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Thursday, July 6, 2017

Glimpses of Utrecht


The inner city of Utrecht is amazingly pretty. Buildings of the University of Utrecht are strewn all around, the buzz is almost 24x7, with canals, cobble stoned streets and thousands of pubs and restaurants adding to the energy. After the Bangalore to Mumbai to Amsterdam flight, the train ride from Amsterdam to Utrecht is less than 30 minutes.




My service apartment for 4 weeks was Plompetorengracht 11B, an ancient building that has been restored, right in front of a canal. 






















The canal along Plompetorengracht. 















The imposing and pretty Dom Tower is a common point of reference in Utrecht. Less than 2 km away from the apartment, it was a pleasant walk along cobble stone streets. 




The inner city is traffic free, that is, only cycles, buses and taxis are allowed. 




The beautiful church by the Dom Tower. 










An University building right next to the Tower.

























Two major canal systems are found in Utrecht.



Perfect for long walks in the evenings.







Hundreds of restaurants and pubs dot the banks of the canals. 




A neat way to tow beer!






Being heavy-traffic free, about the only traffic to watch out for are speeding cycles and relatively slower moving buses.













Cobble stone surfaced streets lined with flowers. A pretty sight!




Early morning, waiting for the bus.




Early morning traffic!




Near the Dom Tower.






Utrecht Central Station is large, and the cycle parking lots are even larger. 










Late evenings were very cool and superb for long strolls. 








The lovely Janskerkhof (church) dwarfs the statue of Anne Frank.
















Typical evening scenes, the street side cafes filled to the brim.







This property was the Utrecht prison until 2014. Alternative uses for the community are now planned for this facility.




Party scenes!







A pretty park just outside the city centre on the way to Leidsche Rijn.






Utrecht is well known for its curious rabbit statue called the “Thinker on a Rock“.




A solitary picture of Rotterdam.




On the flight back, from Amsterdam to Mumbai. 



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