Leiden, Netherlands a Dutch haven

Some architecture is as it was when the Pilgrims lived in Leiden in the 17th century.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

The Leiden Pilgrim Museum is one of the oldest buildings in town, decorated in the style of a 17th century dwelling.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

A snug, 17th century home interior re-created at the Leiden Pilgrim Museum.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

A worker tends a pond containing giant Victoria lilies in the Hortus Botanicus, founded in 1594. The botanical garden cultivated some of Europe’s first tulips, a flower emblematic of Holland.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

The Mayflower Bookshop carries English-language tomes. Some historians believe American tenets such as free-market capitalism and the separation of church and state stemmed from Pilgrims’ time in Holland.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

Pedestrians come upon a square in Leiden near the castle of the Count of Holland, dating from the 13th century.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

Leiden’s historic buildings often have contemporary interiors, such as this guestroom at the Hotel de Doelen on Rapenburg Street.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

Leiden, which is like a compact Amsterdam, is also laced with canals.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)

Motorboats and rowboats make their way along one of the city’s numerous canals.  (Susan Spano / For The Times)