Day 19 Leeuwarden

 Only 17 miles to Leeuwarden. 

I had planned to do some sightseeing today but the forecast put a squash on that.  So I made a bee line to Leeuwarden where I planned on camping out at the library until my host for the evening came home.  And yes it rained and was quite windy - especially when crossing those large, flat farm areas with nothing to block the wind.  Thank goodness for low gears on these touring bikes.

Below is a picture of the entrance gate to what was once a very large prison.  Now the prison has been renovated and if you go in and turn to the left - there is the library.

Inside the library they kept many of the original cells and made them into office spaces and conference rooms.

If you turned to the right when you entered the courtyard, that part of the prison has been converted to small shops selling all kinds of merchandise.  If you go straight through the courtyard you get to my Hostel for the evening (yes, my warmshowers host texted me and said he wouldn't be available tonight).

I thought it was a very novel but great use of space.

One thing Leeuwarden is known for is it's leaning tower called Oldehove.  Construction began in 1529 and the building began to sink immediately.  They tried to compensate by continuing to build perpendicular to the ground and so the building is both leaning and curved.  Construction was abandoned in 1533 and the building was never finished.  But it still stands today, 489 years later.

Here at the base you can see one side sunk into the ground.

Here is a screenshot of the next 9 days of weather.  I am thinking of stopping the trip in Amsterdam and not continuing on to Belgium.  The weather is just too nasty.  Hopefully Sue and I can come back and finish The Netherlands and Belgium by car in the Spring or Summer.