In Pancake Heaven

Ceridwen and I traveled to Leiden mainly to visit the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, which was extremely interesting and unusual.

Shortly after stepping from the train, we found a small eatery called Oudt Leyden, which is said to be the best pancake joint in Holland, or perhaps the world. The Dalai Lama and Winston Churchill poured stroop here, we were told. It's fun to imagine those two sitting together for a good sweet and a chin-wag.

Here the great blipper is beaming over our second plate, simply called Cerise, which was cherries, confectioner's sugar, ice cream, and butter on a broad old plate that had a story and a tradition behind it. 

Ceridwen is not easily taken back by a plate of food or a dining experience. This time, however, she paused to cherish the sheer beauty of it all, smiling with her every grain.

The food tasted wonderful beyond words. It was an unexpected treat for me to share this finest-possible presentation of a favorite dish of my favorite person, with that person herself.

In the extra photos, I attempt an amazed expression over our savory plate, which was bacon, apple slices, and cheese (onto which we poured stroop. Also, C examines a fish that died and dried up about six hundred years ago, at the museum.