The Netherlands 1 - Arnhem & Utrecht
It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Netherlands in the spring, and that dream came true this April. Our first stop was Arnhem, a city in the east of the Netherlands, located on the banks of the Rhine River near the German border. Since leaving home in the early morning, we kept driving for about 3.5 hours arriving in Arnhem. It sounded nice to stretch our legs, and find a place for breakfast.
We came across a cafe called LOTS, which looked nice, while walking through the city center. It seemed a table was available, so we gave the place a try. I had Pancake heaven: pancakes with fruit and clotted cream. The pancakes were perhaps made with wholewheat? They tasted somewhat savory, not sweet at all. The generous fruit toppings made me happy. On the other hand, the clotted cream wasn't like what I had in England; its texture and taste were more like cream cheese. Anyway, it was simply unexpected, but fine, as I generally like milky, creamy things.
J ordered Eggs Benedict. Based on his reaction, I guess they were just ok.
The city was the primary focal point of the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. The Allied attempt to secure the vital road bridge over the Rhine ultimately failed after 10 days of fierce combat. The John Frost Bridge was the primary objective in the daring operation known as Market Garden. The bridge is still there.
Dating back to 1357, the Sabelspoort is the only surviving medieval gate that withstood World War II still standing today. In Arnhem, there were originally four main gates.
The centerpiece of the city is St. Eusebius Church, also known as the Big Church. Though heavily damaged in the Battle of Arnhem, the late-Gothic church has been restored. We didn't enter the church or climb the 93-meter-high tower this time. Instead, we checked out the open-air market in the square next to the church. There were several cheesemongers with so many big wheels of cheese. We knew exactly what we were bringing back home on the first day of the trip...
Another historical building in the city center was the Duivelshuis (Devil's House), located near the church. We only glanced at it from the market, missing the details of its famous Renaissance architecture, particularly the mischievous mythological satyr sculptures on the facade, which were viewed as devils by the the conservative 16th-century citizens of Arnhem.
We left Arnhem and drove for another hour or so to get to our second destination, Utrecht. It was a city in the Netherlands that I had wanted to visit for a long time because it was miffy's home town! Known as nijntje in Dutch, miffy was created in 1955 by the Dutch author and illustrator Dick Bruna. Bruna was born and raised in Utrecht, and he spent his entire life in the city. The miffy books have been translated into more than 50 languages and have sold over 100 million copies globally. I grew up with several miffy books, which were translated in Japanese, and still adore the minimalist design, which was illustrated with limited colors. First of all, miffy is timelessly adorable! Utrecht celebrates the world-beloved children's book character as well as the local creator, featuring several dedicated spots in the city center. The miffy traffic light was one of them. Seeing the unique and super-cute pedestrian traffic light in person was the highlight of my trip to Utrecht!
We crossed the road three times to take some good photos of the green light version. The crosswalk in the busy downtown shopping district was packed with people. Some of them were taking photos of the miffy light like me.
Bicycles everywhere! We witnessed the famous cycling culture of the Netherlands throughout our trip.
We met another miffy at the miffy Square, located on the northern edge of the city center. It was a small and quiet spot.
Utrecht is one of the oldest and best-preserved medieval cities in the Netherlands. The Oudegracht (Old Canal) is one of the city's famous medieval landmarks. Dug in the 12th century, the canal features a unique two-level design. The lower wharf level, which sits at the water's edge, once served as dockside cellars. Today, the medieval, underground spaces house waterside restaurants and cafes.
Originally built in the 14th century, the Dom Tower dominates the city's skyline. It's the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, standing at 112 meters!
The Dom Church, also known as St. Martin's Cathedral, stood near the Dom Tower. The tower used to be part of the cathedral building, but when a catastrophic tornado cut through Utrecht in 1674, it destroyed the central nave of the cathedral, leaving the tower standing alone. The gap between the cathedral and the tower was never rebuilt; today, this open space is known as Dom Square.
We walked down to the Mariaplaats, a historic square, where St. Mary's Church had stood. The church was dismantled in the 19th century. Today, a statue of Dick Bruna and miffy stands right next to the square. One side is miffy; the other side is Bruna. Honestly, it looked a little weird rather than cute. I would say, it was interesting.
The last but not least miffy place we visited was the miffy Museum, located at the south edge of the city center. Actually, we didn't enter because all the tickets for that day were sold out. That was totally okay, though, as I just wanted to see the statue of miffy outside and take a photo of it. I was interested in visiting the Centraal Museum, located right across the street from the miffy museum, though. The oldest municipal museum in the Netherlands (founded in 1838) is renowned for its deep local focus, spanning medieval Old Masters, the world's largest collection of a Dutch furniture designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld designs, and modern art. Dick Bruna's studio was also relocated to the museum from the original place on the Jeruzalemstraat, not so far from the cathedral. I hope I can visit the museum next time.
We kept walking around the city center. Utrecht was not only miffy's birthplace but also a charming, historic city. Otherwise, I couldn't have tricked J into stopping by the city.
Sculptures were found here and there.
Walking through the greenery park on the eastern edge of the historical canal ring was peaceful, being away from the bustling shopping streets.
We had a late lunch at Pampalini Lunchroom & Coffee, a casual cafe serving light meals for breakfast and lunch, such as omelets and sandwiches. We both tried Iced Rose Mint (sparkling water, rose water, chia seeds, mint and lemon), which was refreshing. I had smoked salmon sandwich, and J had a beefsteak parmesan sandwich. I guess I was very hungry; I forgot to take a photo of them.
For desserts, we tried our first stroopwafel at Van Schaik Stroopwafels, a family-owned, local bakery established in 1960. A stroopwafel is a traditional Dutch treat made of two thin, crispy waffle cookies sandwiched together with a gooey caramel syrup filling. Since we were still full with lunch, we shared a piece. It was slightly warm and lovely!
To be continued...
