Utrecht aand Amsterdam

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We had a great night's sleep and woke to a cool, cloudy day. Heading to the train station, it was downright brisk! This should have been London weather, and we are grateful to have it in Amsterdam.

We jumped on a train (finally have the system down) and, after a 30 minute trip, arrived in Utrecht. Why Utrecht? Well, Alex wanted to go because a novel she had read took place in that town. On further research, though, we discovered that Utrecht was the religious and financial center of the Netherlands for much of the middle ages - almost 1000 years.

A 20 minute walk took us to Utrecht Cathedral, which was as awe-inspiring as any cathedral in Europe. The pictures attached don't do justice to the majesty of the place. It dates back to 690 AD, and over the centuries it grew into a massive fortress. The stonework and art were incredible. Sadly, much of the sculpted art was damaged during the reformation, but it was still beautiful. The cavernous sanctuary was lined with the tombs of bishops over the years, and the 95-meter tower loomed over everything. The sense of history was just amazing.

We tried to visit a couple of other historic churches, but they were closed to the public. We then walked the streets along the canal that runs through the center of the old city, just looking in shops and people watching. We stopped at The Bis, an outdoor cafe, for lunch. Alex had a delicious burger (far beyond anything in the US), and I had an egg & smoked salmon sandwich. Yum!

We returned to the flat for a brief rest, then off on the trams to central Amsterdam. We got lost and it took a while to find the right tram, but on the bright side, we got a nice tour of the city. We hopped off near the Anne Frank House (tomorrow's activity) and wandered the streets. Everything looked like a postcard - so beautiful.

Because it is light so late here (still a sunset glow at 2300) and because we were full from lunch, we didn't decide to eat til after 2100. By that time, the only places open were super pricy restaurants and holes in the wall. We ended up at another Italian restaurant just to get some food and catch the tram to the flat before they stopped running. Now it's time to get to bed - lots to do tomorrow!

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