Around and above Utrecht: no cycling

April 15, 2012

WEATHER: windy, rainy and COLD!

When we woke up and looked out at the blowing rain, we were glad this wasn't a cycling day. The buffet breakfast downstairs was plentiful and varied with a nice coffee machine for making cappuccinos and macchiatos. We didn't rush, and by the time we collected our umbrellas and were ready to brave the elements, it was after 11:00. The rain had almost stopped, but it was still very windy and cold.

That's our destination: the top of the tower on the right.

One of the major attractions in Utrecht is the Domtoren (cathedral tower), finished in the 14th century and at 112 metres, the highest church tower in the Netherlands. Guided tours in Dutch and English take visitors up the 465 steps to the top, and we decided this would be a fine thing to do on a rainy day. We walked to the medieval city centre and discovered that tickets for the tour had to be purchased at the nearby tourist office which opens at 12:00 on Sundays. We congratulated ourselves on our timing, since it was now 11:58, and were glad to get inside the toasty office to warm up. About 20 of us climbed the tower steps with our knowledgeable young guide, Kevin, who spoke excellent English (as do most of the Dutch people). By about the 200th step we were thoroughly warmed up, and we enjoyed looking out at the city from the various viewpoints on the way up. Apparently on a clear day you can see Amsterdam, not too surprising, since there are no hills or mountains in the way. The tower and nearby cathedral are built of brick and took almost 300 years to complete. They used to be connected by a (brick) nave, which had been built hastily, with no fortifying buttresses, and it was blown down by hurricane force winds in 1674, leaving an open square where you can still see the outline of the nave in the paving stones. The carillon bells played loudly at 1 pm, right when we were at the top of the tower.

Looking down at central Utrecht from the top of the Domtoren.

Another view of the river running through Utrecht.

After the tour we were ready for lunch and had chicken salad sandwiches and apple pie at a nearby brasserie which was bustling with people on this blustery Sunday afternoon. We looked out the large windows at groups of cyclists and walkers making their way through the pedestrianized area, their hair and jackets blowing wildly in the wind.

We had read about the Museum Speelklok (Musical Clock), and after lunch found it nearby in a converted church with an impressive arched ceiling. Entrance was free with our museumkaart. The museum houses a large collection of automatically playing musical instruments, most of which still work, and some dating from the early 1800s. The instruments range in size from a tiny Japanese music box on a key chain to the huge Dutch street organs, and include music boxes, musical grandfather clocks, pianolas, barrel organs and a turret clock with a carillon. It was strangely fascinating, and we spent about two hours there looking and listening.

Life-size figures on a Dutch street organ that was about 20 feet long and played spirited (loud) bandstand-like music.

In the evening the sun finally came out briefly and we found dinner a few blocks from our hotel at Het Licht (the Light). On Sunday many restaurants are closed, so this modest cafe was especially busy with family groups. We ordered chicken saté, a ubiquitous dish in Dutch restaurants, and were surprised by how good it was. The peanut sauce was light and not sweet, and it came with perfectly cooked rice (instead of the usual fries) and a pappadom as well as an asian-style coleslaw.

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