Walking Signs

On Sunday, Roxy and I took a big step in our life in the Netherlands. We got cell phones. Not the pay-as-you-go variety, but the sign-your-life-away-for-two-years-but-at-least-you-get-an-iPhone-out-of-it kind. With iPhone 4s now in hand, Roxy and I blend in with the other expats we meet, who all seem to be attached to their iPhones. The ability to run Skype will be very nice, as we’ll be able to call back home to the US whenever we want, and not be tethered to a computer anyway.

Anyway, this morning when I took Churchill for a walk, I decided to try out the camera on my new phone. Together with the “100 Cameras in 1” app, these are the signs we saw this morning. Feel free to play some Ace of Base while you look at these images.

Uitgang / "Exit"

Stufi moet blijven / "Stufi must remain"

Uitrenplaats / Google isn't sure how to translate this, something about "poop"

I see these little cars everywhere. Smaller than “Smart Cars”, these can drive on bike paths. They sound kind of like riding lawnmowers.

Little Car

Cruquiusweg / pronounced: "Crew-key-us-wag"

More about Stufi

Good luck figuring out which buzzer is ours, we never changed the nameplate from the previous people.

 

Utrecht

Before moving to the Netherlands, the only things I could have told you about Utrecht were a) it was the home of the University of Utrecht, and b) its name always reminded me of Steve Martin’s character from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Now that my wife is the holder of an OV-Jaarabonnement (Public Transport Annual Pass) card, she can travel anywhere in the country for free, and she can bring up to 3 people along with her for 40% off. She received her card on Friday though her job, and Saturday morning we were on the train to Utrecht!

Utrecht is a 27 minute train ride from Amsterdam Centraal Station, so fairly close. However, when you step off the train, the difference is immediately noticeable. While Amsterdam Centraal Station is old and traditional, Utrecht’s Centraal Station is more modern. It appears to be undergoing a renovation right now, but it is connected to Hoog Catharijne, which is a mall and a walkway into Utrecht itself. I have to say, I was a little bit jealous, since it had a Media Markt store, the closest thing the Netherlands seems to have to a Best Buy. The only Media Markts in Amsterdam are out in the suburbs.

After walking through the mall, we emerged into Utrecht. It’s a very different feeling from Amsterdam. While I always think of Amsterdam as a small big city, I’d equate Utrecht to a big small city. It just felt more neighborhood-y. We found our way to the Oudegracht (Old Canal) which is right in the middle of the city.

Oudegracht

The Oudegracht sits about 25 feet lower than the rest of the city, and has many cellars on its banks. Quite a few of these have been turned into restaurants, shops, bars, etc.

Dominating the skyline of Utrecht is the Domtoren (Dom Tower), which is the bell-tower of the Dom Church. It used to be connected, but a hurricane in 1674 destroyed the part of the church that was attached to the tower. That part hasn’t been rebuilt, so the tower stands about 60 yards from the church itself now.

Domtoren

View of the Dom Church from under the Domtoren

From there we wandered around the city a bit. I think a good way to see a city is to get out of the tourist areas and see the rest of the city.

An alleyway

From there, we headed back to the Oudegracht to find Mario’s, an Italian eatery that had been recommended to us. Evidently, there is both a brick & mortar restaurant, and a stand, and we found the stand. I ordered the Broodje Mario, which is a favorite of the locals. I thought it was okay, but I’d rather have a White Castle.

Mario's

My Broodje Mario

While sitting on the banks of the Oudegracht eating out sandwiches, I took a panoramic image of our surroundings. It’s too big to embed, but you can view it on Flickr here.

All in all, I enjoyed our trip, and we’ll probably come back when we can see more of the city. Now that we can easily travel around the country, I look forward to really seeing the Netherlands!

 

Christmas Canal Parade

We got off to a late start to go and watch the Christmas Canal Parade. We got to the Magere Brug a little before 8pm, and missed the first boats. We were in time to hear plenty of Christmas carols, and watch a boat with a full band go by. While the weather was certainly cold, there was quite a crowd, at least where we were. The parade snakes its way through the Prinsengracht up to the Amstel, and then heads back towards Centraal Station.

Magere Brug

Lots of fire and leather

The boats after they passed under Magere Brug, and headed towards the Stopera.

Penguins!

A man was walking around with a large bag filled with headbands with LED lights attached. We had seen these before at the bridge lighting ceremony earlier, but didn’t get any. Roxy ran up and grabbed a couple.

When we got home, we tried one on Churchill. At first, he tried to knock it off with his paw (which I did not get a picture of), but then he just gave up and stared at us in disbelief.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!