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Published: March 20th 2012
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Photo 10
I was bored at the train station waiting for the train to Utrecht, so I played with my camera. I'm pretty sure I have a cold, so I slept in this morning and took the train to Utrecht this afternoon. Utrecht is the 4th most populous city in the Netherlands, and definitely my favorite place to explore so far. A lot of the city center (centruum) dates back to the early Middle Ages, and the main focal point within the city is Domtoren (one of Sarah's friends was actually saying that there's a law within the city that nothing can be taller than Domtoren). Domtoren is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, and is in the center of the city at Dom Square. Since Domtoren is so large, it's pretty easy to find and walk towards....so I was feeling pretty confident about not getting lost.
I walked through Dom Cathedral first because I couldn't figure out how to get into the Dom Tower, or where the tourism office was. Domtoren and Dom Cathedral were attached until the late 1600s when a severe storm caused the nave of the church to collapse, now Dom Square is where the nave used to be. I was more impressed with the gardens outside the church, than the actual church itself. But, I
did have an awesome afternoon coffee at the tea garden within the Cathedral. I also managed to find the tourism office, and booked the last tour of the day for Domtoren. For anyone considering the tour of the tower - it is totally worth it, BUT you do have to climb 465 stairs (approximately 30 flights of stairs) to get to the top. Also, the stairs in the last 25 meters of the climb are narrow, twisty, and covered in pigeon poop. However, the view is AMAZING at the top, and the stops along the way to the top (the bell tower, guards room, etc) are pretty neat.
The other things that I loved about Utrecht were the canals, and the locals who saw my camera and suggested other good places to "make" pictures (for some reason, they say "make pictures" instead of "take pictures" and confuse the English words for "Tuesday and Thursday"). The canals are just interesting, and I wish I was here later in the summer when flowers/trees are in bloom.
I also only got lost once today - inside the train station. There is a mall built around the train station, and it is
Photo 3
Door at Canal Level multi-level, not linnear, and the way to the train was not so well labeled. It took 20 minutes + one missed train, but I figured it out. I am trying to convince Sarah that I need to attach a label to myself that says (in Dutch), "If lost, please return to..." and her address.
And my Dutch word of the day is "kaas," which means "cheese." Ordering food without Sarah to translate is a little intimidating, because I can only puzzle out 50 - 75% of the menu ingredients. So, I have been eating a lot of "kaas and bread" that I have been picking up from the train station in the morning, since I know I'm safe with bread and cheese.
Other observations:
- Bike lanes are red, stay out of the red lanes unless you want to be run down by a bike, motorcycle, scooter, powerchair, or wheelchair.
- There are "classes" on the train, only sit in 1st class if you have a 1st "klasse" ticket.
- No city map will help you if you get lost inside the train station.
- I'm somewhat surprised I haven't faceplanted yet, given the
Photo 4
Canal in the "garden" area - somebody in one of the shops recommended as a great place to "make pictures." uneven paving (cobblestones, paving stones, bricks, etc) and my tendency toward clumsiness.
Tomorrow's adventure is a trip to the Windmill field (Kinderdijk), which involves about a 5 hour round trip on a train and bus.
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