The Netherlands: Utrecht and Amsterdam
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2012AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – Two years ago we had planned a visit to Holland, but unfortunate circumstances required us to cancel the trip last minute. So we were determined to fit in at least a brief visit on our current European tour. On the way from Brussels we first stopped for two days in the beautiful university town of Utrecht, just 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam’s city center. We explored Utrecht and its canals by bike and foot, ate local specialities such as sausage and borecole and kruidnoten, and mingled with the pleasant Dutch locals.
There are bicycles everywhere you look in Utrecht, perhaps even more so (at least per capita) than in Amsterdam. It is definitely the preferred method of transportation as we experienced relatively empty city buses and sidewalks compared to the bustling bike paths. The bike is so popular here that the Dutch even tout their country as being the only in the world with more bicycles than inhabitants.
There is an interesting history to the extensive bicycle paths and avid bike riders of the Netherlands. The below video enlightened us on this story and how a mix of factors such as World War II, the automobile industry and the country’s flat land led to the government creating the incredible bike infrastructure which the country is so well known for today.
In the center of the city is the Dom Tower of Utrecht, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. It stands at the spot where the city was founded over 2,000 years ago. Visible from all over town, the plaza in which the tower stands is a popular meeting place for the locals of Utrecht.
On Friday afternoon we took the train from Utrecht to Amsterdam’s main terminal, the Centraal Station, to begin our two-day visit to the city. We love traveling by train! The comfort level is outstanding (especially when you accidentally get on the 1st class car over the still-very-comfortable 2nd class car for which you purchased your ticket).
Clean streets and beautiful architecture mix with the winding canal system to create the stunning, architecturally unique city of Amsterdam. While the Brugge and Utrecht canals were beautiful, those of Amsterdam are larger and more in number, totaling 62 miles in length. Add in the fall colors, still in full effect here, and it makes for a wonderfully scenic backdrop to any walk around town.
Houseboats, which line the sides of many canals, have also become an option for inexpensive housing and lodging in the city. You can rent an entire houseboat by the night and sleep in the comfort of your own floating home.
Holland is well-known as a producer of flowers, specifically tulips, and so it’s no wonder that you can find a (semi-)floating flower market located in downtown Amsterdam. Bloemenmarkt is the name of this fifteen stall market which sells flowers and bulbs along with seeds, garden accessories and more.
Within Amsterdam lie 30 parks, of which Vondelpark is the most popular for locals and tourists alike. The park is huge, over 120 square acres, and even on a brisk day of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, was full of runners, dog walkers and strolling couples.
And of course, you cannot visit Amsterdam without at least one stroll through the well-known Red Light District. We weren’t quite sure what to expect from this area of town because we’d heard that in recent years the city was cracking down and further limiting both the prostitution and marijuana industries. However, what we found was much more interesting than we could have imagined. Throughout the day and night thousands of people peek into the windows and marvel, laugh or gawk at the sight of scantily-clad women beckoning behind the windows of tiny red-lit rooms. The sightseers come from all classes and age groups: tourists, single men, groups of bachelor partygoers, couples holding hands, old ladies with young children, parents with strollers and more. The blend of Disneyland-like tourism and the often gritty world of prostitution in Amsterdam is quite odd and for us at least, quite unexpected. It is an image that we won’t soon forget. For some more information, here is a video of an ex-prostitute and founder of the Prostitution Information Center (PIC) speaking about the industry in Amsterdam.
Our trip to the Netherlands was short, only four full days, but we had a wonderful time. We’re now on our way to Bonn, Germany, and our first real taste of winter weather. We’ll leave you all with a photo of Dustin’s favorite European toy car, one which we could never possibly even attempt to fit in to!
Hi Kids…. great pictures and loved reading your explanations of your travels. I feel like I’m riding in your pockets
What a gorgeous place. Rick and I’ve wanted to go to Germany but right now it’s bad timing
We need to find a house.
Love you both, stay safe a