(Above: Amsterdam at night)
My last morning in
Amsterdam was good - I made one last trip to Rembrandtsplein to run an errand
before checking out. The hotel manager
commented on how he never saw me the whole time, and wondered if everything was
okay, because normally most guests are constantly asking for stuff all the
time. I laughed and said I was pretty
low-maintenance, but that I had a magnificent stay. It really was a great hotel, and I would
definitely stay there again or recommend it to anyone traveling to
Amsterdam.
Got the tram to
Amsterdam Centraal, where I managed to purchase a ticket to Utrecht (only 7.50
euro) and add money to my OV-chipkaart.
The train I boarded was headed to Maastricht, which is a few hours
south, so I hoped very dearly that they were actually stopping in Utrecht
Centraal on the way. Though it would
have been cool to see Maastricht too.
Anyway, I was fine, and the trip only took about 30 minutes. Utrecht Centraal is a crazy train station,
busier it seems than AMS, though that can't be right. Maybe it was just the design that made it
seem that way - a huge open middle with all the platforms leading off in
various directions. I stored my suitcase
in one of the lockable compartments there until I head to Rotterdam. I was happy to do so, since the hotel I am
staying in has three very very steep and narrow staircases to my room. I would not have been able to carry my
suitcase up. The hotel seems good; the
room is small but clean and fits my needs.
I get free breakfast too, so we'll see how good or bad that is tomorrow
morning. I already like the free fancy
coffee maker in the reception area. I
can never drink American coffee because it bothers my stomach for some reason,
but European café latte (café au lait) is so good. In Italy I had it all the time, and now my
cravings are returning.
After I checked in and
dropped some stuff off in the hotel, it was about 1pm so I set out
exploring. I didn't have any agenda, so
it was mostly just me wandering around, getting my bearings. Utrecht is a little harder to navigate than
Amsterdam, because there is no ring of canals to act as a guide. It's mostly a patchwork of roads and sporadic
canals along the way. But it has already
crept its way inside me in a way Amsterdam did not. I'm not sure if it's the fact that there are
far less tourists, or if it's due to the more intimate streetscapes. There are very few straight streets, and
every now and then there will be a narrow passage that takes you into a wide
open green courtyard space before compressing you back again.
One thing you cannot
miss in Utrecht is the Domkerk and the Domtoren (Dom church / tower). I navigated my way there, and got to visit
inside. It's really quite incredible,
and I'll leave you with these pictures.
Utrecht, and most of the Netherlands, do not have particularly
"spectacular" architecture (in terms of ornamentation, decoration,
bedazzling icons that express the city's power or dominance - like Rome and
Italy). The Dom Tower is about as
"spectacular" as it gets, and it's quite gorgeous.
I also visited the
Utrecht City Hall and it's extension designed in the late 90s by Enric
Miralles, a Spanish architect. The
extension is quite an interesting transition from old to new, and can be seen
better in photos. You can tell it is not
a Dutch architect who designed it, in fact, if I hadn't known the architect
before I probably would have been able to guess, having seen his work in
Barcelona. However, it is still an
intelligent solution and interesting building.
I continued to walk
around for a bit, scoping out some places to eat. Eventually I stumbled across this food vendor
that offered about 60 different types of sandwiches, all for very low prices. There was a long line, mostly looked like
University students, so I figured it had to be good. I was not disappointed. I got a big sandwich on fresh bread with
chorizo, tomato, lettuce, and a boiled egg.
The best part was that I walked down to stairs to eat on a bench right
on the canal, with an amazing view. Afterward
I did some shopping, and found this bright orange dress for a good price that I
just had to buy. The colors of the
Nederlands soccer team are bright orange and their mascot is a cool looking
lion. You can always tell when there is
a game, because the whole town will be wearing their bright orange
jerseys. I happen to really like bright
orange, so it works well. Wandering some
more, I stopped into the Aorta Center for Architecture and spoke with the
people there for awhile, explaining my research and asking for
information. They gave me some good
pointers, but I don't think I'll be able to get to everything in one day
(tomorrow). We'll see how it goes. I must try to fall asleep early (earlier than
my current time of 2am!) so I can awake in time for breakfast!
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