Utrecht - Blogabond

What seems an eternity ago i met a breakdancing twenty-something with very attractive looks and a superb talent to paint! She told me a story one night as we both lived in Antibes (2003) about the place where she came from, a picture was painted about a place where people left things unlocked because there was common trust. In this place families would invite you for dinner off the street and the ambling flat lands were full of things to do and see! The person came and went like others but the picture that had been painted stayed in a subconcious part of my head until one day at hostel in Rainbow Beach, Oz. It was in this place that i randomly approached a girl and not only told her she was Dutch but also the town where she came from, i was as surprised in myself as her, asking myself where this came from. In the previous world adventure i went on to meet two other people from this region of the Netherlands and one of them fortunately was Yoel. We met as strangely on Perhentian while i was ending and he was begining adventures!

In february he returned and we agreed that while we were visiting Cologne, it would be good to take 2 days to go to this special place! I was alread y sold it seemed! So off we went, arriving to the scenes of bikes row upon row and people slightly larger than your average person! Why is everyone in the Netherlands so huge!?! It wa so good to see Yoel again and finally in Utrecht!

The next two days were simply awesome! The place was just as described and we had the pleasure to meet all the family, Amber his sister and Roman the brother, the parents and even the cats taken in from the other folk who lived but left nearby! One morning we took the bikes out and went for a cycle around Breukelen, the smaller town where he lives, simply it was magnificent. All sorts of wildlife and us just riding along saying the occassional hello to folk! Apparently in the summer it is a brilliant place to be but i think if i had gone in the summer i might not have returned! Lenaic admitted a similar thing! So yeh some beautiful places and fantastic pace of life! Here are some pictures;

Yoel also surprised me with some photos from our last night together on Perhentian, so for those of you who know the story or those that don't there are a few corkers here of us and general island life;

...BRILLIANT!

Well an hour or so from Amsterdam and if you followed the last blog you will know i made a promise to see Jolanda the Perhentian Princess! Sure did! Here is the proof;

We all caught up together while in Utrecht centraal one afternoon, evading the totally useless love poets and similarly crazy folk who wandered too far from the capital! It was crazy- there we were all sitting outside by the canal in Utrecht! Well we enjoyed the afternoon and a few beers together then it was time for Yoyo (Jolanda) to head back and soon she will be returning to Asia on another adventure!

Finally on the last evening Amber decided to let me on a secret recipe unknown to me; sprinkles on plain bread- yak! Anyways i tried some and it had strange familiarity to pain au chocolat! Anyway then Yoel admitted to the fettish and before longthere 6 boxes of sprinkles around and all out sprinklefest was had! I stuck to just the one slice though~! Amber took hers to work the next day and left me imagining the lucntime conversation about snadwhich filling! Get this- its normal though- even the boxes had the image of sliced bread on them! Look>>> Is this normal?

The evening was complete when sat in a coffee shop Robert (Ambers boyfriend) asked why i love Utrecht... ...moments later i was the proud owner of a well kept FC UTrecht badge sticker and one player photo! An adopted team for an adopted citizen! ;)

A special place with very special people! doieeeee!!!!

written by

50watts on March 15, 2007 from Utrecht, Netherlands

from the travel blog: Watt happened next..!?!

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