A beauty of a July morning to herald a
day trip to this old Netherlands city, one of the most historic and
picturesque in the country. At this time of year, many other tourists
had the same idea, yet the streets and cafes are filled with local
inhabitants too. Utrecht is a university town; youthful energy and
resonance predominate. One thinks of Amsterdam as the ultimate Dutch
canal city: Utrecht is more compact and possibly even more scenic.
In the mediaeval centre of town, the
deep canals are a magnetic draw. They bear witness to the city's historical
importance as a trade centre once on the Rhine River (the main course
of which eventually strayed away). Warehouses for storage were built
into the canal banks; now the canals are what remain of once-great
commerce. But their presence enables a vibrant string of restaurant
and entertainment venues along its reaches.
To reach canal-side, you descend stairs
from the main streets above. A boat tour on the oldest canal (the
twelfth-century Oudegracht) took us past centuries-old Dutch
institutions and mansions. This is a must to fully appreciate the
historical past. The day became colourlessly overcast although still
warm and muggy.
Originally a fortified city, the walls
and a moat helped protect and preserve the mediaeval structures.
Utrecht is a great walking town as well; a great religious centre for
a long time, the gothic St Martin's Cathedral on the central square
stands among several churches in the old town. Near the
fourteenth-century Domtoren bell tower, tallest in the country, the
cloister garden of a former monastery is a quiet spot to sit apart
from the general melee of narrow streets.
All this leads up to a search for
coffee and lunch. The streets were packed by then; sitting space was
at a premium. The past and the present happily contrast each other.
.We settled at a cafe on a bridge over a
canal. Somehow it did not seem odd to have chicken-lady statue in our
midst. Yes, those are chickens she is clutching. The sculptor Van de
Vathorst has many statues located around Utrecht. We were seated on
the site of a former fish market which he commemorated with this
"Sale Woman" although why the chickens was my question;
gripping a couple of eels or carp might have been more appropriate.
Even more interesting was the world's
tiniest washroom on the premises. It has two cubicles (♀
and ♂)
and a sink between. I'm guessing the whole works, all three
spaces, was about six feet wide and four feet deep. Each space is
large enough to hold one very slender person but not all at the same
time. There are three doors. Opening any given door will impale
someone at the wash basin and/or jam up the opposite door. By the
time we figured out the mechanics and stopped feeling trapped, three
of us were in helpless hysterics.
Did I see enough of Utrecht? No. Below is a professional photo (postcard) with optimum lighting
conditions.
©
2017
Brenda Dougall Merriman
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