Back in the UK
Well, it's been a great few days in Utrecht (too few!) but now I'm back in England, a little closer to home.
It turns out I can work in Utrecht, which is amazing and great, but unfortunately the plans that were being hatched about my coming back to work for a while seem to be on hold for a while. I'm still hopeful that at some point (perhaps after I've learned more than 4 words in Dutch) I will be able to spend a lot more time there, I'm quite taken with the place.
Some leftover impressions of Utrecht:
The Erratic Weather - it's sunny, then spits rain, then pours down, then is sunny again...odd. The wind is pretty incredible too (who would have thought with al those windmills!?), I nearly was blown off my bike! Speaking of...
The Bikes - I don't think I can adequately describe the scale of the biking culture, there are thousands everywhere, locked to everything. The infrastructure of the city is heavily bike-oriented, it makes so much sense and I wish other cities could follow Utrecht's example....of course it probably helps that there are no hills in the Netherlands.
The Smoking - Bleagh! While I have grown to tolerate smokers I still don't really understand them. And, I suppose, being from Vancouver I'm blessed with the ability to avoid them for the mostpart. I think that's the only drawback about Utrecht I found (and it's even worse for Emma because she's super-sensitive), that a large amount of people smoke and you're allowed to do it everywhere.
The "Other" Smoking - There are pot cafes in Utrecht, but they're called "coffeeshops." It's kind of confusing I guess, but it's funny how understated the legal smoking-up is. There is a coffeeshop that's a converted canal boat in Utrecht, re-fitted with large windows and full of (appropriately enough) potted hanging plants. Of course, I only admired from afar.
It turns out I can work in Utrecht, which is amazing and great, but unfortunately the plans that were being hatched about my coming back to work for a while seem to be on hold for a while. I'm still hopeful that at some point (perhaps after I've learned more than 4 words in Dutch) I will be able to spend a lot more time there, I'm quite taken with the place.
Some leftover impressions of Utrecht:
The Erratic Weather - it's sunny, then spits rain, then pours down, then is sunny again...odd. The wind is pretty incredible too (who would have thought with al those windmills!?), I nearly was blown off my bike! Speaking of...
The Bikes - I don't think I can adequately describe the scale of the biking culture, there are thousands everywhere, locked to everything. The infrastructure of the city is heavily bike-oriented, it makes so much sense and I wish other cities could follow Utrecht's example....of course it probably helps that there are no hills in the Netherlands.
The Smoking - Bleagh! While I have grown to tolerate smokers I still don't really understand them. And, I suppose, being from Vancouver I'm blessed with the ability to avoid them for the mostpart. I think that's the only drawback about Utrecht I found (and it's even worse for Emma because she's super-sensitive), that a large amount of people smoke and you're allowed to do it everywhere.
The "Other" Smoking - There are pot cafes in Utrecht, but they're called "coffeeshops." It's kind of confusing I guess, but it's funny how understated the legal smoking-up is. There is a coffeeshop that's a converted canal boat in Utrecht, re-fitted with large windows and full of (appropriately enough) potted hanging plants. Of course, I only admired from afar.
posted by Mike at 4:10 PM
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