Being social in Utrecht and Amsterdam :)

Utrecht

The Domtoren, Utrecht

A few weeks ago, I went to visit an old Dutch friend from UWC, who now lives in Utrecht. We spent the day together, not worrying about deadlines, and just enjoying each other's company and catching up. It was such a nice break!

Utrecht is a lot more peaceful than Amsterdam!

My friend also suggested that we climb the Domtoren, the church tower, from which one has a good view of the city. Since it's a very popular thing to do, we only got a slot for 2.30pm, so we had to wait a few hours. But that ended up working out perfectly, because by the time we were ready to start our climb, the grey clouds had parted, and the sun and blue sky were peeking through. By the time we got to the very top (you automatically get a guided tour of the tower, so it took us about 50min to get to the top), it was beautiful weather!

A breathtaking view from the top!

Amsterdam
A week later, my friend came to Amsterdam - and so did another Dutch friend from UWC! So, we had a mini-reunion for a day, which was also really fun! We spent the day wandering around the city a little bit, and sun, which was finally out for a little while (for the first time in a week!!), made the day perfect! :) Here are a few impressions of this beautiful city that is temporarily my home:

The red light district canal

One of the main canals, with houseboats. :)

One of the side canals.

I often wonder if people who have lived here all their lives appreciate the city as much as outsiders do? Speaking of which, when are you going to visit me? ;)