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| One boat at a time. |
Utrecht has never been on my to do list, mostly because I didn’t know it existed, but also because I have been avoiding Europe due to the vague excuse that I lived in Wales as a kid. I recently went there for a one-week work trip, and would highly recommend visiting if you happen to be nearby.
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| Thanks to Utrecht, I now feel like a professional photographer. |
Why? It is super pretty. Like Sapa (Vietnam), Utrecht looks and feels like a fairy tale come to life. One short draw back was that I visited with a broken foot, and Utrecht is not a city you want to be disabled in (there probably isn’t any good place to be disabled in, though some are better than others). Utrecht boasts many steep staircases (both in and outdoors), cobblestone roads, and biking is the primary mode of transportation. Fortunately, the city centre is tres petite so complete mobility is not necessary to see some nice attractions, including cafes with wine.
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| So many bikes! |
While the rule in Germany may be “don’t mention the war”, the rule in Utrecht is “always mention the war at least once when in a conversation with a visitor”. Everyone in Utrecht has been impacted by the war, if not their family then simply by the destruction of historical architecture. When in doubt, it is also acceptable to blame the war for the ruin of something which used to exist. Having no comparable war on our doorstep, or history generally, I am reminded of how unique NZ is.
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| In the winter there is sometimes a "mouse plague" where by all the mice living by the canal rush inside buildings to get warm. Fortunately, you can buy teeny gas chambers to exterminate them...or just block the gaps. |
Utrecht is based around a canal which takes the shape of a flattened figure 8. Arriving in Utrecht at ?! o’clock Canadian time, and having already eaten, I went in search within a 2-block radius of something to do to prevent falling asleep. Slightly south of the main café area is a business that lends kayaks and maps for E$6 an hour. Kayaking is a very good way to get around when you have a broken foot. It is also exciting, as you share the canal with other, larger boats and ducks. There were no official canal rules, but an obvious unspoken “get-out-of-the-way-of-bigger-boats-you-teeny-kayak” rule (to be fair, everyone was slow and courteous). The canal loops out of city centre, past some fancy houses in the suburbs, and back to the city in two hours of paddling.
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| Passed a few groups of people fishing in the canal. Apparently out of the city the fish are safe to eat... |
In the middle of the city there is a church with a loud bell that is enthusiastically rung on some hours and at other random times (eg, 4.15). On my first day who-ever was ringing bashed out a loud, seemingly tune-and-rhythm-less solo for a couple of minutes at 5pm. On my second day, there was a nicer 13 minute bell solo at 4.30pm. I had formed a theory that the bell ringer was a volunteer, a child, or both, however, it turns out that it may be automated, which is almost more confusing. According to locals, the bells were utilised for a Pink Floyd gig last year. The musician responsible spent the week leading up to the concert hammering out the riff for “We Don’t Need No Education”.
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| Ding ding ding ding ding. |
I would highly recommend visiting Utrecht. It is a quirky and romantic spot, with very good cheese.
Bonus Fun Fact: There is a saying in Utrecht – trying to save the goat and the cabbage. This depicts a metaphor in which you are rowing a boat containing both a goat and a cabbage. You can’t let the goat eat the cabbage, throw the goat overboard, or stop rowing.
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| So much cheese! The diet in Utrecht consists mostly of bread, cheese and thinly sliced meat. |
