Francobolli in Leiden

I never receive postcards anymore, but then again I never write postcards anymore either. It is indeed a dying custom. But not if it were up to the owners of Francobolli in Leiden.

Francobolli is Italian for stamp. It is a coffee shop that sells actual coffee and postcards, on one of the canals of Leiden. The idea is that you can buy a postcard and stamp, write it while you enjoy a frothy, Italian cappucino and then stick it in one of the dated slots behind the counter that represents the date you want your postcard to be send out on and the staff of Francobolli will take care of the rest. Kind of like a postoffice with great coffee.

The collection of postcards is fun and varied and displayed on card racks scattered throughout the shop. You can choose from artsy and funny cards, or between cheesy Dutch and Dutch cheese cards. The theme is quite posty as well. There are numerous cushions made from old Dutch postalbags strewn across the benches and seats. Giving you that extra comfort to get the creative writing juices flowing.

I picked a postcard that displayed a slice of Gouda cheese and sat down on one of those posty bag cushions. Ready to write it to... Yes, who? Being so used to getting in touch with my friends on email, I didn't actually know anyones address by heart but mine. So I addressed the cheese card to myself and popped it into the dated slot on my way out. The thought of receiving mail this week is making me happy already, even though I know it came from me.

Find our more on the Francobolli website.