Leiden

WSET wine course in Leiden

After years of enjoying many and more glasses of wines and spirits I decided to sign up for the International Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), qualification Level 2 and 3. The WSET wine course is the largest wine educator in the world with 56,000 students per year in 62 countries. The institution has become the international standard for sommeliers, importers, retailers and hospitality. This action does not come as a surprise for my inner circle, who are familiar with my entrepreneurial history in the restaurant business. The enrollment was just a delay due to travel and living abroad. What’s not to like in another discovery trail and acquiring a certificate for wine appreciation it is hitting two birds with one stone.

WSET wine course in Leiden

The above mentioned WSET wine course has approved program providers in The Netherlands ensuring the high standards of teaching. From the listed companies on the WSET wine course page in Dutch I have chosen the Dutch educational company “Wijnstudio”. The Wine Studio claims since 2005 the highest exam results for the International Wine Certificate with 99 graduates in one take and 71 graduates  for Wine Professional (Source: wsetglobal.com).

The Winestudio is an independent company, who does not sell wines nor being tied to an importer. The company also focuses in addition to the educational courses on gastronomy, the pairing of wine and food taste in flavor and aroma. For those who aspire a professional career and wonder what the education differences entails here are two summarized articles to consider on wine courses; comparison of wine certificationsGuide to Wine education courses. More information in the Wine education widget as listed on our Asianfoodtrail ZEEF page.

Having viewed Dutch wine educational websites information and comparing course fees, it was enlightening to notice their graduates success rate. While this is encouraging information, the decision maker however was distance for preferred location. The WSET wine course program is being held in my present hometown Leiden at a new course location this year. Instead of a bored meeting room it is being hosted now at the wine shop La Bordelaise which lies conveniently in the heart of the city.

Last night entering the class room, all students received the course material and the box with tasting glasses. The Level 2 Award course began with our teacher opening the first bottle of the evening, a Royer Brut Champagne, France. Although we received a wine tasting list overview, I wished I had remembered to take a snapshot of the wine labels. Besides illustration purpose I wanted to test a new mobile wine app, coming up in a next post.

WSET Level 2 award

Unboxing of WSET level 2 award

Rijn Schiekanaal, Leiden

Walking along the Rijn Schiekanaal, Leiden is a very pleasurable walk, watching the waterways boat traffic and country life around Polderpark Cronesteyn. Up and about our local residence city Leiden can be an entertaining leisurely discovery walk, bike or boat if you own one 🙂

Polderpark Cronesteyn is an approximately 90-acre park in the city of Leiden in the Dutch province of South Holland. The park was realized in 1982, designed by Evert Cornet in the Kleine Cronesteinse or also known as Knotterpolder, situated between the A4 motorway, the railway Leiden – Alphen, and the waterways Rijn Schiekanaal and the Vrouwenvaart.

The park and the polder are named after earlier Castle Cronesteyn, the castle was demolished during the 80 – year war commissioned by the Municipality of Leiden so that it could not serve as a refuge for the Spaniards. Only the moat of the castle remains and is now part of the park estate woods.

You can scroll down to view the featured photos or watch the photo slider in the gallery here above.

Rijn Schiekanaal, Leiden

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Pass the bridge and away from urbanized concrete into rustic ‘polder’ life.

There are beautiful routes near Polderpark Cronesteyn for an overview of walking & hiking routes, as well as bicycle routes just click on the links for a direct web link in English.

Photo overview walk route along Rijn Schie kanaal and Knotterpolder rustic life.

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Walk the dog and jog for health and wellness

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Newborn life in the Knotterpolder

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Knotterpolder, it borders highway A4

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a hidden tranquil spot

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just around the corner near the walk route nosy neighbours

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In and around Leiden waterways, you will find boats, dinghy’s, longboats, shallops and more

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Rijn Schiekanaal

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Rowing boats, pinnace for leisure and training competition

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Leiden has around 88 bridges

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In the background down south lies Leidschendam

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boat traffic line up to cross the bridge

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Rijn Schiekanaal from Leidschendam to Leiden

Polderpark Cronesteyn is the largest park in Leiden, covering a huge diversity of plants and animals. As the park is divided into several sections you will find a bog garden, butterfly meadows, an old estate woods, pastures with plenty of water and planting stock. Along the Rijn Schiekanaal route lies the entrance of protected bird nesting area ‘Reigerbos”, a breeding area for Herons as well as an apiary, more photo images will feature in our next post.

Train track, between Leiden – Amsterdam

It never is boring to travel by train especially when you can watch daily vibrant colors passing, during Spring time next to the train track between Leiden and Amsterdam in The Netherlands. While not a daily commuter, there hasn’t been a year gone by that I or many others will take a snapshot and forward it using their smartphone to share or post on a social media platform.

Of course, nothing changes since these bulb fields are there like forever, however upon seeing these colorful flowers starting to bloom everybody knows Spring has begun. It also signifies that Keukenhof has opened its doors for the public attracting busloads of tourists, the Garden of Europe, its fields lying along the train track. This train track scenery shows touristic Holland in a nutshell with the bulb fields, pasture, windmills and waterways.

The photos were taken on the train while travelling back home from Amsterdam to Leiden, you can scroll down or watch the featured photos in the slider here above in the gallery. One of the images shows a common dwelling Dutch houseboats or barge often to be seen along many rivers and canals. Many tourists or adventurers looking at these vessels can not help themselves but just wonder, just if or how’s “living on a Dutch barge” will be.

Why not undertake something adventurous and different by planning your next city trip, rent a Dutch private houseboat in Amsterdam. You don’t need to take a leap but satisfy your curiosity and search for possibilities click on the previous link and here to find out more and who knows where you might end up next.

Train track View

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Tulip flowers bulb fields

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Dutch houseboat or barges along the many rivers and canals in The Netherlands

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White flower bulbs galore

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flower bulb fields red and yellow

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Many waterways between the flower bulb fields

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Vibrant yellow flower landscape

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Rapidly changing from one colour moving on to the next field

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Preparing a new field to sow with a new tulip colour

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A view between the fields with small communities

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Passing by Dutch waters, land, houses and windmills

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Train track rotational sight of fields and more fields

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a quick country view peek

Keukenhof 2014 has reached a new record with a total of 1 million visitors and a new tulip named “Cathay” was baptized by Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese president Xi Jinping before Xi takes part in the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. Overnight the Cathay Tulip bulbs demand soared for delivery with new export orders to China. China now boasts its own flower park modelled after Keukenhof, for the Dutch flower industry a booming export business.