Utrecht: Ice cream, rabbits and biking accidents caused by clumsy American tourists
I had the great pleasure of visiting one of my very, very good friends in the Netherlands earlier this month on my way to the Scotland workshop. The calm before the storm, as we described it.
The Netherlands really exceeded my expectations. Admittedly, it is not a country I had ever considered vacationing to before, but the people, the architecture, the warm sun and the relaxed lifestyle really won me over.
We first biked to downtown Utrecht, which was an adventure in and of itself for me because I learned how to ride a bike specifically for this trip. You can't go to the Netherlands and not ride a bike! I only had a couple of accidents, and Ivar was very patient with me.
I finally took out my camera as we approached the big church tower. It dominates the city - in a good way. This was the only fisheye shot I got before I lent it to Ivar and, well, that was the end of the story! I remember this street smelled deliciously like the crispy cheese on a good thin pizza. The bookstore on the right was a lovely place to browse, too.
Looking into the reflection of the street in the bookstore. Maybe a confusing view but I really enjoyed picking out the different layers as I stood there. We all know Rembrandt for showing us the meaning of great soft window light. I, too, always characterized Ivar's photography with good light. The Dutch just have amazing windows, I guess! Which makes sense if you're going to move all your furniture through them....
The statue in front of the church, which I had seen many photos of before. Lots of people like to gather in this quiet little courtyard. Not without good reason - the trees whisper in the wind and the sun was so warm and bright:
Inside, the courtyard is a shady haven for couples and friends alike:
And the walkway around the perimeter reminds me of an old castle:
As we wander the streets again, there are several exceptionally beautiful buildings. I loved the shutters on this one.
Old and the new clustered together. Walk in the sky, fly free:
Everywhere are inviting little restaurants with outdoor seating. I love how you just sit at one and get great service. No rush, no fuss, no muss. The thing that made my two days here so perfect was the amout of time we spent sitting at these cafes, people watching and talking and laughing and taking our time. I can do this forever:
Across from our table where we had tea, this man looked right out of another century. Utrecht has all types: hip, unhip, traditional, cool, euro, and everything in-between.
We tried Utrecht's only big Japanese restaurant for dinner. We both love sushi. I like this shot because the tree we were sitting under kept shedding in our food and I found it so funny. We watched so many people walk and bike by, and I can pretty much remember them all. Oh, perfection of a spring evening.
By the time we had taken our sweet time eating and getting up again, all the shops were closed. It didn't stop us from taking photos of the streets and buildings, however.
The streets are cleaner than most cities at home, but I found the irony of this scene irresistable:
Stars and smiles:
And finally, you can't visit Utrecht without seeing and hearing about Miffy the rabbit. As the sun sank below the horizon we speculated that with some research, you can probably use the Miffy statue as stonehenge.
After a hilarious bike ride/struggle home (with only a few minor crashes and near-canal misses), my tired-from-smiling face was ready to hit the sack. It was Amsterdam tomorrow and I needed to adjust to the jet lag. More later...
The Netherlands really exceeded my expectations. Admittedly, it is not a country I had ever considered vacationing to before, but the people, the architecture, the warm sun and the relaxed lifestyle really won me over.
We first biked to downtown Utrecht, which was an adventure in and of itself for me because I learned how to ride a bike specifically for this trip. You can't go to the Netherlands and not ride a bike! I only had a couple of accidents, and Ivar was very patient with me.
I finally took out my camera as we approached the big church tower. It dominates the city - in a good way. This was the only fisheye shot I got before I lent it to Ivar and, well, that was the end of the story! I remember this street smelled deliciously like the crispy cheese on a good thin pizza. The bookstore on the right was a lovely place to browse, too.
Looking into the reflection of the street in the bookstore. Maybe a confusing view but I really enjoyed picking out the different layers as I stood there. We all know Rembrandt for showing us the meaning of great soft window light. I, too, always characterized Ivar's photography with good light. The Dutch just have amazing windows, I guess! Which makes sense if you're going to move all your furniture through them....
The statue in front of the church, which I had seen many photos of before. Lots of people like to gather in this quiet little courtyard. Not without good reason - the trees whisper in the wind and the sun was so warm and bright:
Inside, the courtyard is a shady haven for couples and friends alike:
And the walkway around the perimeter reminds me of an old castle:
As we wander the streets again, there are several exceptionally beautiful buildings. I loved the shutters on this one.
Old and the new clustered together. Walk in the sky, fly free:
Everywhere are inviting little restaurants with outdoor seating. I love how you just sit at one and get great service. No rush, no fuss, no muss. The thing that made my two days here so perfect was the amout of time we spent sitting at these cafes, people watching and talking and laughing and taking our time. I can do this forever:
Across from our table where we had tea, this man looked right out of another century. Utrecht has all types: hip, unhip, traditional, cool, euro, and everything in-between.
We tried Utrecht's only big Japanese restaurant for dinner. We both love sushi. I like this shot because the tree we were sitting under kept shedding in our food and I found it so funny. We watched so many people walk and bike by, and I can pretty much remember them all. Oh, perfection of a spring evening.
By the time we had taken our sweet time eating and getting up again, all the shops were closed. It didn't stop us from taking photos of the streets and buildings, however.
The streets are cleaner than most cities at home, but I found the irony of this scene irresistable:
Stars and smiles:
And finally, you can't visit Utrecht without seeing and hearing about Miffy the rabbit. As the sun sank below the horizon we speculated that with some research, you can probably use the Miffy statue as stonehenge.
After a hilarious bike ride/struggle home (with only a few minor crashes and near-canal misses), my tired-from-smiling face was ready to hit the sack. It was Amsterdam tomorrow and I needed to adjust to the jet lag. More later...
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I'm not sure what I enjoyed more, the pic or the commentary,
thank you so much.
What I don't understand is.. where is the ice cream??:D
Why I love traveling! Good stuff, Schmoooo!
www.tednghiem.com
True, true, I didn't post any of the photos of people eating ice cream. But I made mental notes about it - everyone enjoys ice cream young and old and it made me smile sitting there watching people of all ages walk away from the shops with ice cream cones. Such innocent happiness isn't really found around where I live, at least. It's one of the little details about the Dutch that will always stay with me.
Thanks for the kind words! I love traveling too, and mostly when you have friends on the other side to see.
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Looks like a wonderful trip.
check out the uber-futuristic hard-shell backpack sitting next to our fedora topped hero!
Great stuff schmoo, thanks for taking us!
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the red shutters photo tops my list of faves
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I never cease to
Thanks guys, everyone. I went to hang with a friend and didn't expect to get any shots, but this trip proved that there's a shot in everything if you learn to be flexible in how you "see."
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
mental notes, pfft! pictures!
www.tednghiem.com
Oh, and just for the record: No one in the making of this series got hurt or injured by the bicycle riding American, or otherwise
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