On Tuesday before Halloween I decided to strike out on a day trip to Utrecht followed by trip back up to Haarlem to visit my Estonian friends. Originally I had planned to do each of these on a separate day but after reading up on the amount of time it would take to walk around both, coupled with taking Sunday as a more or less R&R day, I was constricted to accomplishing both simultaneously. No sweat for the seasoned traveler.
The main draw to Utrecht is the city's medieval roots but the city's history goes back long before that. It is believed the area was inhabited from the Bronze Age and possibly the Stone Age, however, the city proper where it stands today started as a Roman fortification in the middle of the first century AD. During the early medieval period heavy walls were built around the city to fortify it, and the city became the central hub of Christianity in the Netherlands for over 1000 years starting in 650AD.
These days Utrecht is home to the Netherland's largest university and is the fourth largest city in the country with a population of around 316,000. By comparison, Greensboro, NC has around 273,000 people and ranks as the 69th largest city in the US (Utrecht would come in around 59th, just ahead of Riverside, CA). The most notable feature of Utrecht are, you guessed it, the remnants of the medieval structures, including the exterior canals (former moat) following the shape of the old city walls & fortifications.
But it wasn't all the history that first struck me when I arrived on a cold cloudy morning, it was a snack shop near the central (centraal) train station operating in giant vending machine format. I've seen this before in NY, imported in from Japan, but I never would have suspected finding one in the fourth largest city in the Netherlands.
The most beautiful part of Utrecht is without a doubt the Oudegracht, or "old canal." This canal was constructed in the 1100's and more or less retains its original look. Compare the following picture I took merely days ago with one from 1890. The staggered level with space for cellars was completed in the 13th century and has remained mostly unchanged.
Similarly, the most imposing medieval structure in Utrecht is the Dom tower constructed in the 1300's. It was once connected to the rest of the Cathedral by the unfinished nave which remained so until it collapsed in 1674. Since then the tower is apart from the rest of the church. The tower can be seen from almost anywhere in Utrecht- this picture was taken several blocks away.
In fact, there is a street between the rest of the church and the tower, both of which are seemingly impossible to fit into one photo. To give you an idea, here is the church. The tower is about 50-70 feet more to the left of the edge of the photo.
And here is the tower. I had to back up a couple hundred feet to squeeze it in.
In fact, there is a street between the rest of the church and the tower, both of which are seemingly impossible to fit into one photo. To give you an idea, here is the church. The tower is about 50-70 feet more to the left of the edge of the photo.
And here is the tower. I had to back up a couple hundred feet to squeeze it in.
As luck would have it, and as you'll likely notice from the statue of the oxidized green man which looks strikingly similar to the one above, the Town Hall is in the same plaza as the Dom church and tower. It actually reminded me of the one in Dusseldorf. To my immense disappointment, however, I was unable to locate a large Japanese community OR Neapolitan pizza in Utrecht. :(
Humorously, those two people were relentlessly photo-bombing me- popping up in about seven shots I tried to take of the plaza. Whoever you are, enjoy your moment of "fame" on Wanderlust. Without a map and having seen the three major structures (not to mention the vending-snack place), I decided to take an aimless stroll along the old moat canals. I won't post a ton of pictures because they're more or less like Amsterdam but with more grass and less buildings. Here's a good example looking across the way toward what was once just empty space beyond the city walls.
I also noticed a number of dredging projects going on throughout the canals. I may have touched on this in a prior post but many cities around Europe use the fall and very early spring as their time for construction or renovation prior to the main tourist season. Evidently this encompasses the prime canal dredging season as well.
There were some other interesting sights around the city as well but since I had no map, and could never locate the tourist information center, I had no idea what they were. The flickr descriptions should be ample evidence of that. Suffice it to say it's a lot more canals and medieval buildings. One thing I thought particularly cool was that along one canal there were a bunch of these... "water-bus stops" is the best thing I can come up with. It looked like you could wait for a boat or similarly disembark here.
Maybe it's just a fence to keep people from running down the stairs and into the canal... but who would run down stairs that quickly and recklessly? And if they did, they probably deserve to fall in the canal. Anyway, I found it puzzling. Here is a pretty bridge for bearing with me.
As I made my way back toward the area of the central train station, I came across the canal/moat bend of the easternmost fortification. At each of these points the canal/moat juts out in a triangular point- a common defensive feature of most forts. But on the interior corner sat what appeared to be a prison of some kind. I walked all the way around it but couldn't make it out exactly but there was barbed wire, lights, and what looked like guard towers.
Not wanting to risk becoming a temporary inhabitant for snooping around, I headed back toward the station where I hopped a train back to Amsterdam and connected with a train heading up to Haarlem. Haarlem is somewhat like a suburb of Amsterdam and lies about 20 minutes north by train. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the neighborhood of Harlem in New York lies about a 20 minute train ride north from downtown Manhattan (formerly New Amsterdam).
That's where the similarities end. For a great period of its history Haarlem was a larger, richer, and more powerful city than Amsterdam. Because of its location north of Amsterdam, it collected significant toll revenues on the heavily traveled north-south trade route. The rise of shipping eventually forced much of the seafaring industry to Amsterdam and the majority of industry followed subsequent to WWII.
Personally I was in Haarlem to visit Mati, Reino, and his girlfriend Stella whom I had med way back in Porto on that crazy port-infused night and day. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I stepped off the train- I couldn't help thinking about Harlem in NYC which is jam-packed with interesting things to see, do, and consume, but not what I would deem a quaint touristy area. The clouds finally started to break as I arrived and I was greeted with this scene not minutes from the train station.
Really love how that photo came out. Kev- your camera is kicking ass! Not wanting to make the same mistake as Utrecht and roam around without a map, and also needing one to find Mati's apartment where I was to meet him, I followed the signs to the tourist information center. Along the way I passed this:
Nassau Street! I walked back and forth searching for the bar but couldn't find it! For those in the know, the aptly named Nassau bar on Nassau St. in NYC is one of my absolute favorite bars in the city and was essentially a guaranteed starting point for any post-work nights out in the city, especially in the summertime.
The most stately edifice in the city, the Great Church, happens to occupy the premier real estate in the Grote Markt, where it has held sway for well over 600 years. It's a lean, mean, churchin machine and it's undergone a number of changes over the years due to fires, new contractors, etc. But here it is.
Also making his presence felt in the Grote Markt is Laurens Jansz Coster, or his statue's presence anyway. He's the father of bookprinting. And, little known fact, he was green.
From there I headed due east to one of the main canals where the Windmill de Adriaan rests. Just as I arrived the light, clouds, and water worked in harmony to provide me with some great pictures. Here is one from the side showing the bending of the river.
I also noticed a number of dredging projects going on throughout the canals. I may have touched on this in a prior post but many cities around Europe use the fall and very early spring as their time for construction or renovation prior to the main tourist season. Evidently this encompasses the prime canal dredging season as well.
There were some other interesting sights around the city as well but since I had no map, and could never locate the tourist information center, I had no idea what they were. The flickr descriptions should be ample evidence of that. Suffice it to say it's a lot more canals and medieval buildings. One thing I thought particularly cool was that along one canal there were a bunch of these... "water-bus stops" is the best thing I can come up with. It looked like you could wait for a boat or similarly disembark here.
Maybe it's just a fence to keep people from running down the stairs and into the canal... but who would run down stairs that quickly and recklessly? And if they did, they probably deserve to fall in the canal. Anyway, I found it puzzling. Here is a pretty bridge for bearing with me.
As I made my way back toward the area of the central train station, I came across the canal/moat bend of the easternmost fortification. At each of these points the canal/moat juts out in a triangular point- a common defensive feature of most forts. But on the interior corner sat what appeared to be a prison of some kind. I walked all the way around it but couldn't make it out exactly but there was barbed wire, lights, and what looked like guard towers.
Not wanting to risk becoming a temporary inhabitant for snooping around, I headed back toward the station where I hopped a train back to Amsterdam and connected with a train heading up to Haarlem. Haarlem is somewhat like a suburb of Amsterdam and lies about 20 minutes north by train. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the neighborhood of Harlem in New York lies about a 20 minute train ride north from downtown Manhattan (formerly New Amsterdam).
That's where the similarities end. For a great period of its history Haarlem was a larger, richer, and more powerful city than Amsterdam. Because of its location north of Amsterdam, it collected significant toll revenues on the heavily traveled north-south trade route. The rise of shipping eventually forced much of the seafaring industry to Amsterdam and the majority of industry followed subsequent to WWII.
Personally I was in Haarlem to visit Mati, Reino, and his girlfriend Stella whom I had med way back in Porto on that crazy port-infused night and day. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I stepped off the train- I couldn't help thinking about Harlem in NYC which is jam-packed with interesting things to see, do, and consume, but not what I would deem a quaint touristy area. The clouds finally started to break as I arrived and I was greeted with this scene not minutes from the train station.
Really love how that photo came out. Kev- your camera is kicking ass! Not wanting to make the same mistake as Utrecht and roam around without a map, and also needing one to find Mati's apartment where I was to meet him, I followed the signs to the tourist information center. Along the way I passed this:
Nassau Street! I walked back and forth searching for the bar but couldn't find it! For those in the know, the aptly named Nassau bar on Nassau St. in NYC is one of my absolute favorite bars in the city and was essentially a guaranteed starting point for any post-work nights out in the city, especially in the summertime.
The most stately edifice in the city, the Great Church, happens to occupy the premier real estate in the Grote Markt, where it has held sway for well over 600 years. It's a lean, mean, churchin machine and it's undergone a number of changes over the years due to fires, new contractors, etc. But here it is.
Also making his presence felt in the Grote Markt is Laurens Jansz Coster, or his statue's presence anyway. He's the father of bookprinting. And, little known fact, he was green.
From there I headed due east to one of the main canals where the Windmill de Adriaan rests. Just as I arrived the light, clouds, and water worked in harmony to provide me with some great pictures. Here is one from the side showing the bending of the river.
And now probably my favorite one from the back rear showing all of the little shops along the peninsula.
And one from the back showing the whole bend. Man these really turned out great. Kev's camera is killing it.
I bet you're thinking the next time you're in Amsterdam Haarlem is worth a visit. And you'd be right. For me it was already dusk so I didn't have time to explore all the way to the old city gate or check out the Cathedral. I had to make my way to Mati's. But along the way I was able to cruise the main canal where I spotted the old weigh house (the one in the center)- a building largely responsible for many of the riches that once flooded this city.
At dusk this area of the canal is a great place for a relaxing walk where you can peer out toward the just-illuminated windows of the houses scattered along the water as night gently sets in.
At Mati's we all assembled and since Mati was on call in case some last minute work came in, Stella offered for him to ride her bike to dinner. He's used to a bike without concave handlebars and one with the seat higher so you lean into the handle bars. Attempting to ride in that fashion on Stella's bike made it impossible for him to turn- giving us a chuckle the entire way to dinner.
I finally suggested he right as upright and Victorian as possible which corrected the problem but was an even funnier sight.
For dinner we went to a very local spot where we all had the plate of the day, beef stroganoff with mashed potatoes, salad, and a candied pear with a beer. It cost only 7 euro. Awesome.
After dinner we went for a couple of beers before I finally had to say goodbye to my good friends and make my way back to the station before the last train to Amsterdam. Two cities in less than 12 hours- what a day! While Utrecht was worth a peek, I'll definitely be spending more time in Haarlem the next time I find myself in Amsterdam- especially if the qualify of company remains as high as it was.
Bonus photo: yours truly freezing on the train platform waiting for that last train to Amsterdam. This was accidental but I like it.
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