Yesterday I got the opportunity to visit my favorite city in
Holland. When I cycled to Amsterdam a few weeks ago, I had the chance to see
Utrecht for just a short hour and a half while on a lunch break. Based on what
I saw, I knew I needed to go back and experience it for real.
Monument’s Day
It was a special day for Utrecht yesterday as it was their official
Monument’s Day. We learned on our free walking tour that in the City of
Utrecht, people live in Monumental houses around the city that have some rules
that come with living there. First, in order to preserve the history in
Utrecht, the people who live in monumental homes must ask permission from the
city to redecorate their homes. On this day only, they were also obligated to
open up their homes to anyone who had wished to come in and see. This type of
home is marked by the Utrecht red and white crest with an M in the middle that
is posted on their doorstep. Although, I did not take up this opportunity, many
of the people in the Netherlands have large windows with no curtains, enabling
you to see right into their homes anyway.
Although the buildings and homes are very old, the city has
done an amazing job keeping them all beautiful and restored. They are something
of a masterpiece to see lining the canals in every direction.
Monumental Houses with a view of Dom Tower
The Dom Tower
The Dom Tower and Dom cathedral stand as the main monument
of the city. The tower rings out beautiful bells many times of the day. Just
outside the cathedral in the square, there always seems to be something going
on. Yesterday there were little tents set up and one was if you ring some bells
they had out there then you could receive free Poffetjes! I had never had
Poffetjes before but Lena told me they were a typical Dutch food and I had to
try. They are mini pancakes that are so delicious as well as super cute. Also
the cathedral is a very popular place for weddings to be held. On the day I
cycled through Utrecht I saw two brides coming out of the Cathedral to take
pictures in the Dom Square. Yesterday I saw a bride as well. It was fun to see
a little bit of what the bride and groom wear in the Netherlands as well. I
think their wedding traditions are quite similar to those in the United States.
Poffetjes (Mini Dutch Pancakes!)
The Warfs
The canals, built in order to move trade efficiently
throughout the city, are still vibrant today. You can walk down to the water
level on either side of the canals on what is called the Warf and see all sorts
of cellars. Some are people’s homes, some are restaurants or tapas bars and
some are simply storage for the buildings above. People are moving down the
canal on boats, canoes, and paddle boats making a meal along the Warf quite the
social experience!
An original Utrecht Brewery on the Warfs
The Walking Tour
Every Saturday a free walking tour is offered to tourists.
It was 3 hours and consisted of a huge history of the city. There was a time in
Utrecht when the rich people wanted recognition for helping the poor or widowed
so they built affordable housing communities in their own names. These
communities today are some of the most beautiful little homes with long waiting
lists to be able to live there. I also saw where one of the Princesses of the
Netherlands royal family lived while she attended Utrecht University as well as
where Wilhelm
Röntgen lived while he also attended the university before
getting expelled for passing a funny drawing of a teacher around the classroom
that he didn’t even draw! He later fled the country to Switzerland AND invented
the x-ray! Lastly, I saw the building that was built for the only Dutch pope.
He actually never saw the building because he was poisoned after being pope for
only a little more than a year.
A beautiful housing community originally for the poor and widowed
Utrecht: My kind of
place
The reason I enjoyed Utrecht better than any other city in
Holland was because of the friendly bustle in the streets as well as the quaint
atmosphere. The beautiful buildings, streets and canals had people around on a
Saturday but not enough to call it busy or crowded. There was so much to do and
see with some very nice restaurants, pubs and cafes all across the city with a
friendly, happy vibe.
Although I think people should still experience Amsterdam,
Utrecht is just as worthy of a recommendation! I think everyone needs to see a
few of the other things the Netherlands has to offer!
