July 19, 2014 -- Faced with a free weekend and incredibly nice weather, we decided to hop on the regional NS train and spend the day in nearby Utrecht. Situated about thirty minutes to the southeast of Amsterdam, Utrecht is a charming city in the heart of the Netherlands. While Amsterdam's history largely dates back to the 17th century, the region around Utrecht has remnants of early inhabitants dating back to the stone age. At present day I liken it to a model version of Amsterdam, with canals weaving through the city and narrow streets lined with tall, narrow and quintessentially Dutch canal houses.
The weather was expected to hit 32C (90F), which is about as warm as it gets here in Holland. We lathered on the sunblock, boarded the train and enjoyed a quick ride through Holland's countryside. Utrecht turned into a perfect day trip for us. The city center is sandwiched between two canals, the Oudegracht ('old canal') and the Stadsbuitengracht
We spent the morning exploring the city on foot and stopped for coffee at the Blackbird, a local spot best described as half coffeehouse and half fixed-gear-bike shop. This pairing seems to be trending and it reminds me of the hipster scene back in Portland, with a key difference being Portland is very much "coffee lovers that cycle" and Amsterdam has "cyclists that enjoy coffee." I haven't figured out where this movement began but it seems to work well in these pedal-friendly cities. 
We eventually made our way to Saint Martin's Cathedral. Locally known as Domkerk, the Cathedral dates back to the 13th century and stands as the tallest church in the Netherlands. We followed our better judgment and decided against climbing the tower on such a hot day, instead opting for a ground-level lesson in the Cathedral's interesting history. At one time the Cathedral had a traditional footprint but in 1674 a tornado (which are very rare in the Netherlands) tore through the middle of the nave, effectively splitting the cathedral into two parts. The city decided to let the "bricks" fall as they may and kept the two halves separated. It was interesting to see the bell tower completely separated from the rest of the church.
Pictured above, the dome (pictured left) is separated from the rest of the church (pictured right). The banner hung against the brick wall shows what the Cathedral would have looked like if the nave was intact.
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| I borrowed this blueprint from Wikipedia. The area in red was destroyed by the 1674 tornado and now is an open, tree-covered courtyard |
Sarah and I have both been missing Portland and our days living in the Pearl District. Between walking, biking, boating and paddling, our lives really centered around the Willamette River before moving to Europe. And anyone that has experienced a Portland summer can surely relate. We can't complain about summering in Europe but seeing all of our friends enjoying summer back home had brought on a small bout of homesickness recently.Temperatures were climbing into the thirties by early afternoon so we headed to the canals to beat the heat. We rented a kayak from Kanoverhuur Utrecht (near the north end of the Oudegracht), which outfitted us with a tandem kayak and waterproof map of the canal ring around the city. I can't think of a better way to enjoy a summer day than floating through narrow, centuries-old canals!
We ended our day with a walk through the air conditioned halls of Utrecht's Centraal Museum. The museum holds a very diverse collection of art, all loosely connected by an Utrecht theme (the city and its local artists). Maybe I've been spoiled by Europe's great art museums over the past year. Or maybe I just don't appreciate modern art. But I had a hard time enjoying this collection when I would pass from a room full of beautiful renaissance-era masterpieces into a room of abstract modern art.
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| Photo borrowed from Centraal Museum © |
Sidebar: for a depressing case study on the environmental impact of creosote, read about the McCormick & Baxter Superfund cleanup site in north Portland. Needless to say, we didn't stay in the noxious basement for very long!
After the museum, we headed to the train station, grabbed a light dinner from Albert Heijn and enjoyed a quiet train ride back into the city. Sarah commented that our day of site seeing and kayaking was one of her favorite days in the Netherlands over the past year. I'd have to agree!
