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May 16, 2002:
Utrecht,
a charming city
Have
you ever imagined yourself in a city with old houses, canals, bridges,
streets in paving-tile and gothic cathedrals?
Utrecht is a city like this; very calm, hospitable and historical.
When I arrived in Ultrecht, I understood what was a typical Dutch
city. The country culture was
in the style of its buildings, churches and canals, in the informal way
people walks in the streets, in the bicycles transit and in the several
markets of flowers.
Utrecht
is one of the oldest cities of the Netherlands.
The centre is the most attractive zone, with canals that date from
the XIV century. The most
famous canal is Oudegracht (old canal) that places 5 meters below the
level of the streets to prevent flood.
Boating in the canal, you can observe the city from a different
point of view, as if you couldn’t be observed from the walkers.
Undoubtedly, to pass through the canals and bridges, enjoying the
tranquillity and beauty of Utrecht is unforgettable for who goes to visit
the city.
In
the edge of the canal, old cellars and granaries had given place to the
charming restaurants and cafes. The
menus are varied with Italian, Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Indonesian food.
I found, also, a restaurant called Gauchos. There must have
Brazilians therefore I couldn’t believe when I saw a window with the MST
flag
In
Utrecht, I could also taste the typical Dutch food.
When we just arrived, we went to a Dutch restaurant in the border
of the canal that serves Dutch pancakes.
Their pancakes are a little different of the Brazilian ones.
The stuffing wasn’t inside, but in the mass that comes open in a
very big plate. Then we put a
sweet sauce on it and roll the mass.
It’s delicious. The
sweet sauce gives the meal a different flavour.
The
Dutch passion for flowers is visible in Utrecht.
There are so many markets in the streets selling several types and
colours of flowers. The
landscape of the people holding flowers while they hide their bicycles
confers a romantic vision for the city.
Utrecht
is one of the university centres of Holland, with a big students
population. Between Dutch
students, I met some foreigner students that had received scholarships to
study in the city. The
University is the biggest in the Netherlands and one of the most beautiful
and oldest in the country. It was building em1636.
Plenty
of historical monuments and churches, Utrecht has the highest tower of
Holland, the Dom tower, with 112 meters.
The gothic tower was building in 1382 and it’s separated from the
Domkerkpor cathedral for a small street.
Miraculously the tower survived the torment of 1674 that destroyed
part of the cathedral. In
Utrecht there’s the unique headquarters archiepiscopal in The
Netherlands.
The city is also famous for being the centre of the rail train in The Netherlands. In The Dutch Train Museum (Spoorwegmuseum) is possible to see the evolution and history of Dutch trains. Undoubtedly, Utrecht is a charming city. Small for Brazilians, it has about 300 a thousand habitants, but and it’s one of the main Dutch cities.
Historical places in the city
Established
for the Romans in 47 d. C., Utrecht had as objective to protect an
important passage of the river Reno.
Utrecht was one of the first cities of The Netherlands to accept
the Christianity. In 700, an English religious, Willibrord, established a
church called Het Sticht. Fortified
as religious centre during the Middle Age, Utrecht extended its control to
large part of Holland until 1527. In
the parochial house, that dates from 1495 and today it is part of the
University, Joao, Guillermo’s de Orange brother, signed the Utrecht
Union, an important agreement in the country history.
Utrecht
is such a special city. Small
for Brazilians, it has about 300 a thousand habitants, but is one of the
main Dutch cities. Who intends to know the small cities in the Netherlands,
can not loose the chance to visit such a special place called Utrecht.
Images:
Translated by Traduzca