Gek op Maastricht: December 2011

Saturday, December 3, 2011: Utrecht, Netherlands

Saturday morning -- that means travel time! Today I ventured up to Utrecht, Netherlands to visit another former Scottie, Marjan. Marjan studied abroad at Agnes Scott the fall semester after I arrived back from Tilburg (2010). I was anxious to meet her then and practice my Dutch. Her parents came to visit the states while she was there and brought me some Dutch goodies including hagelslag and stroopwafels.

Marjan came to visit me in Maastricht in October and stayed a weekend. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to Utrecht for a whole weekend, as my time in Maastricht was quickly coming to a close and I needed to get serious about exams. Also, the Dutch trains were choosing to give me a hard time -- there was work on the lines between Boxtel and Den Bosch, so I needed to take a bus for that portion of the journey. Therefore, it took me nearly three hours to get to Utrecht -- quite a long journey for the Netherlands!

I left around 8.30 in the morning and cycled to the Centraal Station. Equipped with a muffin from Albert Heijn and een kopje koffie, I boarded the first train to Boxtel. I was productive along the way there and back, reading a total of 3 journal articles for my courses. At Boxtel, I transferred to a coach bus which drove the herd to Den Bosch Centraal. Here I waited for a few minutes before boarding a second train which went directly to Utrecht Centraal. I arrived in Utrecht shortly before noon. I met Marjan in front of one of the Starbucks in the train station. We first stopped for a latte before heading out of the train station.

We started the day with a bit of shopping, mission Xenos! I had promised Clara to look for a certain coffee mug that I wanted and she as well. Unfortunately, I did not find them, but I was able to shop for a few other Christmas gifts. After a couple of shops we headed to the VVV (tourist information center) where we got information for a tour of the Dom - the tall church in Utrecht which you can climb. We took a guided tour a few minutes later. Our guide was gracious enough to give me my own mini tour in English, since all of the other people on the tour spoke Dutch.

We climbed so so many stairs to the tippy top of the tower, from which you could see a lovely view of the whole city - even Amsterdam in the distance! The climb was chilly and a bit slippery from the rain the previous days and current drizzle. I enjoyed the climb and learning more about the city and the Tower. The tower and church were originally connected, but years ago, the nave connecting the two was destroyed by a tornado (originating in France) that blew through Utrecht. I was very careful walking down the spirally steps in the tower, since it was super slick!

After the climb, we began a search for a nice place to have some lunch. Along the way, we came across one of my favorite stores in Netherlands -- Oil and Vinegar, where we stopped and sampled several of the dips and oils that they have. After filling up on bread, spreads and crackers, we chose a small cafe on the sqaure (the Vrigthof of Utrecht) and enjoyed a nice lunch. I had an oude kaas (old cheese) sandwich, including boiled egg -- so Dutch! Marjan had a hamburger -- LEUK! After lunch, we headed back outdoors. The sun greeted us for the afternoon and we were happy to see it!

Strolling through the now sunny Utrecht, we continued our Christmas shopping. Sinterklaas was right around the corner, so we did some Sinterklaas shopping as well. Marjan bought gifts for her gift exchange with her housemates and I shopped for some things to take back home to friends and family in the States. We visited some of my Dutch favorites -- V&D, HEMA, Xenos, Accessorize, and more!

After an afternoon of shopping, Marjan and I parted ways. She needed to go home and get dressed for work later in the evening and I needed to catch an early train home so that I could still have time to work on some things when I got back. We said our goodbyes, uncertain of when we would see each other again. I checked my train times and with a few minutes to wait, ordered a stroopwafel SWIRLS for the journey home.

Shortly thereafter, I was on the train home, with the same switches as on the way there. I made it home safely with ample time to work on some things for the coming week. It was so nice to actually visit Utrecht and see the city a bit more than I have in the past. And good to see Marjan one last time before I leave!

More pictures from the Dom: