My favorite 10-minute route to school took me along the Rapenburg Canal. The area was the Back Bay of its time, and starting from the 17th century, many rich and famous people lived in its large homes, including several members of the Dutch royal family who studied in Leiden. (The university remains the royals' school of choice.) Many of the homes are now student housing, but from the outside, the view probably hasn't changed all that much in four centuries. Just beyond the canal is Leiden's Hortus Botanicus, Europe's oldest botanical garden, opened in 1587 and a lovely place for lunch or a stroll.
Leiden has two lively pedestrian-only shopping streets, the Haarlemmerstraat and the Breestraat, which feed into the canal streets lined with more shops and restaurants. Because of tight sidewalk space, many cafes have added barge patios.
It seems everyone turns out for the large market on Saturdays in the city center (there's a smaller version on Wednesdays), an event not to be missed. At booths stretching for blocks along the New Rhine you can find everything from plastic housewares to pickled herring.
Another popular spot is the Burcht, an elevated fortress built in the 11th century to protect against enemy troops and rising waters. Now a city park, you can climb to the top for an aerial view of the city.
I was sorry to not be in Leiden for its annual bash, the Oct. 3 celebration to commemorate the country's successful defense against the Spanish in 1574. I followed up with Nordberg to hear my former classmate's report.
''The entire city closes down and there are carnivals and fairs," she said. ''Parades were popping up all over, like all of a sudden a marching band would walk past me while cars would be driving down the other side of the street." Nordberg enjoyed her first taste of white bread and ''hutspot," the Dutch comfort food of mashed potatoes with meat and vegetables.
''It was so fun," she said. ''I felt like I was Dutch."
As most exchange students do, Nordberg bought a used bicycle when she arrived in August. Her next attempt at cultural assimilation, she said, is to talk on her cellphone while cycling, and, if it's raining, also holding an open umbrella.
''Then I'll really feel Dutch."
Contact Diane Daniel at ddaniel@globe.com.
