Category Archives: My Travel

My Travel

Dutch Charm in Utrecht

I’m standing in front of a shop called Betsies Kookwinkel in Utrecht. After the first hour it becomes easier to translate things, even without actual knowledge, and it only reinforces my being enchanted with this Dutch town I found myself in on this summer weekend.

Utrecht is famous for its university (largest in the country) and the local railway station is kept busy due to the student population and the city’s central geographical location. It’s also the fourth-largest city in the Netherlands and looks back on some 2000 years of history.

Quintessentially Dutch, it’s a wonderful weekend getaway for experiencing the Netherlands on a slightly calmer scale than in Amsterdam. A short train ride from Schiphol Airport later you will see impressive construction work going on around Utrecht’s train station. This is ambitiously planned to be the world’s biggest bike park.

In the summertime Utrecht is a vibrant mosaic of green trees, row upon row of house facades I couldn’t get enough of, enchanting canal views along the Vismarkt, outdoor cafes right by the water, flower markets, eating, drinking, cheese, ice cream and cyclists. Almost every lamp-post you see is decorated with a massive flower pot. Shops line the streets, seamlessly blending in with the surrounding architectural landscape and everyone seems energetically driven to explore. If you are staying for longer than a weekend, your days will be easy to fill, as the city boasts a varied cultural landscape close on the heels of Amsterdam. And if a short stay is what you have in mind, like I did, those who love to walk will feel Utrecht’s charm.

I pass scores of bikes locked up by a wall – bikes with baskets, bikes with seats for children, bikes with both, blue bikes, red bikes, pink bikes, a white bike decorated with black flowers. The creativity has no bounds and the way cycling is part of the local culture is mind-blowing. Since my cycling course I can’t stop looking at other cyclists with different eyes, and Dutch ones certainly have a special elegance to how they pedal down their streets. Easier to observe in Utrecht than in Amsterdam, where you are more intent on crossing in time, they seem to glide around the city, looking completely relaxed. They make up Utrecht’s traffic.

After taking pictures of what felt like every house facade in Utrecht and staring at boats passing on the Oudegracht canal (what is it about Dutch canals and boats that makes a traveller hop with excitement?) I need sustenance. I stop by the Luden restaurant and brasserie on Janskerhof, where I may have had the best chicken sate of my life so far. With Dutch fries on the side (of course), that creamy mayonnaise, which for me has a lovely cheesy taste to it, and a peanut butter sauce to rival all peanut butter sauces. High ceilings, sturdy tables of dark wood and glamourous lamps from days of old, mixed with a modern painting here and there, contribute to an enjoyable and afforfable dining experience, as I watch more locals come in who look like they’ve been there before.

It’s the perfect meal to prepare you for climbing those 465 steps of the Dom Tower only three minutes away, or possibly hitting a local market. Or unfolding the conveniently tiny map of Utrecht’s shopping routes. The city charms on all counts.

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My Travel

Château de Vincennes in Paris

Paris is a delectably historical city that will never leave a weekend trip planner disappointed. I wanted to explore a castle within the city lines, perhaps lesser known than other French castles that come to mind. So after some research I found myself getting out of the metro Line 1 at the Château de Vincennes station and walking to the Château de Vincennes.

Arriving before noon, the grounds are almost deserted and the surrounding quiet easily transports one’s thoughts in to wondering about what it was like to walk here centuries ago. Though smaller and at first glance understandably more modest than the spacious splendour of the palace grounds in Versailles, the Château de Vincennes is steeped in history dating all the way back to the French kings of the 14th century.  Several kings were married and died at this Château. Perhaps a little known fact is that it counts among the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe.

Vincennes used to be a town and later became a suburb of Paris as the city expanded. In its early beginnings as a hunting lodge the castle was surrounded by forest. As you walk through the courtyard, the eye immediately registers the symmetry of the architectural layout, and the components that made the Chateau a small world onto itself, as medieval castles were apt to be. On the left stands the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, with it’s vast interior and stained glass windows from the 16th century. The middle section of the grounds is currently not accessible to visitors, but if you proceed inside the donjon on the right, you will arrive at a good observation point and see two manors facing each other at opposite ends of a lawn. One was for Queen Anne of Austria and the other for Cardinal Mazarin, the successor of Cardinal Richelieu. I am feeling a strong urge to re-read a Alexandre Dumas novel.

The Chateau did not get to be the main royal residence it was intended to be, becoming overshadowed by Versailles, but it continued to exist and crop up during various historical events in France. Becoming a state prison in the 18th century, it also saw a fair share of notable names within its walls. One disturbing example includes Marquis de Sade.

The walk around the donjon leads to various rooms which are now empty, but the vivid desription boards conjure mental images, and just touching the century-old walls makes goosebumps crawl along your skin. Childhood memories of a favourite book about medieval castles come back as I register familiar points that lead to thinking what life was like for inhabitants of these structures: small, high-placed windows with wooden shutters, high ceilings, stone walls and narrow doorways.

A few minutes of careful ascending of the expected spiral staircase of the 52 meter tall donjon leads to the top, from where you see grounds and the city beyond, contrasting sharply with this almost intact remainder of history from centuries gone.

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My Travel

Harry Potter: The Exhibition in Paris

I did not discover the Harry Potter books first. I went to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Captivated by the story, I wanted to learn more, and the rest is history. The books have become fixed tenants in my library. Waiting for the next book in the series was a very special experience which every fan will remember for life. We also remember that slightly forlorn feeling, mingled with excitement, when the last, seventh book came out. But hey, there were still a couple of Harry Potter movies left to make. Anticipated, discussed and debated, they too came to an end.

In-between all these daily occupations of a Harry Potter fan, another significant development took place. Harry Potter: The Exhibition made its debut in the US in spring 2009. I remember how excited many of us were, and also rueful that not everyone could make a flying visit to the States. But sometimes magic just needs a bit of waiting, and a bit of patience.

After touring the US, Canada and Australia, the exhibition has finally made its way to Europe. With Sweden and Germany already ticked off the list, the exhibition’s current location is in Paris, France. A glorious 1,400 square meters of Harry Potter film artifacts and costumes from all eight movies await fans at the Cité du Cinéma.

I was fortunate to be able to go and can confirm: it’s amazing! Without giving too much away, to be able to see what has become so familiar through the big screen IRL was another absorbing Harry Potter experience. A combination of dimmed lighting around the brightly illuminated exhibits, careful arrangement and the magical soundtrack from the film playing in the background (ah, those opening bars at the beginning of Sorcerer’s Stone) all create a goosebump-inducing atmosphere.

Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus!

Click on gallery:

Wondering how to get to the location (an occasional concern of mine) will not be an issue, because as soon as you get out of the subway, you see this sign.
Wondering how to get to the location (an occasional concern of mine) will not be an issue, because as soon as you get out of the subway, you see this sign.
"Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you..."
“Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you…”
"Aren't you two ever going to read Hogwarts: A History?"
“Aren’t you two ever going to read Hogwarts: A History?”
“The moment they start trying to move into each other’s pots, we’ll know they’re fully mature,” she told Harry.”
“The moment they start trying to move into each other’s pots, we’ll know they’re fully mature,” she told Harry.”
"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch."
“Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch.”

 

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