Greetings from Leeuwarden - Walking Tour 2

The Leeuwarden city center is still in a reasonably historical state. When you look at a map from 1603 you can recognize almost every street, square, canal and building. In the 20^th century, several canals were filled in and converted into streets. Fortunately the character of the streets surrounding these old canals has been preserved. Have look at a local map of 1603 AD...

	The Belt of Canals
	Departing from the parking garage near the Oldehove you’ll walk along small shops in the Kleine Kerkstraat into the old heart of the city. In the center of the city is the Nieuwestad. This centuries old canal is flanked by small streets where you can walk and shop. The big names dominate the shops but if you take a good look around you’ll discover some surprisingly nice things.
	Old Entrance Ports and Facades
	Like in every city, the commercial signs and glass fronts of big shopping malls overrule your sight. But if you take a look up, you will be rewarded...

In this location you can find many local favorites. An example is the shop of Auke Rauwarda on the Westerplantage. Right at the foot of the Oldehove is an historical shop selling paint, hardware and traditional wooden shoes. For many decades the saying in Leeuwarden is “Als Auke het niet heeft, vergeet het dan maar!” (If Auke doesn’t have it then just forget about it.) This interconnected row of old houses has an inventory beyond belief. It looks cluttered to us laypeople but miraculously the folks who work there always seem to know where to find what you need.