the day, which didn't deter us from enjoying the day and looking out for those gems the market has to offer.
We noticed an abundance of fish stands and the large octopus got my attention. Unfortunately, we weren't able to purchase fresh meats or fish due to being on the go for the whole day. Ready to eat food was on the other hand unlimited.
After our Volendam experience with herring, we wanted to snack some more of that oily fish. The last time the vendor pre-cut the herring for us, but this seller served it the "traditional" way: whole, so that one could eat it from the tail in one go. Topped with pickles and onions also. We remarked that this herring tasted fresher and tastier in comparison to those we had in Volendam.
The change from selling winter to summery and flowy clothes didn't go unnoticed by us. Unfortunately it's hard to find my size on those racks. Furthermore, there was enough and a variety of produce, but we also had enough at home so we left those for another time.
Those beautifully intricately assembled decorating lamps were also displayed. Though I would love to decorate my home with these, I wonder how sustainable and "green" these are in modern living spaces. The decorative wooden boards seem like unique and thoughtful gifts.
The local tea and coffee vendor also had a great variety of flavors: 30 kinds of coffee and 200 types of tea.
When we reached the other side of the market - where more fish vendors are stalled - it was close to lunchtime and those fried fish snacks looked even more appetizing. This prompted one of us to take a look and to compare the prices. The cost was even better than Volendam - where we only purchased herring and kibbeling - and this person came back with three small cartons of fried goods.
He purchased fried shrimp, calamari and another type of shell fish (can't remember which one) in batter, which were piping hot from the frier and as fresh as one could get. My favorite was the calamari because of its spongey texture and the other two shared second place. The shrimp was a bit overpowering and oily and the other shellfish had an unknown, yet familiar taste. All delicious nonetheless.