It’s crazy to think that I bought a new waterproof coat back in May and it has still yet to be worn. The blue skies and high temperatures were following us but how far north that will continue no-one knows. Today we would trade, in sunny Utrecht, we would gladly trade our hiking boots and jeans for shorts and sandals.
Despite priding ourselves that we have seen a large part of Holland because of how close it is to where we were stationed with the RAF for 3 years, we have never visited what is Holland’s 3rd largest city. Our train journey took us about 40 minutes on the super clean double decker train.
From Central Station to Canal Central
Exiting through the gleaming new station and equally modern shopping centre, we emerged onto a square and a large Saturday market. After passing through the market and a few more streets we came across our first canal. It felt like a mini Amsterdam. Being so close to it’s more famous neighbour it is often forgotten or overlooked on the tourist and sightseeing trail. Canals with little pedestrian streets and what felt like a million bicycles chained to the railings.
The canals were down below us but had steps down to a lower level which were once the wharves and warehouses from the city’s trading days. These warehouses had now been converted into restaurants with row upon row of outside seating. Business was brisk on this sunny Saturday lunchtime with most tab;es full. Small boats, kayaks, pedloes and even a large barge squeezed along the narrow canals while we were watching. A gondola wouldn’t have looked out of place. A five minute walk further on brought us to a large square full of bars and restaurants and our very central accommodation.
StayOK Hostel “with Benefits”
We had booked a room with booking.com. We knew it had dormitories but we had the “with benefits” booking which meant a double room with sheets, towels and a private bathroom. There was a large reception area with bar and breakfast room. Although we brought the average age up by about 30 years we didn’t feel out of place and everyone was very friendly. An added bonus was vouchers for 50% off a drink in the bar.
Housekeeping and Shopping
Housekeeping for me is basically non existent but a laundry was needed. Travelling with just a small backpack each meant only a small amount of t-shirts and underwear. The “with benefits” at StayOK did include access to the laundry but the one machine and about 8 bags of laundry queued up put us off. Only 500 metres away we found Laundry Kolman and hey presto clean smalls! A few essentials from the supermarket for our room on the way back and it was time to do some JWalking Utrecht style.
Snack Quest
Most, if not all, European foods are available in the UK but one that doesn’t seem to have leapt over the channel is the croquettes and bitterballen. We first had these over 30 years ago when we were posted to bordering Germany. They are hard to describe but are basically a meat paste deep fried in breadcrumbs. The croquettes are obviously potatoe croquette shape and the bitterballen are little balls. In fact there is one place you can get them in London and that is De Hems a Dutch bar just off Piccadilly Circus. During the war years this pub was run by a retired Dutch sea captain and ended up as the unofficial headquarters of the Dutch resistance. An interesting place to visit if you are near enough to pop in at anytime. We can recommend the bitterballen.
Watching the World Go By
With so many bars, cafes and restaurants we felt the need to sit and enjoy the sunshine with a coffee or beer. Needless to say we ended up doing both. First of all a coffee in a lovely little street cafe by the canal and then later a couple of beers. It is fascinating to people watch and soak up the atmosphere of this city. Having Holland’s largest University makes it a busy and vibrant place.
What a great place Utrecht is and we will be looking for an excuse to come back – a Christmas market may be as good a reason as any.
13/10 – 15/10/2018
JWalking 
Looks like a beautiful little city. I guess it’s similarity to Amsterdam keeps the victors away.
I’m with you on bitterballen they were my favourite thing about Dutch cuisine.
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Hope to keep it a bit of a secret – don’t want it to end up as busy as Amsterdam and full of tourists eating up the bitterballen stocks.
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Oh no that sounds awful
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That was a very nice read with lovely photos. Also great descriptions.
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Thanks Alison. I sometimes go on a bit so it is nice to know the post reads OK.
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Not at all 😀
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Croquette and bitterballen are to die for foods!
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Glad to have some positive comments. Most people turn their nose up because they don’t know exactly what it is made up of. All I know is that they taste soooo good.
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Good grief, how can anyone not like them! They have my vote for definite.
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It certainly appears to be a charming place going by your photos.
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Charming about sums it up.
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Lovely! We were there last November, though only as a day trip from Amsterdam. Our weather was very different – bitter – but we loved wandering the canals and streets all the same. We also went on the underground tour of Roman ruins which was very interesting.
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Glad you managed to get there if only for a day. Didn’t realise there were underground Roman ruins. A reason to return!
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Indeed! We only had time to do either underground or go up the cathedral tower and we chose the former.
https://glasgowgallivanter.com/2018/04/23/utrecht/
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Looks very pretty but the streets seem a bit clogged up!! Ok …… fair enough 🙂 xx
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Yes it was chocca clogger. (Not as good as your pun but the best I could do!)
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What a beautiful city. I better chase up a bitterballen recipe.
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Good luck with the recipe. Let me know how it goes.
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You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality sites online.
I am going to recommend this website!
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Ahh thank you so much. It’s good to know you enjoy our posts.
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OK, that’s Utrecht on the list as well! Bitterballen are great but are up with McDonalds apple pie as the hottest things in the world! A brilliant snack with a lovely Dutch beer. And there are Roman ruins too.
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How did we miss the ruins? Good job it is close enough to return to for the weekend!
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Seems you have lately been to many of the places I hope to go in April, May and June. Planning to start in Netherlands, then do my house sits in England and Scotland, then go over to Norway. So ,I am getting some great info in reading your blog ! Thank you !! I in fact have found a cute little air bnb for a very good price in Utrecht. Have not booked it yet because I knew nothing about Ultrect, but thinking I will visit for a couple days after seeing this post. The Air BNB is in near university. Do you guys use Air BnB much ?
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Glad the info is useful. You will love Utrecht. We stayed very central in hostel style accommodation. We have used Airbnb loads – probably coming up to around 100 times now and apart from 2 have had great experiences. Happy planning!
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Utrecht is such a nice city! Much nicer than Amsterdam if you ask me. I don’t live far from Utrect so I visit every once in a while and never get tired of it. And Bitterballen are the best!
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How lucky are you to live close? I think I need to start a bitterballen appreciation society (BAS).
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